Carlene Fults Finds Opportunity, Growth Through Dance at VSU

Carlene Fults performs "Sweet Dreams," an origial solo contemporary dance choreography project she created as a dance student at Valdosta State University. Carlene Fults graduated magna cum laude May 9 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Minor in Entrepreneurship.  Carlene Fults pauses to snap a guick selfie before taking the stage at the 2026 American College Dance Association Southeast Conference.

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University alumna Carlene Fults stepped into her first ballet class at the age of 5, sparking a lifelong artistic passion that continues to shape how she views, understands, and navigates the world nearly two decades later.

The Bradenton, Florida, resident quickly fell in love with the satin shoes, the precise vocabulary of movement, the feeling of standing at the barre, one hand resting lightly against the wood. 

“Ballet has always been my favorite,” she shared.

She danced throughout her childhood and adolescent years, gradually expanding her practice to include other dance art forms like jazz, tap, and contemporary.

Ballet was her first love, the style that built her technical foundation and taught her how to move, but contemporary, with its anatomical freedom and expressive range, became her emotional sanctuary and allowed her to truly express herself.

Fults dreamed of a future built around creativity and movement, and for her, there was never any question about the path she would take after high school.

She sought the rigorous, high-intensity professional training that a college dance program could provide.  

“I had danced nearly my whole life up to that point, and I knew I wanted more of it,” she said.

But as rejection letter after rejection letter arrived, the certainty Fults felt about studying dance in college began to fade. Then her dad discovered VSU — and with it, a new path toward a future she had almost stopped believing was possible

“… my dad did lots of research on the VSU Dance program and convinced me this was the place for me,” she said.

“VSU was the best decision I ever made,” she added. “My dance professors are the reason I am the person I am today.”

Fults graduated magna cum laude May 9 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Minor in Entrepreneurship. After taking a break to plan her wedding — she got engaged in March — her goal is to build a dance company that nurtures performers and artists and creates opportunities for them to conceptualize and develop dance projects focused on bringing communities together.

“VSU’s Dance program is small but mighty,” she said. “My resume and portfolio are overflowing from the number of opportunities I put myself out for and received. There are so many paths to take in this industry, but my professors set goals and gave me personalized advice that helped me step outside my comfort zone and thrive beyond what I thought were my limits.”

Her list of achievements as student, performer, artist, and leader are long. She was cast in 21 on-campus dance pieces, including several lead roles. She served as dance captain for VSU Theatre and Dance’s “The Addams Family” musical and president of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. She and a friend created a series of weekly dance classes for VSU students. She volunteered to represent the VSU Dance program and perform at special events, including recruitment fairs and fundraisers. She participated in a summer intensive in Italy with Staibdance, an Atlanta-based contemporary dance company; traveled to New York City with VSU’s Pro-Conn program to network with industry professionals; and performed with the Emily Cargill and Dancers Women Arts Exchange in Jacksonville, Florida. She earned Dean’s List honors every semester, the Golden Circle Scholarship as a freshman, the Crockett-Youmans Dance Scholarship every year after that, and the Service Excellence in Dance Award. 

Three months before graduation, Fults presented the results of a 15-month original solo contemporary dance choreography project — “Sweet Dreams” — at the 2026 American College Dance Association Southeast Conference.

“The piece showcases a woman, portrayed by me, getting ready for bed,” she explained. “As she lays down to dream, her reality suddenly shifts to a nightmare. She experiences discomfort, extreme happiness, extreme sadness, horror, being naked, peeing herself, getting hurt, playfulness, and complete release of person.”

The tension builds and builds until a sudden feeling of falling jolts the woman awake — and she realizes it was just a dream, Fults said.

“I started with maniacal gestures that felt good. Then eventually I pieced them together with high intensity movement,” she shared, describing the inspiration behind “Sweet Dreams.”

Fults challenged herself to look beyond standard stage vocabulary, to expand the boundaries of traditional choreography, and redefine what, in her mind, a dance performance can encompass.

On graduation day, she ended her four-year VSU experience with discipline, confidence, self-awareness, courage, and resilience that will empower her for years to come, both inside and outside the dance studio.

“If you want something, you must do it yourself,” she said, offering advice for current VSU Dance students. “College is not a place where things will be handed to you. The VSU Dance program faculty are fully equipped to help you do anything you put your mind to. Opportunities exist everywhere, but it’s up to you to say yes, to show up, and to give it your all. Push yourself, because nobody else will. Never forget why you’re in the room.”