Chanel Williams pressed play again.  

And again. 

One song is on an endless loop as the choreographer and dancer orchestrates 20 steps in her mind before her feet grace the ground. 

“I study a song like I’m about to test for it,” Williams explained. “I see it. I think it. Then I go to an open space and act out what I drew up in my head.” 

Williams, known by her childhood nickname, “Toot,” mapped out an open space since she started dancing at 4 years old in Memphis. 

First, it was leaps and turns, then learning acrobatics only seen on television, then joining several dance teams as her skills developed with constant repetition. 

Williams became Newton’s First Law of Motion with every step: an object will remain at rest and an object in motion remains in motion unless a force acts upon it. 

The force is Toot, who choreographed her first dance routine at 15 years old. 

But it wasn’t until college at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville that her true mindset was put into motion after a stint with the dance company Strange Fruit. 

Williams, 28, knew then she wanted to dance for the rest of her life. 

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A post shared by Chanel “Tootie” Williams (@dance_toot)

Admittedly, Williams said getting a degree was her backup plan. Dance was first and second, career-wise. All she wanted to do was move at the beat constantly playing in her mind, persistently calling her feet to move. 

“I didn’t know what would come of it, what industries dance went into or how people made it beyond the young stage,” Williams said. “I really didn’t know too much, but that’s where my heart was. I felt like God called me to be who I am. Wherever I go, no matter what I do, I’m going to be dancing.” 

Ironically, William’s psychology degree opened a new space for her mind to pirouette once more. The open space also became regular dance classes in Memphis, Nashville and Atlanta, where she said psychology helped her understand people better. She emphasizes focusing on your craft to her students.  

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A post shared by Chanel “Tootie” Williams (@dance_toot)

“It is mental warfare when you’re trying to build your confidence and build your skill while doing a thousand other things,” Williams said. “You have to put your personal s— to the side. Our job is to be able to tell a story with our body and not just about learning the count and spitting it back out. It’s about reaching your audience and showing this is what the music is saying to me.” 

Adding, “If you were deaf, I can still dance something to you and make you feel what I feel.” 

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A post shared by Chanel “Tootie” Williams (@dance_toot)

The mental aspect of dancing is as daunting as the physicality of strengthening your muscles to execute twist and turns. 

Williams works out three to four times a week, whether with weights, pushups, burpees or abs for core strength, balance and coordination. She didn’t begin a regular workout regimen until two years ago. When she did, Williams immediately recognized how it impacted her body. 

For greatness in the artistry of dancing, Williams said working out is critical. 

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A post shared by Chanel “Tootie” Williams (@dance_toot)

“I have to do squats if I want to be able to drop it low and show my Megan [Thee Stallion] knees in heels,” Williams said as she laughed. “I have to be able to do a pushup to get completely off the floor in two seconds. If you want to be able to advance pass the basic level, you need to be able to work out.” 

Williams said dance style is hip-hop, but she is able to infuse jazz and contemporary art forms into her movement to illustrate the emotion in her routine. 

“I try not to confine myself to just hip-hop,” Williams said. “Dance is universal.” 

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A post shared by Chanel “Tootie” Williams (@dance_toot)

The ability to speak and connect is also universal no matter the form, which led to 13,000 followers on Instagram. Williams said it took consistency, creative visuals and her “Free Game Friday,” where she teaches viewers the basics in dance and to show love. 

“I talk about God a lot, who I love.” Williams said. “You meet people who share real life situations and they connect with you. I think people like authenticity and I’m super real, even about hardships and struggles.” 

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A post shared by Chanel “Tootie” Williams (@dance_toot)

Dance is evolutional as it is universal, a concept that Williams said has reached TikTok where dances and challenges go viral daily. If it’s a trend, Williams doesn’t cater to it if it doesn’t flow with her spirit. 

Williams pressed play again.  

This time a song isn’t playing. 

It’s a prayer.  

“I take time with myself to understand who I am and I spend a lot of time with God to understand who He has created me to be,” Williams said. “The minute I start to dwell into other things that are not me, I feel it. I want what’s for me and I want what God wants for me. 

“That is going to last longer than any other TikTok viral moment or Instagram,” she said. “Impacting people’s lives and impacting the generation that comes after me, changing the lives of people who have never thought about going after their dreams, that inspires me.”