Maria Gilson was born and raised in Green Bay, WI where she grew a passion for competing in the performing arts at an elite all-star cheerleading gym. She was a flyer and learned advanced tumbling and acrobatics from a young age. She began her dance career when she joined a classical ballet school, Green Bay School of Dance, at age 9 and learned ballet and pointe at a pre-professional level while performing in multiple classical ballets. Her passion for competitive dance grew while competing in contemporary solos at a local competitive dance studio during her time in the ballet school. In her freshman year of high school, she made her high school dance team of 32 girls, The Southwest Troyettes, and won 2 first-place state titles in pom and high kick. At Vibe Dance Studio, on a competitive dance team, she grew a true passion for choreographing and soon went on to choreograph her solo, placing within the top 2 at each competition.

After high school, she joined the United States Marine Corps, stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA, and taught dance at a studio on base to military kids. Post Marines, she continued teaching in Southern California and now has moved to Tampa, FL to pursue her dreams of inspiring young dancers to achieve whatever they put their minds to.