Nick Bloxsom Carter, a senior from UVU, was on the popular Fox reality show, “So You Think You Can Dance” this past summer.
Carter made it into the Top 20 on the show, but was eliminated on July 18. Carter also started in a “Best of Utah Dancers” segment on “Dancing with the Stars” on Nov. 5. He now gives private dance instructions in Orem. With his reality TV experience in the past, the UVU Review caught up with him to see what the experience has taught him.
Q: So what are you up to today in the dance world?
A: I am teaching, choreographing and workshopping. I love to teach and see students grow mentally and physically.
Q: Did SYTYCD help you advance in a career?
A: This did wonders for my career. By doing SYTYCD, I was able to meet a lot of great contacts, impress a lot of great choreographers and was able to get a following that will support me and want to watch me in my future endeavors. I believe wholeheartedly that SYTYCD is one of the hardest jobs in the nation. If you can do that, you can do any job you want, mentally and physically. That’s why you always see SYTYCD alumni in everything.
Q: What did it take to get on SYTYCD, anyway?
A: To get on SYTYCD, it took a lot of training, especially in the styles that I had no idea about, but the hardest thing was to mentally prepare my mind and body. I trained in solely ballroom my whole life, until I came to college. I just started training in ballet, hip hop and contemporary a year and a half ago. And I started to train in those styles because I wanted to go on SYTYCD.
Q: What made you want to try out in the first place?
A: My type of personality is one where if I want to do something, I do it. I make a list, see what needs to be done, and give 100 percent of myself to that goal. I thought, ‘Hey, I’ve never auditioned for SYTYCD, it’s a good opportunity, why not?’ So I started to train in other styles, and that’s when I fell in love with dance again.
Q: Were there people that supported you, mentors, parents, friends, professors?
A: There weren’t really any mentors or professors that encouraged me to try out. My parents weren’t very thrilled, either. Especially since I have a full tuition scholarship, they didn’t want me to see it get thrown away because of a dance show. But it was what I wanted to do, so I did it. There was one teacher who was very positive about the experience, and it was Chelsea Ellis.
Other UVU students were also featured on SYTYCD: Whitney Carson, who made it to the Top 4, and Lindsay Arnold, who made it to the Top 6. Both Carson and Arnold are freshmen studying ballroom.
Another pair of UVU students were also featured on reality TV this past year, and that pair was Dallas Robinson and Mike Buonomo. Their patented lip balm, Kisstixx, was featured on the show and business mogul Mark Cuban invested $200,000 in their company.
