Kim Gingras | Taking Risk and Remaining Humble

Who Is Kim Gingras?

Kim Gingras is a Montreal-born professional dancer who turned a late start into one of the most visible commercial-dance careers to come out of Québec. She did not grow up in a ballet studio. She began at 15, was halfway through a physical therapy education when she chose dance, and has said openly that she is not classically trained. What carried her was work ethic, a stubborn belief in her own goals, and an approach to people that she sums up in one word: humble.

When Dance Mogul Magazine spoke with her in December 2014, she had just come off two of the biggest tours on the planet with Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Her answers were not about fame. They were about planning a visa, saving money before a move, handling rejection and treating everyone in the room with respect. That is why the interview still lands more than a decade later, and why we have updated it rather than leaving it in the archive.

There is no better project to work on than working on you.

— Kim Gingras to Dance Mogul Magazine, 2014

The Original 2014 DMM Interview

From the DMM Archive · December 22, 2014

Kim Gingras, French-Canadian dancer from Montreal, started training at the age of 15. It was only halfway through university, while studying physical therapy, that she decided to take her passion for dance to a whole new level. She focused on the art form full-time and has made a remarkable career out of it. After being a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance Canada, appearing in movies, winning a SOBA award and working on the MJ Experience Xbox game back in Canada, Kim decided to pursue even bigger dreams and made the move to Los Angeles in 2011. Since then, she has had the privilege of working with artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Scherzinger, Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams, Gwen Stefani, OneRepublic, Pitbull, Hilary Duff, The Wanted, Nicki Minaj and Robin Thicke. In 2013, she lived one of her biggest dreams and started touring the world with the one and only Beyoncé on the Mrs. Carter Show, then continued touring with both Beyoncé and Jay-Z on the On the Run tour this past summer. With her strong belief in the TTDC motto, “If it’s meant to be, it is up to me,” Kim continues to work hard and strive for growth every day.

Dance Mogul: Who were some of your inspirations in life and dance growing up?

Kim Gingras: My mother has always been such a strong female inspiration for my sisters and me. She has always supported me to do what my heart was calling me to do. I am very lucky to have such a supportive family. Kelly Konno, an amazing Canadian dancer/choreographer, has inspired me a lot as well. She was one of the first ones to make me realize that moving to the States and making dance a career was possible. She has danced with such powerful talented artists herself and it motivated me to keep going.

Dance Mogul: What is the dance community like in Canada?

Kim Gingras: We have a great dance community in Canada. It definitely isn’t as big as the one in the States, but it is strong.

Dance Mogul: Was it a hard decision to move to LA? Did you encounter any hardships?

Kim Gingras: It was definitely a big move. A move that needed a lot of reflection, a move that you don’t do overnight. But once I had made my mind up about really giving it my best try, I was excited! It took months to prepare my work visa documents and application. I also wanted to make sure I had a bit of money saved up to live out there in case things took a while to pick up.

Saying goodbye to family and friends was very hard, but I’m so grateful for their support and for the technology (Skype, FaceTime, etc.). It makes it easier to keep in touch on a daily basis.

Dance Mogul: How do you stay humble with all the success you have achieved so far?

Kim Gingras: I was always encouraged to stay humble, to respect everyone around me, to keep working harder and doing better for myself. It’s important to be confident in who you are and what you bring to the table, but there is no need to have an ego. I’m all about staying positive and encouraging one another in this harsh industry.

Dance Mogul: What have been some of your favorite moments on stage?

Kim Gingras: Hmm… that is hard to answer. I absolutely am in love with what I do. Being on stage and entertaining brings me so much joy.

I could definitely say that hitting the stage with the one and only Beyoncé has been so remarkable every time! It’s so crazy to see the sea of people screaming, cheering and crying of joy, ready to embark on an adventure with you for the next two hours! What makes it even crazier is when you hear people screaming your name!

From the Road, 2013–2014

Concert stage and music-video set moments shared with DMM in 2014. From the 2014 DMM interview. Photographer not credited in the original post.

Dance Mogul: Is there any advice you have for the next generation of dancers?

Kim Gingras: We all know that talent and looks play a big part in this industry. It can be very hard to be judged on your appearance, on what you chose to wear, on the decisions you made when it came time to freestyle, etc. So you need thick skin. You can’t let it get to you and take it too personally. That will eat you alive. You have to expect doors to close and you have to believe other doors will open. My best advice is to stay positive, to always carry yourself with the best possible energy. That goes a long way. Visualization is something I believe in as well. Envision yourself doing what you would like to do, let yourself dream big! Let those vibrations out into the universe. And of course always work hard and work on getting better. There is no better project to work on than working on you.

Dance Mogul: Dance has become a worldwide phenomenon. Where do you see it going in 10 years, craft-wise and business-wise?

Kim Gingras: I hope that it keeps blowing up. I really hope that people keep being entertained, inspired and can truly appreciate what we do. I would love for people to really be able to see how much it takes to do what we do (i.e., hours of work, sacrifices, demands, injuries, conditions, and so on). We make what we do look so fun (and it is), but so much goes on behind it all and we are often not truly appreciated to our value.

Dance Mogul: What’s next for you in 2015?

Kim Gingras: It is hard to tell, ha ha. It always is. I like to take it one project at a time. I trust that things will be lining up. I would really like to tour again and I would love to be a part of a movie. Throwing it out in the universe!

Dance Mogul: Is there anyone you would like to thank for helping you on your journey thus far?

Kim Gingras: Oh so many people! Everyone really! Whether it was from support, love, guidance, teaching or even tough love, rejection, disbelief, etc. It all is a part of what made me who I am today.

I will forever be grateful to my family and close friends who always believed in me and therefore helped me believe in myself.

Reproduced in full from the original DMM interview. Light edits for spelling and style only.

The Beyoncé Years and Beyond

Kim has told the story of how she reached Beyoncé’s stage more than once, and the details matter for any dancer reading this. After she was eliminated in the final eight of So You Think You Can Dance Canada, she used the momentum to secure a U.S. work visa and move to Los Angeles. She auditioned for Beyoncé several times and was turned down before she finally made the list, according to a 2018 interview with Montreal’s The Beat 92.5. Her first job with Beyoncé was the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show in February 2013, which took about four weeks of rehearsal.

From there came the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2013, appearances in the music videos for “Partition” and “Blow” from Beyoncé’s 2013 visual album, and the On the Run Tour with Beyoncé and Jay-Z in 2014. She later described a Grammy Awards performance with Beyoncé that took close to two months of rehearsal.

Her résumé kept widening. She has toured on and off with Nicole Scherzinger, with stops she named in China, Turkey, Malaysia and Thailand. She appeared in John Mayer’s “Still Feel Like Your Man” video (2017) and worked a three-day shoot on Justin Timberlake’s “Filthy,” a job she called a bucket-list moment. Québec media also reported her on stage with Ariana Grande at Coachella and on tour with Jennifer Lopez. Her own bio lists more than 25 artists, among them Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Dua Lipa, Nick Jonas, Pharrell Williams, Nicki Minaj, Karol G and Chris Brown.

Career Timeline

Where Is Kim Gingras Now?

Kim moved back to Québec after roughly ten years in Los Angeles, a return she discussed with Québec media in late 2021. Since then her work has shifted from the dancer’s line toward the people around it. She and Vincent Noiseux choreographed numbers for Chanteurs masqués, TVA’s French-language version of The Masked Singer, including a number for Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter. Her published bio also lists choreography for NBC’s A Little Late with Lilly Singh, CBC’s Lights on Canada Day and the Québec series Bouge!

Teaching has become the center of her work. The Kim Gingras Experience, which she built during the pandemic, offers one-on-one mentoring for dancers who want a professional career. Young Montreal dancers list her Professional Dance Career Course on their résumés, and in a February 2024 podcast she described her mentorship as two decades of experience distilled into steps dancers can act on. In April 2023 she choreographed and coached five young dancers from Québec and Ontario for Little Burgundy’s Dancing Soles project with Reebok. In December 2021 the youth organization Fillactive named her an ambassador for two years. She speaks in schools to teenage girls about confidence and staying active, which ties back to what she told The Beat 92.5 in 2018: that confidence is a tool anyone can use in any industry.

Watch Kim Gingras

Kim tells her own story best. These videos cover her road to Beyoncé’s stage, her move to Los Angeles, her teaching and her life back in Québec.

What the Next Generation Should Learn

1. A late start is not a closed door. Kim began at 15 and was not classically trained. She built on her strengths and kept working on the rest.

2. Plan the leap. Her move to Los Angeles took months of visa paperwork and a savings cushion for a slow start. Dreams need logistics.

3. Rejection is part of the route. She was turned down by Beyoncé several times before she got the call. She expected doors to close and kept auditioning.

4. Confidence without ego. Know what you bring to the table, respect everyone in the room and lift others up in a hard industry.

5. Turn your experience into someone else’s map. Her mentorship, school talks and self-esteem workshops show how a performing career can become a teaching career.

Why It Matters to DMM

Dance Mogul Magazine exists to document lived stories that help someone become a better version of themselves. Kim Gingras fits that mission because her story is practical. She shows the planning, the rejection, the humility and the second act that rarely make it into a tour video. Her move from performer to mentor and speaker is the same path DMM encourages in every dancer we cover: build a career, then build people.

If her story speaks to you, keep reading. Touring dancers Michael and Kevin Scheitzbach share what it takes to work at the stadium level. Robyn Hurder’s profile follows a dancer who kept growing into new roles. Our Dancer’s Lifetime Plan helps you prepare for the years after the stage, and “Am I Too Old to Dance?” speaks to every late starter. Find more first-person conversations in our Exclusive Interviews archive.

Kim Gingras: Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Kim Gingras?

Kim Gingras is a professional dancer, choreographer, mentor and speaker from Montreal, Québec. She competed on So You Think You Can Dance Canada in 2009, moved to Los Angeles in 2011 and danced for Beyoncé at the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show and on the Mrs. Carter Show and On the Run tours.

Did Kim Gingras dance for Beyoncé?

Yes. Her first Beyoncé job was the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show in February 2013. She then toured on the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2013, appeared in the Partition and Blow videos, and toured on the On the Run Tour with Beyoncé and Jay-Z in 2014.

Was Kim Gingras on So You Think You Can Dance Canada?

Yes. She competed in Season 2 in 2009 as a hip-hop dancer and was eliminated in the final eight on October 6, 2009. She has said the show helped her make the move to Los Angeles.

What is Kim Gingras doing now?

She is based back in Québec, where she has choreographed for TVA’s Chanteurs masqués with Vincent Noiseux, mentors dancers through The Kim Gingras Experience and a Professional Dance Career Course, and has spoken in schools as a Fillactive ambassador.

What is You Got This Girl (YGTG)?

You Got This Girl is a self-esteem workshop program Kim Gingras runs with fellow dancer Mel Mah. It focuses on building confidence, which Kim describes as a tool anyone can use in any industry.

What advice does Kim Gingras give young dancers?

In her 2014 DMM interview she advised dancers to develop thick skin, expect rejection, stay positive, practice visualization and keep working on themselves. In her words, there is no better project to work on than working on you.

Sources & Further Viewing

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