Rianna Talento
“Throughout your dance career, the universe will throw so many obstacles at you. Everything happens for a reason, and your time will come.”
Rianna started dancing at 4 years old at her home studio, Virginia Ballet Company. Now a high school graduate, she is looking forward to joining BalletMet as a Trainee in the fall. One of her hobbies is making Youtube videos! The sole goal of her channel is to help young dancers like herself learn how to navigate this industry and reach their goals of becoming a professional.
For Rianna’s entire pointe journey, she has dealt with extreme pressure on her big toe, which created badly bruised toenails. During her first summer intensive at the Washington Ballet in 2018, she could barely make it through the increased hours of pointe, and she realized something needed to change. “After making my first pair of PerfectFits, I was able to get through every class and actually focus on my dancing rather than the pain. I haven't gotten a blister or a bruised toenail since!"
When we asked Rianna to describe her dance journey in the form of a metaphor, she said that “it’s been like a never-ending fire. The fire represents my love and passion for dance. Sometimes the flames are as big as a wildfire, and other times it is as big as a flickering candlelight. But the flame never goes out, just like my love for dance. I have had some ups and downs with this art form, but remembering why I started and why I love it allows me to keep going.”
