Jalen Williams began dancing in his hometown of Saint Petersburg, Florida at the age of six. At Perkins Elementary School, he was taught dance by Rebecca Hobbs, along with Sean Musselmen. He continued his training at John Hopkins Middle and Gibbs High School. During his time training at the art schools, he received a scholarship from a small studio The Academy of Ballet Arts. There, he was able to continue studying, as well as expand his background in dance under the artistic leadership of Suzanne Pomerantzeff.
After graduating from high school he was accepted into the Ballet Department at the University of Utah on scholarship. After graduating in 2018, he was offered a contract with The Ballet Theatre of Maryland, led by artistic director Dianna Cuatto.
Jalen was accepted into many summer programs as a scholarship student, such as The Boston Ballet, Next Generation Ballet, Ballet West, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, The Nutmeg Conservatory, The Rock School, and Oregon Ballet Theatre. He has performed principal roles in ballets such as Coppelia, Giselle, La Fille Mal Gardee, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire (excerpts), Cinderella, George Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht, Midsummer Night Dream, and The Nutcracker. Along with this, he has danced in works choreographed by Lloyd Whitmore, Talley Beatty, Patricia Paige Parks, Bliss Kohlmyer, Eloy Barragan, Ilya Kozadayev, Val Caniparoli, Matthew Neenan, Sir Brock Warren, Marquis Floyd, Dan Higgins, Richard Wascko, and Jay Kim.