Carter Williams Embodies Star Power, From UDA to “DWTS”

If you’ve been watching “Dancing with the Stars” for the past two seasons, you’ve no doubt noticed troupe member Carter Williams. With easy musicality, a bright smile, and a knack for finding the camera, Williams is soaking up his second season on his dream show. But that’s not all he’s been up to.

Born in Sandy, UT, Williams has spent most of his life sharpening his dance technique and performing on some of the industry’s biggest stages. The 24-year-old has been on no fewer than four dance reality TV shows, and, last year, he led the Weber State University Dance Team to a hip-hop national championship on the heels of his first “DWTS” season.

Dance Spirit caught up with Williams to talk training, reality TV, and inspiration.

Can you describe your dance training?

I started dancing when I was 3 at my aunt’s studio, [up until] I was 10. My mom was obsessed with “DWTS” and ballroom in general, so I trained at Center Stage Performing Arts studio in Orem, UT, for the next nine years. I was dancing six days a week, sometimes seven, for six to nine hours a day.

I went to a public high school with a strong performing arts program, and they let me leave at noon every day for educational release. Throughout high school, I danced from about 1–10 pm. My daily training schedule was two ballroom privates, then other styles from 3–9 pm, then ballroom rounds from 9–10 pm.

You appeared on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2022 (Season 17). What was that like for you?

I’d had prior experience on television as a dancer. I did “America’s Got Talent” growing up and “World of Dance.” “So You Think” was my first solo act, and I learned a lot about myself. I got to learn from amazing choreographers and how to dance on camera.

I got so many benefits out of it, but mentally it was very tough. After the show, I really gave in to the outside noise of public opinions. Dancing is the one thing I’m most passionate about in life, and suddenly I felt like I wasn’t good at it. I was very confused about what to do career-wise.

I don’t want to discredit how amazing it was to be on “SYTYCD.” I was young, and it was my first intro to living in L.A. The show also sparked something in me to find who I was at my core.

What was it like afterward, when you joined Weber State’s dance team?

I didn’t know if I was cut out to be a professional performer. So I went back to college to get an education in business marketing and rediscovered my love for dance.

It genuinely saved me. I found lifelong friends that I am beyond grateful for. My sister is the head coach of Weber State’s dance team, so she saw me in that lost and confused place and said, “Come to Weber for a year. If you don’t love it, we can try something new.” I joined the team, and immediately, I felt untouchable camaraderie and love.

Did you observe any differences or similarities you experienced on both?

Regarding friendship and unity, I feel like the two are very similar. My troupe, we’re a unit. We want each other to shine.

A difference is that in dance team, you’re performing in stadiums or big arenas, or with judges set 20 feet back. Your facial expressions have to be so big, almost nonhuman. But cameras pick up on the nuances: A little side eye. A little shoulder shrug. I don’t have to be screaming at the camera as I might on the UDA stage.

So how did you balance “DWTS” and UDA last year?

Last season was a doozy. I had committed to another year at Weber State and was excited to go to UDA with my team for the first time, but I got the call at the end of August to be on the show. I had a talk with my team, and they of course were like, “Go, we wanna support you. We’ll see you in December.”

While I was on “DWTS,” I was a full-time student taking 15 credits, plus Zooming with my captains, sister, and teammates almost every other day. I got home on Thanksgiving, and the Monday and Tuesday after, we learned our entire jazz routine. Three weeks later it was on the UDA stage. (I would not recommend!)

It was also crazy because my team trusted me to choreograph our jazz routine. Having all 25 of those girls believe in me was the biggest honor. I’m so proud of us for showing up on that floor.

What’s it like as a “DWTS” troupe dancer? What have you learned from it so far?

We learn five to six routines every week! With troupe bumpers and an opening number, that’s two, and those are pretty dance-heavy, but the day before the show is when they pull us into the celebrity routines. You’ve got to be able to learn on the spot. It’s super-fun that we get to change it up every week.

The troupe really is the springboard to becoming a pro. I’m trying to be the biggest sponge in the world and soak it all up because it’s the coolest opportunity you can get.

Do you have any other big dreams?

I would love to open a soda shop and be the next Swig [soda-shop chain], but being a “DWTS” pro is my end-all-be-all. I’ve always told people that once I’m a pro, I’m gonna have to reroute what I wanna do in life because I made it!

Being a choreographer and teacher, and impacting this next generation, would be so inspiring. (I love to teach and was a high school dance-team coach for five years.) And having a family, raising a kid, and being bad and bougie and fierce!

Do you have any advice for younger dancers?

Get in classes and train as hard as you can, but, genuinely, be the most authentic “you” you can be. Once you start comparing yourself to other dancers, that’s when you get lost in the sauce and lose your love and passion. Find the “you” in anything you’re doing.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.