Live. Breathe. Dance.

Gibson recalls when the first season of Making the Band was over and a complete band hadn’t been produced, she didn’t know what she was getting herself into. Much of the concern left Gibson feeling that her reputation was being falsely construed from a circus creation of unflattering lunacy.

“Before I knew it, there was like six months of footage and they were piecing me together screaming every day,” Gibson says. It was not long after that she realized it was time for her to move on and work on something completely different. What came to her was the opportunity to work with a virtually unknown singer trying to make her mark in the business. Enter: Lady Gaga. The two would form an innovative relationship that generated buzz for every performance up until their public decision to go their separate ways last November due to “creative differences.”

Artistically, the conception of Gibson’s own work is characteristically dissimilar than when she is creating for others because every person and every process is different. She explains that producing dance for a movie is a distinct procedure rather than when creating choreography for an awards show, a video, or a tour. Gibson also mentions that people tend to draw comparisons, but distinct personalities and approaches make it improbable to have one sole course.

“[Artists] have an idea of what they want to do and where they want to go. It’s up to me to protect it or execute it,” she explains.

With Gaga, she began working with her from the inception of her career and by building her brand. This required a different kind of focus and energy that was essential in bringing stardom to realization, which involves building confidence and preserving the “it” factor.

“Much of the push of the passion came from my gift and ability to develop her opinion as an artist. After artist development, you have to give them confidence. Pull out of them their dream, their desire. Find the magic, [which are] those components that in the beginning, without a record deal, made me believe I could get it to that [higher] level,” Gibson says. The same could be said for many of the other artists she has worked with including Michael Jackson, Clay Aiken, Beyonce and Brandy, to name a few.

The arts can sometimes be a marginalized privilege rather than an equitable right to creativity, as a participator or observer. Open, as opposed to selective, accessibility is an idea that remains an objective for many arts advocates and practitioners who want to enable imaginative thinking in everyone. Gibson states that her reality series Born to Dance on BET is an example of that outreach, specifically through creating dance training opportunities.

Born to Dance was a competition reality show that selected 20 dancers to vie for a cash prize and the chance to professionally train with Gibson. The hope was that the dancers, whether they would come in first or not, had access to learning how they could further their dance careers by being technically proficient and industry smart.

“If you didn’t have access, we created access. They didn’t come to Hollywood. We went to [places like] Detroit and Atlanta in a studio in that you wouldn’t even dream of dancing in. And people are not aware of that,” she emphasizes.

Gibson identifies herself as the example for individuals who are in need of a break like those on Born to Dance, because, many times, there are any number of hindrances and circumstances distracting them or telling them they can’t achieve their dreams. She proudly uses her position of notoriety as a tool to inspire.

“I think for me, my story is evidence, almost like a testimony. For some people with position, it means ‘I can be greedy’ or ‘I can have’ or ‘I can own.’ For me, it means we can change. It is the power to influence and create awareness,” she says of the mission she has assigned to herself as a person regularly in the limelight.

The overarching story for Gibson is that it does not matter what your circumstances are, you can surpass them, and if you keep believing in yourself and stubbornly striving toward your desired goal, despite naysayers, you can make your dream a reality – as cliché as it may sound. For the girl who sometimes paid for dance classes in quarters and worked at McDonalds when she was of age to help take financial burden off of her mother in order to develop her craft, there was always a way.

“Dance can change a child from surrendering to their circumstances to creating a level of hope that can get them out of their circumstances,” says Gibson. “I think it creates a confidence; a certain understanding of your experience and your ability that translates to the world.”

She truly believes in the force of dance and its power to strengthen the heart and soul. Gibson personifies its aura as a physical ability to unlock ones confidence, spirit and determination, and the will to survive. According to the charismatic artist, no matter what cards life has dealt out, everyone deserves a chance to know that they can be something.

“Something about not having any inhibitions with your physicality is all connected, which is why I say, dance unlocks the spirit. People who are in their situations and their exteriors that are not so hopeful, when you unlock the power of the human spirit, you find that you can do things that you never would have imagined yourself to do,” she says.

The “Boom-Kack” movement, as Gibson eloquently refers to it, is barreling through as the scroll of stars she directs continues on. Gibson’s plans for pop music stars like Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj, as well as other new artists, are all in the works. She is also joining forces globally as the tour choreographer for K-pop boy group, Big Bang.

Her voice often resembles the hunger and fire of intensity in the physicality of movement that only a dancer knows. Perhaps the passion of a love so deep and the desire to inspire can come off as eccentric and severe. But, at the end of the day, when you take away all the layers, it reveals the simplicity of a first love; which, for Gibson is dance. Her fervency is visible in the way she dances, and equally as engaging, the way she speaks about dance.

“Dance is liberation. It‘s food for the soul. The ability to communicate without opening your mouth is really powerful,” she says.