College sports have taken over all aspects of US culture. We deck out in our favorite team’s colors, work relentlessly with hopes to go D1, and grow up attending games with our families. While popular collegiate sports like football and basketball have quickly gained a reputation for their entertainment and athleticism, college dance teams deserve more attention and popularity!
What is UDA Nationals?
The Universal Dance Association (UDA) hosts their annual two-day long nationals at the Walt Disney World Resort every January. This year, UDA took place January 17-19th and hosted about 300 different US college cheer and dance teams.
The complexity and competitiveness of UDA relies on the results for each category. Every team aims to take home the first place win in their category– making it extra difficult to judge these dances due to the outrageous amount of talent. Dance is a challenging sport to judge due to the question of whether performances should be judged based on technicality or artistry.
Ohio State v. University of Minnesota
The two teams that have constantly reshaped the competitive dance world and challenged the judging criteria are Ohio State University and University of Minnesota. Front runners in both Jazz and Pom (a fast-paced and energetic category of dance where dancers hold pom poms), Ohio and Minnesota fans eagerly pack the stands to witness dance history.
Ohio State is the consecutive four time winner of the D1 Jazz category, with Minnesota coming short of the win every single time. On the other hand, Minnesota is the three time consecutive winner of the Division 1A Pom category. Together, these teams have gained worldwide attention. Audiences from around the globe tune in just to see who will continue their triumph and who will give up their title.
Best UDA Dances
Growing up as a competitive dancer, I am able to appreciate the athleticism, commitment, and performance quality of these dancers. Between grueling rehearsal and the painful physicality of routines, their perfect professionalism makes the impossible look easy. It’s inspiring to see teams from all over the country come together to perform their shared love for dance.
Now, what you’ve been waiting for! I want to share some of my favorite UDA dances from popular teams like Ohio State, University of Minnesota, and Louisiana State University. Prepare to be amazed and entertained by these superhuman athletes. Before you know it, you’ll be cheering at your computer screen just like me.
D1 Jazz
Ohio State
As the reigning national title holder in the D1 Jazz Division, Ohio State is the team to beat. Ohio’s team embodies every choreographer’s dream: precision, raw emotion, and cleanliness. These dancers truly dance as a unit and their united passion shines throughout their jazz routines.
“My Way” – 2024
Ohio’s 2024 jazz, “My Way”, was choreographed by Travis Wall and quickly became a fan favorite. This piece shook the dance industry, as it was not only filled with technique and tricks, but more importantly, storytelling and artistry. This dance reshaped the judging criteria for the jazz category because it took home first place over routines with equal or even more technique, but less artistry.
“Dancing” – 2022
Many UDA dances have created trends on Tik Tok where dancers all over the world post their recreations of turn sequences or choreography. Ohio’s 2022 Jazz, “Dancing,” choreographed by Shannon Mather, quickly became a trend on Tik Tok where dancers would recreate the difficult turn sequence. The dancers create an illusion of a clock which adds another layer of emotion to the routine. I would like to emphasize that this routine surprises me every time I watch it, because the song, the choreography, and the emotion from the dancers are perfect.
University of Minnesota
“Dream On” – 2024
Gracing the stage in turquoise sequined dresses, Minnesota shocked the world when they performed a side aerial (a cartwheel with no hands) into a difficult fouetté turn sequence (turns with a raised leg). Aerials and fouettés are hard enough, but the athletic capacity it takes to do one into the other is insane. The routine, “Dream On” , was self choreographed by the Minnesota dance team and placed runner up to Ohio State’s “My Way.” While Minnesota’s routine was filled with perfect technique and precision, the dance world’s disagreement over artistry and technique is highlighted through their loss to Ohio State. This leads us to the question that has been debated for years: should dance be scored on the difficulty level of technique or pure heart?
“Women’s Work” – 2025
After their close loss to Ohio State in 2024, Minnesota did not come to play during the most recent 2025 UDA Nationals. Speculation on whether Minnesota’s routine would focus on the technique of storytelling buzzed across the auditorium before the music even began. Minnesota’s jazz, “Women’s Work, was choreographed by Tessandra Chavez and beautifully conveyed the storyline of a funeral. This routine is one of my favorites, because of Minnesota’s commitment to telling this story through their expressive facials and movements.
The costumes and props for this piece also added a new element to the storyline. The simple, yet emotional choreography of the dancers shaking the roses portrayed heart-wrenching desperation. Personally, I believe that this dance could have beat Ohio, if not for the mistake in the lift at the beginning of the routine, where the dancers dropped the male dancer. Despite the fall out of the lift, these dancers quickly recovered and danced like their lives depended on it for the rest of this passionate piece.
A fun fact about this routine: the dancer in white is a Minnesota sophomore, Ava Wagner, the younger sister of the Ohio State senior, Ellie Wagner. It seems the Wagner sisters hit the college dance team jackpot. Dancing for Ohio and Minnesota, the Wagners compete as rivals for the most prestigious teams in the college competition dance world. Growing up, the Wagner sisters trained at Larkin Dance Studio in Minnesota, so their teachers and parents showed their support at UDA by wearing split t-shirts with Ohio and Minnesota on each side.
Division 1A Pom
Pom is always an entertaining category to watch, because the purpose of pom is to energize the crowd. It seems that every year dancers perform crazy acrobatic and technical skills that I still can’t understand. Whether it be fast turn sequences or clarity formations, Pom always brings the entertainment. Prepare to be shocked by the astronomical height of these dancer’s jumps.
Ohio 2025 Pom
UDA always pushes the boundaries of the impossible. I was happily surprised when Ohio State’s pom poms turned into nunchucks during their 2025 UDA Nationals pom routine. My liking for this routine has a lot to do with the music choice– the upbeat pop songs add to the excitement of the dance. The formations in this routine are crisp and satisfying, and the back to back tricks will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Minnesota 2025 Pom
Yet again, Minnesota’s choreography contrasts Ohio’s choreographic choices. This time, Minnesota’s pom was clean and controlled, and Ohio’s gave game day hype. While I thought I would enjoy Ohio’s pom better, Minnesota’s first place 2025 pom routine quickly made my jaw hit the floor. The level of difficulty of this routine is high, as performing these intense tricks in a sharp manner is a challenge. The part of this dance that amazed me the most was the turn section when the music turned off. As a dancer, you are always counting in your head to make sure the timing is correct, but you depend on the music for guidance. The silent turn section highlighted Minnesota’s high level of difficulty, because they ended their turns perfectly without any music. You can hear it in the crowd, this routine was legendary!
D1A Hip Hop
Now that you’re an expert on the pom and jazz categories, it’s only right that you are familiar with Hip Hop. Contrary to pom and jazz, hip hop’s style is more funky with grooves and grounded movements. The versatility of dancers at UDA is highlighted through hip hop because many of the teams also compete in jazz or pom.
Louisiana State University
“Like a Boy”- 2022
A dance cultural reset is an understatement for LSU’s “Like a Boy,” choreographed by Sammy McFadden. The LSU Tiger Girls made dance history, winning the national title for hip hop during the 2022 UDA nationals. The routine, “Like a Boy,” was a direct response to LSU’s underfunding of the dance team in comparison to male dominated sports like football. Not only was the dance filled with style and energy, but a direct call out to university officials that female sports are equally important as male dominated sports. Just like the viral turn sequences from jazz and pop, the Tiger Girls’ “Like a Boy” choreography began trending on Tik Tok. There’s something so satisfying about the smoothness of the dancer’s movements and the badass message from the song.
It’s impossible to not recognize the hard work and artistry of collegiate dance teams. UDA is a national dance competition, but more so a space that allows for innovation and inspiration for dancers everywhere. I’ve shared some of my favorite UDA dances and teams, and I can’t wait for you to find yours. Dance is all about community and artistry. Just watching these routines makes me feel creative and emotional. If you enjoyed watching any of these dances, I highly recommend setting a reminder to watch UDA Nationals next January. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll hear a song in a grocery store and say, “I loved this dance at UDA,” and you’ll get to share your favorite routines with someone new!