Nia Dennis
Nia Dennis is an accomplished American gymnast and performer born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1999. She began gymnastics at a young age, joining the national team by 2012 and earning multiple accolades, including a gold medal at the 2013 US Classic. Dennis made her international debut in 2014 and continued to excel in competitions, ultimately joining the UCLA gymnastics team in 2017. While at UCLA, she gained fame for her creative routines inspired by Black culture and empowerment, particularly through her choreographed performances to music from Beyoncé's Homecoming album and her Black Excellence routine, which drew significant attention and praise from notable figures.
After graduating in 2021, Dennis transitioned from competitive gymnastics to pursue dancing, acting, and modeling, also becoming an ambassador for brands like Adidas. She participated in the Gold Over America Tour with Simone Biles, which highlighted mental health awareness. Throughout her career, she has used her platform to advocate for equality, inclusivity, and mental health awareness, making a powerful impact both in and out of the gymnastics community.
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Nia Dennis
- Born: February 23, 1999
- Place of Birth: Columbus, Ohio
Background
Nia Dennis was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1999 to Casey and Deetra Dennis. She has a younger sister named Mya, who she says is her greatest inspiration. Dennis credited her parents for encouraging her to participate in gymnastics at a young age. She began practicing the sport in 2006 and, by 2012, had become a national team member. At the 2013 US Classic, Dennis won a gold medal for vault and a silver for her floor routine.
Dennis has said that she struggled with her identity while growing up and wanted to change the color of her skin. Some of her childhood teammates teased her about the texture of her hair and because the chalk they used on the bars appeared brighter on her skin.
Life’s Work
In March 2014, Dennis made her international debut representing the United States at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy. Competing in the junior division, she earned team gold and individual silver medals on uneven bars and all-around. That year, as a member of the junior team, she won a team gold medal and silver in all-around at the Pacific Rim Championships in Richmond, Canada. Dennis trained at the Buckeye Gymnastics Center and Legacy Elite Gymnastics in Naperville, Illinois. She had wanted to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games, but an injury dashed her hopes. She worried that her career might be ending because she trained hard for many years to win an Olympic medal.
Dennis graduated from Metea Valley High School and went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she majored in sociology. She competed on the UCLA gymnastics team starting in the fall of 2017. Dennis and the UCLA team won gold at the 2018 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament, where she received second-team All-Pac-12 honors on vault. The following year, the team won the bronze medal at the NCAA tournament, and Dennis earned first team All-American honors on uneven bars and second-team All-Pac-12 on vault. At a February 2020 meet, Dennis received a 9.975 final score for her performance, which helped UCLA close in on Utah, which was in first place. However, Utah eventually won with 198.075 points to UCLA’s 198.025. Dennis earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors on vault and floor and ranked eighteenth nationally on floor. During her time at UCLA, Dennis was a 2021 AAI Award finalist, 2018 NCAA team champion, and seven-time All-Pac-12 honoree.
Dennis also garnered international fame during her college years when videos of some of her performances went viral. Her 2020 floor exercise against Utah had more than twenty million views in a short time. Dennis had been inspired by singer Beyonce's Homecoming album, which was a celebration of Black culture and empowerment. Dennis choreographed her routine to a medley of songs from the album. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, she choreographed a Black Excellence routine the following year. The routine received significant attention after it was shared online. Former First Lady Michelle Obama, rapper Missy Elliott, and others lauded her work.
After graduating from UCLA in 2021, Dennis pursued dancing, acting, and modeling and planned to launch her own business. Dennis opened the 2021 Met Gala by flipping, leaping, and dancing across steps while a marching band played behind her. The Met Gala is a formal fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. Dennis became an ambassador for the brand Adidas and also a model for the designer clothing brand Stella McCartney and other brands.
In late 2021, Dennis performed with the Gold Over America Tour, a showcase starring Simone Biles. Other gymnasts included Jade Carey, Grace McCallum, Morgan Hurd, Shills Jones, and Mélanie Johanna de Jesus dos Santos. The thirty-five-city tour was both a concert and a gymnastics competition and put a spotlight on mental health. Dennis retired from competitive gymnastics in 2021.
Impact
During a routine in 2021, Dennis kneeled while raising her fist in the air to pay homage to the protest by former National Football League (NFL) player Colin Kaepernick. In college, Dennis’s father was in a Black fraternity. Dennis paid tribute to him by stepping, which is a popular dance expression performed by fraternity members. A week after her performance, Dennis appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and explained that her performance was reflective of herself and her heritage. She said that she had chosen music by influential African American artists, and that Michelle Obama’s reaction to her performance on social media left her speechless.
Dennis has used her celebrity to advocate for equality and inclusivity. She has spoken up about her mental health journey after gymnastics, posting updates from therapy sessions on X (Twitter).
Bibliography
Korn, Justin. "Nia Dennis Isn't Just Your Average Gymnast Gone Viral." Adidas Group, 19 Sept. 2023, www.adidas-group.com/en/magazine/behind-the-scenes/nia-dennis-isnt-just-your-average-gymnast-gone-viral. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
Nguyen, Thuc Nhi. “She’s Gone Viral and Opened the Met Gala. What’s Next for UCLA’s Nia Dennis?” Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2022, www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2022-07-03/met-gala-whats-next-ucla-nia-dennis. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
“Nia Dennis.” UCLA, uclabruins.com/sports/womens-gymnastics/roster/nia--dennis/10043. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
“Nia Dennis: My Story.” Nia Nation, nianationdennis.com/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Shiffer, Emily, and Carolyn L. Todd. “Who Is Nia Dennis? 7 Things to Know About the UCLA Gymnast.” Self, 26 Jan. 2021, www.self.com/story/nia-dennis-ucla-gymnast. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Silva, Cynthia. “Meet UCLA Gymnast Nia Dennis, Who Went Viral After ‘Black Excellence’ Floor Routine.” NBC News, 29 Jan. 2021, www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/meet-ucla-gymnast-nia-dennis-who-went-viral-after-black-n1256191. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Teti, Julia, and Emily Selleck. “Nia Dennis: 5 Things to Know About the Gymnast Who Caught the Eye of Michelle Obama & More.” Hollywood Life, 28 Jan. 2021, hollywoodlife.com/feature/who-is-nia-dennis-gymnast-3946713/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.