*UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis may be from Columbus, Ohio, but she secured a victory for her Bruins on Saturday with a 9.95 floor routine that went viral in part for the way she repped Southern California — down to the incorporation of the Crip walk.
Competing against Arizona State, Dennis dedicated her overall routine to the “Celebration of Black Excellence,” executing flawless flips and twists to the West coast sounds of “California Love” by Dr. Dre and Tupac, Kendrick Lamar’s “Be Humble,” as well as tracks from Beyonce and Missy Elliott, with each shift of the music prompting dance moves associated with the song.
There was an ode to stepping from Black Greek culture, she capped off a flip to Crank That (Soulja Boy) by crankin’ that Soulja Boy, and she did a lil’ Crip walk – complete with fake gang sign flashing – when “California Love” began playing.
“This routine definitely reflects everything that I am today as a woman,” Dennis told the Los Angeles Daily News, “and of course I had to incorporate a lot of parts of my culture. I wanted to have a dance party because that’s my personality and of course I had to shout out LA because we out here, UCLA.”
Watch below:
In case you forgot, Dennis went viral last February for a Beyhive-stirring floor routine set to a Beyoncé medley.
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