It came as a complete surprise when a picture of Bermudian dancer T’aja Williams went up on a billboard near her university in Virginia.

The billboard was advertising the Mason School of Dance’s gala concert, which she performed in.

“I knew the photo on the billboard was the cover of the pamphlet for the gala this year,” she said. “I knew it was also on postcards at the school, but I had no idea they had put it on a billboard.”

The 20-year-old found out about it through social media.

When her mother, Shanika Parfitt, came up to see the concert at the end of March they had to make a trip out there to snap some photos.

“My parents and grandmother were over the moon about the billboard,” she laughed.

When Ms Williams first tried out for the annual event, having her face in lights was the last thing on her mind. Placement in the show is highly sought after by students and the auditions were rigorous.

“Afterwards, I did not feel too awesome about the audition,” she admitted. “I was definitely nervous. With auditions, you just never know what things look like from the outside.”

Despite her nerves, she was selected to perform in a faculty piece called Visions and Miracles, directed by choreographer and university dance instructor Susan Shields.

“It was a ballet sequence and I was in the adagio section with six people,” Ms Williams said. “Adagio means slower paced. I was the youngest in my group.”

They rehearsed for five months, learning the dance steps by watching a televised accompanist.

The piece involved being lifted by a dance partner, something she had never experienced before.

Doing dance in high school, she was often called upon to help with smaller lifts because she was on the taller side.

“I never really thought I would be lifted in a dance,” she said.

She was a little timid the first time she let her partner sweep her upwards.

“At first, I was not fully into it,” she said.

However, working together over time, they built up a sense of trust.

“We soared,” she said. “It was a fun and educational process.”

It was hard physical labour for both her herself and her partner. While being lifted, she had to ensure her core was engaged, her spine properly aligned and her feet in the correct position so they did not tangle with her partners when she landed.

Now that the gala is over, she is looking forward to dancing a piece at commencement next month, created by one of the graduating seniors.

“That will be exciting,” she said. “I will also be performing my own first piece of choreography.”

She described this second year at university as “magical”.

“I had my first solo opportunity and then got into the gala,” she said.

Her goals for the future have changed rapidly as she has advanced and learnt new things.

“What is stable is my aspiration to dance professionally as a concert dancer,” she said. “As far as how I will use dance to give back to the community, I am not sure yet.”

Ms Williams was born in Bermuda but spent part of her early childhood in California.

At age 4, her parents enrolled her in gymnastics lessons after noticing the arabesque movements she was doing with her leg while riding a toy scooter.

When she returned to Bermuda to live, a few years later, she continued gymnastics with the Bermuda Gymnastics Association, winning several gold medals for Bermuda in overseas competitions.

Gymnastics was her first love but as she grew older she developed a love for floor exercises.

“I was told when I was younger and competing, that I reminded people of a little ballerina on the floor exercise,” she said. “I loved dancing. That escalated into what if I just do dance?”

She still coaches gymnastics for the BGA in the summers.

“Gymnastics and dance are different but have similarities,” she said. “I find it inspiring to work with the younger children. They remind me so much of myself at that age. They remind me not to lose the fun of things. Things can get hard and serious as a dance major here.”

Ms Williams also has an interest in film making and writing. She loves anything creative.

“My schedule is pretty loaded,” she said. “We have hours of dance training and now I am settling into doing my own choreography. That requires hours outside of the dance building. I also have academics.”

She is learning to prioritise rest, when needed.

She hopes to eventually earn a master’s in dance.

In the meantime, she has a busy summer planned. She will be taking part in the American Dance Festival dance intensive in North Carolina and has also been offered a full scholarship by Norwegian Cruise Line, to attend a summer dance programme at Creative Studios in Tampa, Florida.

“I will be learning choreography and stuff like that,” she said. “I look forward to that.”

Before going to university, Ms Williams studied dance at the Grier School in Tyrone, Pennsylvania. She has won numerous scholarships and grants for her dance, including from the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda and the Bermuda Arts Council.