Celebrity choreographer Laurieann Gibson reveals why she had to walk away from some jobs
Laurieann Gibson, an Emmy-nominated choreographer, director, and producer who's worked with world-famous music artists including Katy Perry, The Jonas Brothers, and Diddy, revealed in an interview with The Christian Post the impact faith has had on informing her career decisions for more than 20 years.
Gibson recently released her debut book, Dance Your Dance: 8 Steps to Unleash Your Passion and Live Your Dream (W Publishing) that focuses on eight points she shares with readers to empower them and unlock their potential.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
“I didn't realize I was going to write a book," she said. "It wasn't something that I set out to do; God gave me the inspiration.”
In the book, Gibson recounts numerous memories and lessons she's learned from her 20-plus career and details some of her work with the aforementioned entertainers along with Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and many others.
Gibson described her book as both an “inspirational” and “transformative” look at her career in which she shows how the power of her gift is the power of God in her, enabling her to do what she does.
“There's purpose in everyone's dream. It's God-given — your passion, your dream. And so I believe if I can speak to your dreams, then I can speak to your circumstance. The basis for this book is to, right where you are, help you understand that you are enough and that the gift and the dream that God has given you is a roadmap to living that dream.”
Dance your Dance is not autobiographical but the famous choreographer shares situations from her career and life to testify to how her faith got her through the adversity, which helped her persevere and stay obedient to what God has called her to do. Gibson said her favorite step shared in the book is “Stay in Your Yes.”
"He's perfect and your gift is made perfect because God has given you the gift. So I'm excited to be a reflection of Christ in me and what that looks like, what that feels like, and how that really operates today after coming through a pandemic and people constantly being mirrored with the idea of fear and what you can't do,” she explained.
Gibson told CP that even though she always looked to God throughout her life, she did not dedicate herself to Christ until she was 27, and dating singer Mario Winans at the time. It was then that she went home to Detroit and visited a church service.
"I remember being in the congregation and there was a visiting bishop and he was preaching and everyone was standing up and he said, 'If you are not lying to God, then sit down.' I was the only person that was still standing,” she said. “It wasn't that I could just specifically say, 'God, I'm lying to you about something,’ but it was that it was my time. I had no idea of what I wasn't doing; I just had a passion to do what I was called to do.
"So on that day, I gave my life to Christ and it was a moment of contact and I began to develop a relationship that today is amazing and awesome, and the evidence of His glory and His mercy.
When asked by CP if she has ever used her mainstream influence as a ministry tool with some of her celebrity clients, she revealed that she has reverenced Kingdom work and what God has done in her life.
“But the beautiful thing about my obedience to Him and to the call is that the gifts He gave me have the power of Him in it, and He is ministry. I do know that, whether it was secular or Gospel, the intention behind how my gift works was always rooted in Him and always rooted in the power of Him,” she declared.
“I didn't do some jobs,” she explained. “I walked away from certain situations that would force me to operate differently, and that didn't give me the feeling that I was supposed to have when I was in my gift. And that's one of the steps, which is, Stay in Your Yes — that's exactly what I mean.”
“That feeling when you're operating outside the prophetic power of the gift that He's given, you feel it differently. It operates differently,” Gibson emphasized. “So I encourage people of faith to Stay in Your Yes. I encourage people to understand that; because ultimately they will find Christ in that yes because He is the giver of the gift.”
The book also encourages readers to dance their individual dance in a time of comparison culture.
"One of the main passions I have about the book is, dance your dance and no one else's,” she insisted. “I feel like sometimes there's a lot of pressure for artists or people that are in those positions to just talk about, 'Now that I'm here, it's this, it's that.' But it's truly the process. The greatness is in the process. The greatness is produced by you dancing your dance because there's a specific dream that is put in everyone as an individual and that's where you're passionate.”
Gibson continued, "No two people have the same identical passion and identical dreams. Yes, there are similarities to what's required on your journey as an entrepreneur, as a lawyer, as a doctor, as a dancer, but there's still something specific about you in that profession that produces a unique dream.”
Along with her victories, Gibson’s book reveals some of the most difficult challenges of her career and the closed doors she ran into with superstars like Diddy and Lady Gaga.
"It was tough. But when I went back there, I gained even more revelation that when I was in those situations, when I chose to stay in my yes, they were there in order to build me, train me, to sustain my dream,” she testified. “So I inspire people to understand that sometimes the no's, are not there to tell you who you're not, but they're there to perfect who you are.”
Gibson reiterated that her aim is to inspire people not to give up when things get rough.
"It is a time where if it doesn't happen instantly, or overnight, then they're telling you, 'You won't make it, it's over. It wasn't good. The shot you took wasn't enough.'
"But that's just not the truth. That is a false representation of a real process. A real process is about enduring challenges so that you can get to the greatness in you. It is a process because it's an unveiling; it's a pulling out. It's becoming, and everybody's dance is different,” she maintained.
For some people, they'll reach their goals earlier "because that's their season, that's what they're meant to do," she said. "Others will endure a longer process in order to sustain a heavier calling because that is what they need to do.”
Hold on to your passions in life, she added, because that is where God is leading you.
"I'm watching God move in modern-day; I'm watching the Holy Spirit move. I'm actually watching it happen; I'm watching Him utilize the purpose He has for me. I'm partaking in the fruits of my labor and my obedience, and I really am excited that people will get to know me, and the power of my gift directly through the book,” Gibson said. “I'm really happy that the book is the first time that people will actually get to connect with me and not me through an artist.”
Dance Your Danceis now available everywhere books are sold.
