Hello Beautiful People,
Cartier Williams is a dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, performer, and teacher. AND, he’s started an amazing organization, European Tap Dance Foundation. I’m so pleased to introduce him to you all, as he is most definitely one of the Movers & Shakers in the arts world!
Ladies & Gents, meet Cartier Williams…
MM: Did you always want to be a dancer?
CW: No dancing was taught to me by my grandmother who was a tap dancer. She taught me the basics and after that it stuck with me. Since my grandmother taught me my first tap steps, I knew I wanted to be a dancer. I feel like I was born with a passion for dance, it was my calling. While there were certainly times throughout my life when I wanted to explore other options, I was always drawn back to dance, it is what I was born to do!”
MM: What’s the earliest memory that you have of dance?
CW: My earliest memory of dance is with my grandmother. She taught me basic tap steps and I remember one Thanksgiving when I was about 5 years old where I tapped in front of the fireplace for my family. Everyone was cheering me on and I remember what a wonderful feeling it was to perform for others.
MM: If you had to pick three dancers whom you’ve looked up to throughout your career, whom would you name?
CW: Sammy Davis Jr, Gregory Hines, and Bob Fosse.
MM: Just for fun, if you were stranded on a desert island, what movies and television shows would you want to have with you?
CW: I would want Scream, Halloween, and WWE Wrestlemania 12.
MM: Just for fun, what books are permanently on your bookshelf?
CW: King Lear, Stephen King’s: The Dome, Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer
MM: Can you describe to our readers what the European Tap Dance Foundation entails?
CW: The European Tap Dance Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to uniting the world through dance. With the motto of “One People One Beat,” the foundation aims to bring the art of tap dance back into the lives of people across the world, through performances, educational workshops and scholarship opportunities, and ultimately preservation of the art form.
MM: What words of wisdom would you offer to aspiring dancers, specifically those who are in high school and/or college, who wish to pursue a career in dance professionally?
CW: My advice would be to study the art form of dance you wish to pursue in-depth. Learn about the pioneers of the form, and fully immerse yourself in its history. The more you understand where the dance came from, the better you will be able to see where it is going. Take as many classes as possible and learn from as many teachers as you possibly can – each teacher has something unique to offer.
MM: Just for fun, what sound do you hate and what sound do you love?
CW: I love the sound of a lawnmower and I hate the sound of fingernails scratching a chalkboard.
MM: In today’s economy, arts programs are being cut. What reasons would you give to a politician for preserving the arts?
CW: My advice to preserve the arts in schools would be to find creative ways to raise the money to keep the programs in place. Instead of cutting so quickly, politicians and decision makers need to understand the impact of arts education, and how much students benefit from it. There are so many ways to raise money for funding, ways that would involve the students and the community. Schools could produce various shows and performances throughout the year and raise money through ticket sales.
MM: What’s next for Cartier Williams?
CW: In addition to working on various projects with The European Tap Dance Foundation, I will be premiering my official launch for a show I directed and choreographed RHYTHM REFIX in Zurich Switzerland
MM: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
CW: My greatest teacher was Buster Brown.
Thank you, Cartier!
Live, Love, Learn,