Deja Williams, 20, is a junior from Charlotte, NC, studying Communication-Public Relations and Spanish. Her dance career began at age 4 at B.B. Dance Productions in Charlotte, NC, where she took classes until age 17. Deja danced competitively practicing her skills in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary. She continued to expand her dancing through musical theatre where she learned to partner dance and perform partner tricks as well. At her studio she received platinum recognition and over-all awards for small and large group numbers. In 2008, her large group production team was named National Champion at a national dance competition is Chicago.


One of Deja’s favorite quotes is “to whom much is given, much is required.” At a young age her parents reminded her to keep this mentality throughout life. This pushed her to have a deep love for service to her community. In 2008, while she was a sophomore in high school, she founded a liturgical dance group at her church, which they named “The Spirit of Movement.” In 2009 she founded a service organization called Turning Pointe. For over a year, she traveled to inner-city schools and taught afterschool ballet lessons to under-privileged youth in Charlotte encouraging them to get involved in extra-curricular activities and express themselves creatively. She was also given the chance to attend NC Governors School and study dance at Salem College in the summer of 2010.

Deja auditioned for the NC State Dance team in the spring of 2011 as a senior in high school and was selected as a member of the white team. She enjoyed cheering on the pack at home football and basketball games and valued the friendships she built on the team. Last year, in 2012, she was selected as a member on the red team and was voted Captain for the upcoming 2013-2014 season. She has competed on the nationals hip-hop floor for N.C. State in Daytona Beach, Florida and won 5th place at NDA nationals as a part of the 2013 hip hop team.

Deja believes her time and commitment to the dance team has been the most demanding, rewarding, and exciting experience of her life thus far. She is excited to fill her new position as captain and continue being a leader for her teammates. She believes the program has made great strides in the past few years and the best is yet to come!