Born and raised in New York City, Ariel began her dance training at The Joffrey Ballet School and was a dance major at LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts. In 2004, Ariel earned a B.S. in Dance with honors and a minor in Women's Studies from Skidmore College. For her senior thesis project, she choreographed a contemporary ballet for five dancers that was presented at the Skidmore College Academic Festival in Spring 2004. Upon graduation, Ariel moved back to New York City and joined ACFDance under the artistic direction of Adrienne Celeste Fadjo, with whom she danced until December 2007. In May 2005, Skidmore commissioned her to set a piece that was presented at the Saratoga Dance Museum. In 2007 Ariel began choreographing for York Dance Works and in 2008 she founded Ariel Rivka Dance, a. Contemporary Ballet/Modern Dance company based in New York City committed to creating work that explores raw emotion in the context of strong technique and form. In addition to prioritizing collaboration with living composers, Ariel Rivka Dance uses movement to expose, intrigue, and inspire the audience and collaborators. Comprised of dynamic and graceful dancers, ARD also strives to create a comfortable and inviting environment for the audience so they can deepen and/or develop their passion for dance. Apart from her artistic endeavors, Ariel received her Master’s in Early Childhood Education at Bank Street School of Education and teaches at the Jewish Community Project Early Childhood Center.
