In the diverse world of athletics, each sport has its own final event that fans young and old look forward to. Baseball fans anticipate the World Series, basketball lovers look forward to NBA finals, and millions of Americans tune into what has become an American holiday- the Super Bowl. In the world of competitive dance, the pattern follows as dancers across the country tune into what is considered to be the ‘dance Super Bowl’– UDA Nationals.
Each year, the Universal Dance Association hosts a national competition for collegiate dancers. The competition takes place in Walt Disney World Resort, hosting over 5935 dancers from 374 college dance teams. The competition is a three-day long event consisting of preliminaries, semi-finals, and finals, where teams will be judged on their technique, performance, and choreography in the Hip Hop, Game Day, Jazz, and Pom categories.
Competitive dance is no exception to the rivalries present within other realms of college athletics. Each style category has its own dominating teams each year, making the competition at UDA undeniably fierce. In order to prepare for the rigor of nationals, collegiate dancers spend the year training with their team in order to orchestrate unique routines that will score even higher than the previous year. Their hard work narrows down to just 3 minutes once February rolls around each year, determining who will take the championship title in each category.
In 2024, the Ohio State University won first place in the Jazz category with the University of Minnesota as their runner up with only a 0.5 point buffer, creating one of the most intense rivalries in the dance world yet. The close competition forced both teams to create their best possible routines for the 2025 competition, bringing eccentric and emotional choreography to the floor. After a nail-biting weekend that left dancers around America on the edge of their seats, Ohio State held their crown in the Jazz category this year with Minnesota as their runner up. In the Pom category, Minnesota continued to dominate, holding their title for the second year in a row as first place winners. Unlike the Jazz and Pom categories, this year’s Hip Hop category left room for speculation as new teams began to battle for the first place spot. Last year, Louisiana State University’s Smooth Criminal took the first place trophy for the D1A Hip Hop category; yet this year, the University of Nevada Las Vegas took over the category with a score of 97.8. The continuing reign of the Ohio and Minnesota rivalry creates a fierce spirit between fans of both teams, leaving the dance world talking even weeks after the competition has ended.
Although dance is often not grouped in with other sports, the hard work and strength of the young dancers on collegiate dance teams can be described as nothing short of athletic. These young athletes will be sure to bring their best to the dance floor year after year– making the Dance Super Bowl its own annual holiday for dancers everywhere.
