Eyes on the Prize: Recap of the UDA College Nationals first-placing teams

While most people are worrying about the upcoming Chiefs vs. Bills playoff game or whether the Chiefs will three-peat, me and other dancers are still daydreaming about the real Super Bowl of the season:

Universal Dance Association College Nationals.

UDA Nationals happened over the weekend of Jan. 17-19 and dancers all over the world tuned into the livestream to watch colleges compete for the first-place trophy. This year, the first-placing teams caused controversy all over TikTok. Here are my opinions on the top teams in each category.

While I anxiously waited for my friend to text me the results of the D1A jazz finals, I was absolutely certain I knew what the outcome would be. 

When her text came through saying that The Ohio State University grasped the first-place spot, my heart dropped.

This wasn’t what I thought would happen.

There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that the University of Minnesota’s emotional jazz routine to “Women’s Work” would take first place, but boy, I was mistaken.

Don’t get me wrong, Ohio State’s jazz routine was still an impressive and passionate performance. The usage of the red gloves made their synchronized motions visually satisfying. These unison sections have gone viral across social media platforms for a reason.

But I did have some problems with this dance, starting with the wonky turn section.

Over halfway through the routine, the dancers prep for the highly anticipated, insanely complex Ohio State turns. But the fast-paced turns quickly turned into every dancer’s worst nightmare.

Not a single dancer was in the same position as their neighbor, causing a highly disorienting visual. A girl even fell flat on the floor while attempting the turns. If the dancers can’t do the turn combination, don’t put it in the routine. Every girl on the team is extremely talented, they don’t need these insane turns if they can’t execute them correctly.

The team ended up changing the turn combination for finals, but it still didn’t execute perfectly.

Ultimately, the artistry of Ohio State’s jazz routine was phenomenal, but the turns threw me off. Don’t sacrifice uniformity for the sake of a couple more turns.

Within the first 10 seconds of their routine, the University of Minnesota dancers had already done nine turns into a leap traveling across half the stage.

What. An. Opening.

As the dancers changed into each complex formation, their crispy pom motions remained strong. Their unison moments transitioned seamlessly into the smaller group and solo parts (Ava Wagner’s long and controlled leg extensions — chef’s kiss).

If someone hit pause at random points throughout the routine, not a single pom would be out of place. Each dancer understood what it meant to freeze and hold each of their pom motions to the elite, collegiate level. At one point the dancers even hit various positions — including a front hinge — and held for a pause in the music. Instant chills.

My one qualm: I didn’t like the music.

When I think of a college pom dance, I think of the hype, almost cheerleader-like music with toe touches on random bell chimes and cheesy smiles. 

Minnesota’s music was an intense experience. A male voice modulation intermittently said things throughout the routine. You never knew when he would strike next.

With that being said, Minnesota 100% deserved the first-place spot. Each sharp pom motion and huge facial expression reminded me why I like watching collegiate pom routines in the first place, which, after all, is what UDA Nationals is all about.

In the past, the University of Nevada Las Vegas has been a dominant presence in the hip-hop category with six previous hip-hop first placings.

But this year, UNLV really brought the sass.

UNLV performed an extremely entertaining and authentic routine unlike any other hip-hop performed this year. No one even came close.

The dancers’ precise tics brought aesthetic visuals to the routine and the smoother, groovy parts had me screaming excitedly into my phone as I watched the YouTube clips. Their footwork outdid all of the competition as they picked up their feet, even at the end of the routine.

And the tricks. Absolutely insane. At one point, a male dancer performed a back extension roll into the splits and came back up again. I audibly gasped.

Each trick had a purpose and was executed perfectly. There’s nothing worse than when a team tries to “trick” their way through a hip-hop routine. Hip-hop is about authenticity and energy — both things that the UNLV team exuded.

No other hip-hop team made me feel like standing up and grooving in my bedroom. UNLV truly embodied the idea of performance in the hip-hop category.