Nia Dennis: US gymnast’s ‘black excellence’ routine goes viral
A US gymnast’s routine celebrating “black excellence” has gone viral, with millions of views on social media. The floor routine by Nia Dennis, an athlete at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), incorporated songs by artists including Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé and Missy Elliott. She said Black Lives Matter protests inspired the performance, which saw her kneel with her fist in the air. “I had to… for the culture,” the 21-year-old wrote on Instagram. The routine wowed the judges and earned her praise from celebrities, fellow athletes and fans. A video shared by UCLA Gymnastics was viewed more than nine million times.
Dennis told Washington Post publication The Lily that she wanted the routine to “be a celebration of everything [black people] can do, everything we can overcome”. “The subject of Black Lives Matter is so heavy. It is difficult for people to talk about – and sometimes you have to meet people where they’re at, with a celebration,” she said of the performance. (BBC)…[+]