Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittney Gilbert.
Hi Brittney, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Brittney Gilbert, a native of Brooklyn, NY, and I began my dance journey at thirteen years old at the Harlem School of the Arts. The arts were always a central part of my childhood, as I grew up in a household filled with music, creativity, and self expression. I was the child constantly creating performances in the living room during family gatherings, dressing up, making costumes, and teaching myself choreography from my favorite musicals, movies and music videos which became the foundation of my passion for dance.
The summer before my senior year of middle school, I attended the Harlem School of the Arts summer program for arts and design, where I was immersed in photography, graphic design, and African drumming. One afternoon, while walking through the halls, I passed a ballet class in session and became completely captivated by the dancers grace, discipline, and physicality. In that moment, I knew I wanted to pursue dance professionally.
That evening, I went home and begged my mother to enroll me in dance classes. With the support of my mother and aunt, I was able to audition for the fall semester at the Harlem School of the Arts. I had no formal dance training at the time, and honestly, the audition did not go well. But what I lacked in technique, I made up for in determination, passion, and heart. I pushed through the entire audition fueled purely by my positive attitude, ambition, and my love for dance.
A fun memory I still laugh about today is that my mother and I choreographed my audition solo to Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake. Looking back, it was far from polished, but it represented something much deeper: the unwavering belief my family and I had in my dreams. Despite my lack of experience, I was accepted into the program and I quickly realized I had a tremendous amount of work ahead of me. But, I was ready for the challenge.
From there my dance journey continued to accelerate, I got accepted into Talent Unlimited High School for the Performing Arts. During that time I also trained multiple programs and institutions that transformed me artistically including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Junior Division Program, Dancewave, and Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts. Entering my senior year of college, I earned a full scholarship to Alonzo King LINES Ballet Summer Intensive, which was an incredibly transformative experience. A year later I graduated from the University of the Arts with a BFA in Dance Performance. After graduating, I became immersed into the commercial hip hop genre and later joined Creative Reaction Company which became a very meaningful chapter in my life. It was at Creative Reaction where I met my husband and lifelong dance partner, Kendall Gilbert. Now, in my adult life my husband and I are building our brand, our lives and our dance careers together, and it is so beautiful to watch it all unfold.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My dance journey has definitely never been the “perfect ballerina story,” and honestly… I think that’s what makes it mine. My path into dance is a testimony to my resilience, persistence, and a little bit of delusional confidence. I was absolutely the underdog for most of my training years, but I accepted it from the moment I got into the Harlem School of the Arts and realized how far behind I was in comparison to everyone else.
Since I joined HSA during my senior year of middle school, I only had about six to seven months to prepare for Performing Arts High School auditions in New York City. Which, in dance world timing, is basically the equivalent of being thrown into the Olympics after one practice class. I suddenly had to learn ballet, pointe, modern, and jazz techniques, train my body to become flexible and strong, learn dance terminology, understand the history of the art form, and learn polished solo, all at the same time.
It was intense. My life became school, dance, repeat. I was taking private lessons, staying late at the studio, stretching constantly, and trying to convince my body to do things that felt unnatural. Meanwhile, my mother was making it very clear that while I was chasing dance dreams, my grades still needed to stay on honor roll status, there was no exception around that.
I sacrificed a lot of my social life during those years. While other kids were outside hanging out, I was in dance clothes for what felt like 80% of my existence. But truthfully, it was all motivation for me. I was completely obsessed with improving. I wanted to dance, I wanted to grow, and more than anything, I wanted to prove to myself that I belonged in those rooms.
I’ve always been an underdog, and that has been both my biggest struggle but also my biggest flex. I’ve started late, I’ve started behind, I’ve always had a big learning curve, but I still overcame and I’m still here!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I give all the glory to God for the career that I have been able to have. He has made no mistake in ordering my footsteps to place me exactly where I needed to be to get me to the point where I am now, and I am truly grateful. I am proud to have accomplished many goals that I have dreamed of doing since I was a child. I have performed in major television network shows including Jimmy Fallon, VMA’s, BET Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, and Saturday Night Live, performed in popular music festivals inclusive of Coachella, Rolling Loud, Broccoli City Festival and One Music Fest, toured internationally with 50 Cent and nationally with the City Girls and K. Michelle. I have been able to with amazing recording artists such as Tyla, Jazmine Sullivan, Missy Elliott, Lizzo, Shaboozey, T.I., and as well as work with brilliant choreographers and creative directors such as Fatima Robinson, Tia Rivera, DJ Dubz, Jeremy Green, Lydeah Kearse and Fullout Cortland. All though, I accomplished so many things, this is still only the beginning for me.
What sets me apart from others is my work ethic. I am a fighter and I am willing to work harder than anybody else because I have so much to prove to myself. I enjoy the process of learning, improving and I believe that I’m never a finished product. The “underdog” is so special because you are running your own race against yourself. Being an underdog has taught me how to stay hungry, adapt, and remain humble. As long as you always bet on yourself you can’t lose. Additionally, I also have an amazing husband by my side who I am truly inspired by. He teaches me how to be better human being, challenges my mind, encourages me to work more efficiently and supports me while I strive for the goals I’ve dreamed of.
My favorite dance style is heels. Dancing in a heel has given me the space to appreciate the power of womanhood and femininity. The elevation of a heel alters the way you present yourself. A woman in a heel naturally commands attention but what I love most about the art form is the balance between sensuality, sex appeal, and softness. Heels has helped me develop a deeper confidence in my body, build, shape and size. I’ve learned to trust myself, find my individuality and exercise my emotional vulnerability.
I consider myself a dance artist, but first and foremost, I will always be a student of dance. No matter how much experience I gain, I never want to lose my willingness to learn. I genuinely enjoy exploring new styles and refining my instrument to be the best that I can be.
I enjoy being a blank canvas for a choreographer’s vision, allowing someone else’s creativity, storytelling, and movement to live through my body. At the same time, I also love creating and building my own vision on other dancers in the space.
As of recently, teaching has also become one of the most fulfilling parts of my journey. I love helping aspiring dancers who share that same passion and hunger for growth. Being able to give people tools, guidance, and encouragement to help them move forward in their own dance journeys brings me a lot of joy. I’ve made a ton of mistake’s and learned so many lessons the hard way trying to navigate breaking into the entertainment industry professionally. Because of that, I empathize with a lot of aspiring professional dancers and I care deeply about sharing knowledge to help advance the next generation of artist. This is what motivated me to start a heels program.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Always be genuine, be a good person and stay true to yourself. That is the golden ticket for success in the entertainment business.
Finding a mentor or networking can be tricky but it doesn’t have to be. What has worked well for me is having positive energy, good vibes, awareness and willingness to serve. People enjoy being around good people that make the space feel light and enjoyable.
Be consistent, familiarity helps people to remember you. Show up to classes, sessions, workshops, etc.
Be a star at what you do! People will notice your star quality and can feel your energy in the room and if they gravitate toward you, then it could be a green light in the right direction.
Have genuine conversation. People can feel when you’re not being authentic.
Lastly, focus on the relationship, not the reward. This one is hard, but if you can understand the importance it will save you. People don’t want to feel used, like you are trying to connect with them for a job or an opportunity. Instead, try to build an honest relationship first, without any expectations. The relationships I have built with people have taken me far more places than a single opportunity. Longevity is the goal!
One last nugget, be socially aware of the people that you keep around. My mother always said “you are the company you keep”. Keeping intelligent, productive, good people around you speaks to your character, and lets people know that you like to associate and surround yourself with like minded people. This is attractive to newly forming relationships and potential mentors.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @imsobrittneyx3
