The Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers Girls’ dance workforce lately misplaced to the University of Nebraska Las Vegas (UNLV) within the hip-hop class for a second 12 months in a row on the UDA National Championship. Their victory has since sparked a social media debate over which workforce deserved to win, a dialogue on the danceform being rooted in Black communities, and whether or not gender-based requirements must be adopted shifting ahead.
The University Dance Association’s Collegiate National Championships, defined
The 2026 University Dance Association’s Collegiate National Championships for cheerleading and dance have been held Jan. 16 by Jan. 18 on the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Hundreds of faculty groups from throughout the nation competed in a number of classes for a nationwide championship, Dance Spirit reported.
The groups featured within the competitors are based mostly on college dimension and NCAA standing, which incorporates Division IA, Division I and Open. Each division includes seven to twenty feminine and male cheerleaders and 7 to 30 dancers. While cheerleading has its personal guidelines, the dance competitors is judged totally on “choreography, approach, execution and total impact,” in keeping with a news release and Varsity.com.
According to Varsity.com, “Regional Teams who take part within the competitors can have the chance to compete in two of the three classes (Pom, Jazz, Hip Hop). Dance groups are allowed to compete in two conventional classes and one sport day division. Teams could not compete in a single conventional class and two sport day divisions.”
Details on UNLV’s and LSU’s dance routines and previous competitions
For the UDA competitors, UNLV’s co-ed dance workforce, The Rebel Girls & Co., received the nationwide championship for the second consecutive 12 months, incomes first place in Division IA’s game-day and hip-hop classes. In the latter, they defeated the LSU Tigers’ all-girls workforce, additionally a Division IA workforce, after each side confirmed off their greatest strikes in hopes of a victory.
The Rebel Girls & Co.’s routine was a hip-hop mashup of early 2000s hits, whereas the LSU Tigers drew inspiration from Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 Super Bowl halftime present, performing their very own mashup of the Compton rapper’s hits.
While the Tigers have at all times completed second within the hip-hop dance class, they’ve gone viral repeatedly at their competitions. Meanwhile, UNLV has a set of prior championship titles. The latest win marked the workforce’s seventh hip-hop and game-day nationwide championships since 2013.
The Rebel Girls & Co. received first place in the identical classes final 12 months and beforehand received consecutive hip-hop and sport day championships in 2018 and 2019, in keeping with the workforce’s web site and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Their latest win final weekend has sparked discourse on social media, as many individuals have already taken sides on which workforce deserved the title. On TikTok, person Maya Williams (@mayawilliams5653) spoke out in regards to the UDA and the way they’ve made inroads concerning variety amongst feminine and male dancers. However, she questioned whether or not the hip-hop class is “appreciation or appropriation.”
“Hip-hop is a Black artwork kind that was created by Black and brown communities, and that features the affect of Caribbean and Latino communities,” Williams mentioned in her TikTok video. “And so the place the sticky items come is that management continues to be overwhelmingly white at UDA. I feel it’s vital to have these conversations in order that historical past doesn’t repeat itself.”
Williams continued, stating that management falls beneath judges, coaches and choreographers who’re “profiting off of the hip-hop tradition” throughout the UDA area. In the feedback part, person shared their ideas on which workforce deserved to win, persevering with the dialogue about race and music tradition.
“The approach I assumed the entire workforce was poc based mostly off their complexions on the competitors till I appeared up the workforce,” one person wrote, together with an official picture of the LSU Tigers dance workforce.
“One gave hip hop and one gave LA hip hop dance class,” one other wrote.
“I’m glad I’m on this aspect UNLV gave AUTHENTIC hip hop,” a 3rd person wrote.
In a subsequent post, Williams additionally addressed claims that UNLV solely received as a result of it had males on the workforce. She mentioned that younger males have been typically not allowed to bounce, particularly within the Black group. The Rebel Girls & Co. workforce consists of mixed-race women and men.
Another TikToker, @dollfacedajania, additionally addressed the LSU and UNLV debate however mentioned how UDA had “lastly” degentrified hip-hop after taking years to incorporate breakdancing, crumping and different hip-hop-based dance routines within the competitors. She mentioned that after watching UDA competitions through the years, she felt the routines have been good however the actual hip-hop artistry wasn’t there.
“When I watched UNLV dance, I felt the power,” Jania mentioned in a TikTok video. “I felt the power with LSU too, however I felt it differently as a result of they selected a track that was extra mainstream. But regardless, each of those routines have accomplished one thing this class hasn’t accomplished for me in years.”
Similar to Williams, Jania mentioned UDA wants Black choreographers to elucidate to them the “true origins of hip-hop.” She additional mentioned hip-hop was birthed from communities who have been “stripped of their sources however had nothing however their our bodies to specific themselves with.”
In the feedback part, extra individuals have been leaning towards UNLV’s dance routine, claiming that LSU “stole” their set from Lamar.
“LSU felt like a white choreographer tryna win with ‘utilizing the tradition,’” one person wrote.
“LSU choreographers actually ripped off Kendrick’s half time present I’m so glad they didn’t win simply on that,” one other wrote.
“UNLV received that truthful and sq.!!!!!!” a 3rd person wrote.
Other TikTokers, like Jasmina Hinton (@jasminehinton) and Mocha (@strutdontstress), have been additionally in favor of UNLV’s win as a result of they mentioned they introduced the true artistry of hip-hop, together with the 5 components of hip-hop and fewer over-the-top theatrics. Both girls gave credit score to the LSU dancers, who they are saying did a tremendous job of their routine, however the TikTokers felt UNLV had the actual “wow issue” on this 12 months’s competitors.
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