Riley Schillaci
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (August 2012) |
Riley Schillaci | |
|---|---|
| Born | Riley-Ann Schillaci December 22, 1982 |
| Occupation(s) | Performance Artist, Sword Swallower, Fire Breather, Burlesque Artist. |
Riley Schillaci (born December 22, 1982) is an American sword swallower. She is one of the few female sword swallowers in the world.[1] She has appeared in local publications, news broadcasts, opened for international bands, appeared at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Niagara Falls, and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Times Square. Riley was also a featured contestant on season 6 of America's Got Talent.
Riley's other skills include fire eating, fire breathing, fire spinning, fire hooping, fire fans, human pincushion, human blockhead, bed of nails, mouse traps, and burlesque.
Early life and education
Schillaci was born in Rochester, New York on December 22, 1982, to Michael Deborah (Healy). She is third generation Sicilian on her father’s side. Her mother’s family is of Irish, German, and English descent.
In 1983 she became a Kodak Baby, one of 13 infants pictured in a panoramic photo, which was used in Kodak advertisements. The photograph was also used on the cover of “Photographing Your Baby” by Eastman Kodak Co. Editors (1984).
Schillaci graduated from Webster Schroeder High School in 2001. She received an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts from Monroe Community College in 2004. She graduated from the State University of New York College at Brockport in 2006 with a double major in sociology and health science.
Performance career
Schillaci has opened for musical acts such as Type O Negative and My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult. In 2009 Schillaci was chosen to represent Sword Swallowers Association International at Ripley's Believe It Or Not! in Niagara Falls, in honor of International Sword Swallower Awareness Day. On April 17, 2010, Schillaci appeared on a live webcast with members of the band GWAR on their first annual Crack-A-Thon, streamed on Ustream.
Appearances
Television
- WHAM-TV "Morning Show" by Norma Holland (2008)
- R News "Her Hobby's Hard To Swallow" by Seth Voorhees (2008)
- America's Got Talent: Season 6 (American Series, July 2011)
- WFMZ Channel 69 by Melanie Falcon (February 8, 2012)
Radio
- 96.5 FM The Break Room (February 29, 2008)
- Prolifick Radio (June 2011)
- Esoterica with Johnny Rizzo (February 2012)
- Messenger Post"Hard to Swallow” Tori Uthe (November, 2007)
- ACT : LIVE [1]" Deep Throats: Running With Swords" James Niche (July, 2008)
- Insider, "What’s The Point?" Troy Smith (March, 2008)
- NY Daily News, (February, 2011)
- The Morning Call, "Allentown sword swallower: Cutting-edge entertainment" Steve Siegel (February, 2012)
References
- GWAR, Crack-A-Thon, ustream.tv. Broadcast on April 17, 2010.
- Holland, Norma. 13WHAM News. Broadcast on June, 2008.
- Meyer, Dan. Sword Swallower's Association International.[2] Accessed on August 17, 2008.
- Niche, James. ACT : LIVE'. Accessed on August 20, 2008.
- Schillaci, Riley. Riley Schillaci. com. Accessed on August 17, 2008.
- Smith, Troy. Insider. What's The Point?, March 7, 2008.
- Uthe, Tori. Messenger Post "Hard to Swallow". November 14, 2007.
- Voorhees, Seth. R NEWS. Broadcast on February 12, 2008.