Gymnast Nia Dennis Goes Viral With 'Dance Party' Floor Routine - Staff Picks

21-year-old gymnast Nia Dennis garnered the attention of the entire Internet with her nearly perfect floor routine.

The UCLA Bruins gymnastic team is known nation-wide for their impeccable talent and creative routines. In 2019, we saw Katelyn Ohashi made headlines after her Michael Jackson-themed routine earned a perfect score. Katelyn went on to become a viral sensation appearing in multiple talk shows and morning news programs. Now, senior Nia Dennis is following in her footsteps.

First, she stunned us with a unique floor routine set to the music of Beyonce. And today, she’s taking it up another notch with a 9.95 performance that has the whole Internet talking.

"I wanted to have a dance party because that's my personality," Nia told Los Angeles Daily News. The floor routine features artists, such as Kendrick Lamar, that have been influential in Nia’s life. She wanted to showcase her growth and feelings through movement and felt led to include Black artists that had an impact on her and the community.

When featured on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Nia explained, “We’re not allowed to use words and sounds in our floor routine so I figured if I wasn’t going to be able to say it, I wanted to do it in a different way.”

Nia’s unforgettable performance has been viewed over a million times online and many famous faces are weighing in, including Olympic gold medalist, Shawn Johnson.

Shawn told Insider, "I just love seeing the sport evolve that way to see girls and guys be able to take it to a new level and get more creative." 

There’s no doubt that Nia has inspired a whole new generation of gymnasts and I cannot wait to see where this sport goes next.