My UDA Nationals Hot Takes

As a former competitive dancer, I've got some things to say about UDA nationals this year. Every year, the Universal Dance Association (UDA) hosts the National Dance Team Competition (NDTC) at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. Held from January 16-18, collegiate dance teams from all over the country gathered and competed for the national title.

The primary categories that teams compete in are hip-hop, pom, and jazz. This year, the top three placements in each category were as follows: Ohio State University, University of Minnesota, University of Michigan (Jazz), University of Minnesota, Texas Tech University, Ohio State University (Pom), and University of Nevada Las Vegas, Louisiana State University, University of Cincinnati (Hip-hop).

After watching each of these teams in each category, I can confidently say I don't agree with how some of the teams were ranked. This brings me to my first hot take: Minnesota's jazz routine was not as good as everyone was making it out to be.

While the concept was there, the execution was not, and in turn just made them look bad. By using the song "Maybe This Time" by Liza Minnelli, many people on social media speculated that it was used as a jab to the team just missing first place in the jazz category the past few years. Although it was exceptional technically, there was a lack of artistry which is crucial for a competition like this. If Minnesota had ended up taking home the win in jazz, their song choice and costume choice would have been more impactful, but their overuse of the same tricks every year landed them in second place.

sourced from UDA and Varsity Spirit

My other hot take is that Louisiana State University should have taken first for hip-hop. This honestly might not be that hot of a take as I know that many other people agree with my statement, although after watching their routine and the winning routine, there is just something that is lacking for me in UNLV's hip-hop. This may just be personal preference, but LSU's movement quality and choreography were more complex than UNLV. They had more energy, entertainment, and transitions/flow in their dance which I thought was something that UNLV lacked this year. Despite UNLV having an amazing performance, LSU had the whole package this year, and I definitely thought it would be their comeback after the umbrella disaster last year.

At the end of the day, I think it's very important to note that UDA isn't just about how teams are ranked, but about how the dance industry is constantly evolving. I was so excited when UDA nationals became popular not only to dancers but to non-dancers too, and it's interesting to see different takes on the routines each year. I love that these dances spark debates because it allows people to see the passion and hard work behind the teams. Regardless of how teams place, it's exciting to see how the dance world is transforming and impacting others as a whole.