Nia Dennis’ floor routine has once again vaulted the UCLA gymnast to viral fame.
Video tweeted Sunday of Dennis’ thrilling hip-hop routine has more than 7 million views as of early Monday afternoon. It had more than 2 million views in less than 24 hours.
The video shows Dennis’ routine Saturday in the Bruins’ season-opener against Arizona. Dennis scored a 9.5 in the meet's final routine to help the Bruins clinch the victory. Teammates Margzetta Frazier and Chae Campbell scored back-to-back 9.9s on the floor.
Teammates and coaches joined in as Dennis performed to Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Missy Elliott, Megan Thee Stallion and Tupac’s “California Love."
It even caught the attention of the United States' most decorated gymnast.
“This routine definitely reflects everything I am today as a woman,” Dennis told reporters. “Of course I had to incorporate a lot of parts of my culture.”
During an interview Friday on Today in LA, Dennis talked about her message and motivation.
"Definitely going for the message of Black Lives Matter and Black Excellence, and shining that in the light of gymnastics," Dennis said. "Kendrick Lamar, he's a huge activist in his music, and in gymnastics we're not allowed to use any words or sounds in our routines, so I figured that if I wasn't going to be the one to speak it I was going to try to portray the same message in a different way."
Last year, the senior from Columbus delivered another viral hit with her floor exercise set to Beyoncé hits.
