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You might not have heard of Nia Dennis, but her dance routine this past Saturday has been watched by millions around the world.

Dennis, a gymnast at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), incorporated music from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, and Missy Elliott into her routine, which scored 9,95 out of 10 from the judges.

That was enough to help her team to victory over Arizona State, but you came for the dance, so let’s get down to business.

According to the BBC, Black Lives Matter protests inspired the performance, with the 21-year-old writing on Instagram that “I had to… for the culture”.

At the time of writing, UCLA Gymnastics’ video on Twitter had in excess of 10 million views:

This is what #blackexcellence looks like. @DennisNia does it again! 🔥

📹 @Pac12Network pic.twitter.com/2vxgyTvUCG

— UCLA Gymnastics (@uclagymnastics) January 24, 2021

If that video above doesn’t work, here’s the routine on YouTube:

Speaking after her routine had gone viral, Dennis said that:

…she wanted the routine to “be a celebration of everything [black people] can do, everything we can overcome”.

“The subject of Black Lives Matter is so heavy. It is difficult for people to talk about – and sometimes you have to meet people where they’re at, with a celebration,” she said of the performance.

“Every single song is a major black artist, musician, from different time periods. They had a huge impact on black culture, which has also had a huge impact on me. So I’m just literally celebrating what they’ve done and having the time of my life,” she added.

Good for her.

I have back pain in two separate areas just from watching the routine.

Dennis also scored some high-profile endorsements, with Michelle Obama tweeting “Now that’s what I call fierce! You’re a star.”

Not bad at all.

[source:bbc]