Jason Williams steps up to break free. As a child, the North Carolina native was one of the best dancers in the class, but still felt constrained.

As a man, Williams was told to move in certain ways and to fill certain roles. There was little room for improvisation, let alone boogieing.

Now an experienced choreographer and teacher, Williams rejects rigidity and encourages the dancers in his show to The Jason Williams Experienceto find their own rhythm.

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“Dancing is my thing. I can be whatever the music asks me to be,” he said. “When you grow up, you learn ‘that’s the move for boys’ and ‘that’s the move for girls’ or ‘boys don’t do that.’ I remember thinking as a kid, ‘Why? I can move my hips too.'”

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After three decades of dancing, Williams now moves his hips in front of audiences around the world and alongside some legendary pop divas. He has performed with Lady Gage, Paula Abdul, Miley Cyrus and Mary J. Blige, performed at Drag racing and appeared in more than a dozen films.

Finally he is free … and living his dream.

Queerty recently caught up with Williams to talk about his Drag Race experiences, rehearsing with Gaga, and praying with Mary J. Blige. Here’s what he had to say…

QUEERTY: You have danced with so many legendary artists! Are there any stories you can share?

JASON WILLIAMS: I have so many stories! I’m just saying…Paula actually followed me on Instagram the other day! She’s amazing, she’s an icon. I grew up listening to Janet Jackson and the Laker Girls. She was always part of my world. Growing up, getting to work with her and knowing her a little bit, “it was like, ‘Wow…this is really something.'” The same thing with Mary J. Blige. My sister played Mary J. Blige all the time growing up. I knew every Mary J. Blige song. When I went on tour with her, I was like, ‘This is wild! I’ve been listening to you my whole life.’ Mary J. Blige felt so much like home. She was like my aunt to me. She would invite us into her dressing room before shows and pray with us. I remember saying one time, ‘If you ever want to open a church and be a pastor, I’ll be in the front row.’ She’s so anointed and her prayers were real. These are beautiful memories!

What is it like working with Gaga?

I’ve done a number of TV appearances with her. Her process is really cool. Her choreographers were very creative and very intense in terms of making sure the movements matched (Gaga’s) energy. All the rehearsal processes are kind of the same. You go in with the choreographer, you rehearse. Then the artist comes and looks at everything. You get them involved and that’s the fine part of being a professional dancer. When the artist comes in you have to be able to say, “OK, you’re going there? Now I have to adjust.” You have to help them and guide them because they’re usually coming from one thing and that’s one of their many jobs that day. You just have to be adaptable, be a leader. You have to really know the work.

A lot of times they don’t know you. You don’t know them. So if you have a positive attitude and positive energy, I have good moments with most of the artists I work with. Paula actually came up to me one time during a rehearsal and said, “Jason, I like the way you talk to me.” I was like, “Great!” And I was like, “Hey girl, what’s up? We’re in this together. You’re an artist too.” We’re all artists. We all doubt ourselves, we all have our inner saboteur rearing its ugly head. Just accept that and say, “Boom, I got you.”

What is one thing about being a professional dancer that people don’t know?

It’s a very rewarding career. You just have to – and I tell dancers this a lot – as much as we love dance, we also have to be business savvy. You’re an artist, but you have to start embracing the business aspect and understanding how to negotiate. How to talk to management and agents and look at deals and contracts. That’s the part that people don’t understand. By and large, dancers are at the bottom of the ladder. So if you don’t want to be completely steamrolled and taken advantage of, you really have to be able to speak your mind. People will say, “I’m just happy to be here. I’m just lucky to be here,” and I say, “No! You’re a company.”

What were your experiences on Drag racing?

Those were great times! I was at “Read U Wrote U”. I didn’t know that it was the most iconic performance on Drag racing. Everyone I talked to said, “Oh my God! You’re on Read U Wrote U? That’s the one.“ That was really cool. I have the Drag racing Finale with Bob the Drag Queen and Naomi Smalls and Chuchi. I have performed with RuPaul many times. She had a game show, Gay for moneyWe were like the Deal or no deal Girls with the boxes, but we were the boys with the boxes. During the commercial break we were like the fly girls, dancing in and out of the break.

It was an important time for me because it was the first time I danced on screen as a gay man. I wasn’t trying to be anyone else. I was wearing sequined booty shorts. It was so freeing and so fulfilling. It’s even more true today because there are so many opportunities. … But back then there wasn’t a lot of space for men to dance as gay men. These were really great opportunities to just be free as an artist.

What were you planning to do this summer?

My theme song right now is “Cold Blooded” by Rick James. I’m so old school. I say, “Take me back to Disco 64, give me a good disco funk trunk from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s. Then I’m good to go.” People think, “You know all the latest trends or the latest songs and artists,” and I say, “I don’t. Really not!” If I hear a song and it touches me, I download it. But I’m not the kind of guy to jump on. I’m the kind of guy who goes against the grain. If “everybody’s listening to that,” then that’s just not me. The nuances, the unexpected things. The latest stuff, I couldn’t tell you. I also love “And You Don’t Stop” by Kelly Price. That came out around 2007. I listen to records. Diana Ross is my queen. I play Diana Ross when I’m making dinner. My friends say: “You are a grandpa.” I say: “I am aware of that!”

What do you do for fun when you’re not performing?

I love to travel and explore. I buy a one-way ticket to anywhere… I was in Amsterdam recently, but only a one-way ticket. I got my hotel right after landing. I just explore places, meet people and go out to eat – meet people in a bar. “Show me everything.” In a way, I’m also very interested in fashion. I’m not a fashion fan, I don’t know any fashion brands and houses. But especially in New York, I just love walking around and looking at people, their interpretation of their looks. I love people whose closet says something about them. I can appreciate the effort that a lot of people in New York put into their looks. I paint… I’m a total creative. I like everything creative!