The Universal Dance Association College Nationals: The Superbowl for dancers across the nation. The most talented dancers from colleges around the country travel to Orlando, Florida every January for the ultimate dance battle, competing in Jazz, Pom, and Hip Hop. Teams are divided into divisions based on their university’s size and NCAA status: Division IA, Division I, and Open Division. The UDA Nationals have considerably gained popularity on social media over time, specifically with the large universities in D1A.
The dance rivalry with the most tension in Orlando has been the University of Minnesota and Ohio State University for years. They are known to be the most skilled D1A dance teams in the country, annually fighting over first place in the Pom and Jazz categories.
The 2024 nationals were vastly different from that of 2025, with both teams having different focuses and goals for their jazz performances. Not only does UDA Jazz gain its popularity from sharp, precise moves, but with the story the teams are telling through the song choice and choreography. Ohio State blew the nation away with their heartfelt, dramatic jazz performance, using “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. They later won the championship for jazz, with Minnesota being the runner-up using “Dream On” by Aerosmith. Ohio’s 2024 Jazz number was unique in comparison to the other teams. At the time, it was considered not the “normal” jazz routine, which is arguably a reason why they won.
One year later, at the 2025 nationals, fans noticed many teams using alike songs and choreography to that of Ohio’s 2024 Jazz routine. Minnesota was rumored to have used more dramaticism in their performance this year. They received negative feedback from fans, claiming that there was a lack of emotion in 2024’s number. With the teams following into the same choreography and song choices, Ohio shocked the nation with a never seen before style of Jazz moves and turns. They dressed in black with red gloves and danced to a unique Cuban music genre. The story Ohio was attempting to create was that of a beating heart, which automatically set them in a different position from the other teams. For these reasons, it is safe to say Ohio State Dance Team is always one step ahead, with their constantly evolving choreography and unique dance styles.
This year’s Universal Dance Association College Nationals went down in history for another breathtaking year of hard work from these incredibly talented young women and men. Fellow dancers across the region cannot help but wonder what the Ohio vs. Minnesota battle will come to in 2026.