Months of preparation, hours of practice, and unwavering dedication lead dancers to potentially the biggest performance of their career: the UDA (Universal Dance Association) College Nationals.
UDA College Dance Nationals has taken a storm over the media and the dance world starting last year in 2024. There are four competing categories: Pom, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Gameday. This is a competition between all the D1A and D1 college dance teams.
Getting to Nationals is no easy journey. Teams start training as soon as the previous season ends. These athletes focus on technique training, stamina building, and starting with new choreography. These dancers push themselves to the limit, ensuring their routines are flawlessly executed.
It is no secret that this sport is physically demanding, but when competing at the highest level, there are mental challenges as well. These dancers are still college students who balance constant training, academics, and building a community and trust among their team. Creating a close bond between teammates can be just as important as the dance routine itself. To get the best routine possible, dancers need to be able to put their hearts and souls into it.
Once Nationals weekend finally arrives, the intensity and buzz in the air is unmatched. Nationals is held at the ESPN Sports Center in Orlando, Florida. Over the course of three days, there are preliminary and semifinal rounds of competing and ending the weekend with finals.
Each category brings a different challenge and energy to the floor. Jazz routines are graceful, but still focused on technique and the strong emotional elements. Pom routines require strong energy and movements, all while moving into many tight formations around the stage. Hip-Hop routines are all about hitting hard with power, while still being precise and perfect synchronization. Gameday is all about creativity and showing the showmanship that you are representing at your school.
UDA Nationals has been around for more than 35 years but has truly started getting the recognition it deserves in the last two years. The main driving factors are The University of Minnesota and Ohio State University. Both compete against each other in the Pom and Jazz categories, and both have very strong but different routines. In both categories, the two teams are always hovering in the top two spots throughout the competition, and the question is always asked: Team Ohio or Minnesota? For Jazz, Ohio is very known for giving intricate and creative routines whereas Minnesota’s are technical and emotional. In Pom, Minnesota hits it strong with sharp and impressive skills meanwhile Ohio has impressive turn combos and costume changes that add variety to the routines. The Wagner Sisters have helped inspire the name of Nationals being “The Dance Super Bowl” with one sister competing with Minnesota, and one competing with Ohio, giving a very similar story to The Kelce Brothers. Social media is also to thank for the support and recognition with everyone posting about their favorite routines and sharing their opinions on the performances.
Preliminary rounds determine which team’s journey will continue, and which will shortly end. With the talent each team has to compete with, there is no room for mistakes. You can see the growth within just a day of a performance between preliminary and finals, showing that the best team will rise to the occasion and make it their own. Finals are the last time for a team to showcase their season’s work and leave it all on the floor.
While the point of UDA Nationals is to represent your school and go for the gold, there is more to it than just that. It is about celebrating the hard work, teamwork, and commitment to pushing yourself beyond your expectations. The thrill of competing that is portrayed at Nationals isn’t just about winning, it’s about feeling the adrenaline and bond between teammates after giving your best performance.
