I have to admit… I find gymnastics immensely impressive and absolutely terrifying. These people are literally putting their body on the line to fly through the air at breakneck speeds to show just how far the human body’s limits can be pushed.
Still, with all of that danger and craziness, gymnastics sometimes can seem a bit commonplace. One flip is as interesting as another, right?
Well, UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis went viral for her powerful floor routine that celebrated black culture in one of the best ways possible.
It was the choreography of her piece that really got people talking. Dennis performed it to a medley of hits from artists Kendrick Lamar, Tupac Shakur, Missy Elliot and more.
UCLA celebrated the achievement and advocacy of their star athlete in a Tweet with the #blackexcellence hashtag, including a video of her entire performance.
Let’s take a look!
https://twitter.com/uclagymnastics/status/1353398409038680065
Journalist Joshua Johnson copied UCLA’s Tweet and shared his pride and admiration for Nia, noting her near-perfect score.
Radio personality Alejandro Marin also Tweeted the performance video.
TV host and podcaster Karamo was in awe of the routine and wanted to know about the person who performed it.
All this attention was not lost on Dennis, and she took to Twitter to give her sincere thanks!
I’m not even a fan of gymnastics, but I really appreciated Nia’s use of dance and it was great to see her using her public platform and artistry to celebrate and amplify black culture.
What other powerful moments in sports stick out in your mind?
