Conversations with Gabriella Bridgmon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Bridgmon.

Gabriella, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My entire life has been revolved around dance. My mom wanted to be a dancer when she was younger but couldn’t afford it, so she put all of my siblings in it but only 2 out of the five of us stuck with it. High school was just centered around my dance team and immediately after school would go straight to my studio, BRE dance studio, to train. I then graduated and attended Cal State University of Fullerton where I got my B.A. in dance. My last semester of college was in 2020, which got cut short due to COVID.. and this is where I can say life truly began for me.

Being in quarantine for the first few months of 2020 made me sit with myself and figure me out. No dance, no friends, no socializing, just me. It took a huge toll on my mental health as I started to feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable having to deal with.. me. It made me realize I had no self-love nor did I know who I was as a person. On top of this unstable mental state I was in, the BLM movement/police brutality was very prominent. Me being a 21-year-old Black woman at the time, realized at this moment how privileged I grew up. As insane as this sounds, the 2020 BLM movement opened my eyes to fully see how we, as Blacks, are treated in this society. 21 years… it took 21 years for my eyes to open up to see and understand how my people are perceived and treated.

For a year, my mental health at this rate was at an all-time low but to help it, I started going on walks, sitting in my backyard in the sun, journaling, listening to self-help podcasts, practicing gratitude, going to the park to do yoga and finding a true connection with myself. I started to dance more, whether it was improv in my backyard or driving to train at Millennium Orange County. I found myself falling in love with dance again.

As this process continued, a lovely man came into my life. He helped me within the first few months of dating feel loved and seen. He made me feel like “me”. Fast forward six months and I was experiencing social anxiety, overthinking, insecurities, feelings/emotions that felt like I was back at my beginning stages of not knowing/loving myself. I stopped journaling, dancing, doing yoga, laying in the sun, doing things I enjoyed that kept me grounded. It took me 1 year and 4 months to realize the relationship was deteriorating my mental health and I was trying to form myself into someone else’s reality. May of 2022, I finally got the strength to break off the relationship, take a leap of faith and redirect my life.

The day after I ended this relationship, I drove to LA to audition for a contemporary company, Geometry Dance Company. I told myself if I make it, I’m moving to LA. A week later, I found myself moved into my LA apartment. From then on, I was finally living my dream reality.

Immediately after moving to LA, I was introduced to a choreographer who I have always looked up to, Will B. Bell. I was a part of a concept video he was putting together where he needed extra dancers. Shortly after that shoot, Will asked me to do a Jazz showcase for him called “Full Circle”, a showcase that represented the Jazz community in the dance industry. I of course said yes but while rehearsing for that, July 2022, I decided to audition to be a Laker girl. This was a dream job of mine. I mean, what new dancer in the industry wouldn’t want to be a Laker girl? I made it all the way to callbacks but the callbacks fell on the same day as the Full Circle showcase. My initial reaction was to drop the showcase for the callbacks but being that I committed to this showcase prior to auditioning for Lakers, I went with my first priority… and also, got little words of wisdom from Will. After the showcase, I was scouted by my dance agency MSA. A week later, I signed with them and BOOM, 2 hours after signing got booked on my first CW/Netflix show, All American: Homecoming as a body double and reoccurring dancer. Within the next few months, my dance career took off.

All within the months of August 2022 – December 2022, I performed at D23; Disney Expo, with the Zombies 3 cast. Had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Beauty and the Beast: a 30th celebration production as Belle’s Understudy who was played by H.E.R. and also got to ring in the New Year performing at the Bellagio in Las Vegas with the Infinite Creative Entertainment Company.

My entire experience living in LA as a professional dancer thus far has taught me not to put myself on a leash but rather to enjoy the journey of exploring the unknown. I have learned to appreciate the process of getting outside of my comfort zone and really be in the present moment. I am always functioning at a state of gratitude, even during the hard times.

For me personally, as an artist, it is so easy to consistently be on the search for my next job but I hardly take time to reflect on what I have achieved so far. I was once dreaming about working on the set of Warner Bros, Disney Studios, dancing alongside such phenominal dancers and even writing this interview and now I am able to share it to the world, hoping this helps or inspires at least one dancer, singer, actor, performer, any artist who needs a little push to get themselves to take a leap of faith and get out of their comfort zone.

At the end of the day, I am just a girl who was born and raised in the I.E., Moreno Valley, currently on a journey of learning not only me as an individual but also how to inspire the world with my passion.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. Boy, I wish it was.

Some struggles along the way consisted of imposter syndrome, comparing myself to others, social anxiety, and self-sabotage. Doing something you love as a full-time career is risky and can make it very easy to burn out. I noticed I started to become very desperate and was taking a lot of dance classes that my soul didn’t enjoy doing. There was no fun in it anymore, it was like my inner child was exhausted. I had to take some time to re-evaluate why I wasn’t enjoying my craft as much as I did when I first started and that’s because I was doing what I thought had to be done to be a “successful dancer”. At the end of the day, I needed to find what fulfills me and what makes my inner child excited again.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am simply an artist. I am not known for anything, or at least don’t think I am known for something… yet, but I am just a girl from the I.E., Moreno Valley, who has worked hard to be where she is today.

I am most proud of the way I have navigated my life so far and learned to really discover myself as a human. I am proud of how I have found ways to overcome the unstable moments in my life. I am proud to be someone who can one day inspire many other souls/artists.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
As much easier said than done… don’t stress; things that are meant for you will not pass you by, as long as you are doing the work to get there.

Remember to always remain in a state of gratitude, especially during the hard times. Usually, you learn a lot more from rejection and your own mistakes than you do succeeding in something.

Everything happens for a reason!!

Always take time to reflect on how far you’ve come, and remember to give yourself some grace… even for the small achievements.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellabridgmon/ 

Image Credits
Lindsay Rosenberg Photography