By Reshelle Bihasa, Staff Writer  

University of Cincinnati’s (UC) dance team won a gold medal and world championship title in the Premier Hip Hop division at the International Cheer Union (ICU) World Championships representing the US and Cincinnati.  

Previously, UC’s Dance Team was chosen to compete at the ICU International World Championships after being selected from their performance at Universal Dance Association (UDA) nationals. UDA nationals is a prestigious competition at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida, competing against well-known teams such as Louisiana State University and University of Nevada, Las Vegas to determine who performed the most dynamic and entertaining routine.  

After UC’s Dance Team was selected, they had about two and a half months to utilize the judges’ feedback and put them into practice for the ICU World Championship. At the event, they competed against other international dance teams including Greece, Japan and Ecuador. 

Before their major event, the UC dance team hosted a preview day at the University of Cincinnati where they showcased their performance. Around 20 other teams performed as well, including Xavier University’s Dance Team.  

“Our performance was a sassy hip hop performed to Britney Spears’ “Me Against the Music.” It is very Michael Jackson inspired, and we wore the same outfit that she did in her music video which was pin striped pants and a jacket, a corset, a fedora and a teal blue tie. Our routine had lots of tricks as well,” sophomore nursing major and Xavier dance team member Cecily Weiss said.  

Xavier’s dance team was able to watch and support the UC dance team’s performance, seeing a Cincinnati team succeed on a world stage.  

  “As a Xavier dancer, it means so much! We need to bring more recognition to the dance community here in Cincinnati and to all the hard work, blood, sweat, and tears that go into creating routines like these. Ohio has some phenomenal dance teams, and bringing home trophies really increases the support we can get,” Weiss said. 

The UC dance team performed a high-energy hip hop routine to Chris Brown’s “Wall to Wall.” The dancers had lights on their shirts that would turn on and off the routine, elevating their strong choreography, formations and execution of each individual movement.  

Their performances have also gained attention online across social media platforms, including TikTok, constantly drawing energy and encouragement from the viewers. The audiences during the performances mirrored the same high energy and support as well. 

“What stood out the most to me in person was the details that I wasn’t able to notice on TikTok or from videos that were further away. I sat right up close when watching them and it was really cool because I noticed more details within their choreography,” Weiss said. 

Overall, the UC dance team’s outstanding accomplishment and performance help inspire dancers at Xavier and others watching. 

“Seeing a team so close to home win really motivates us to work even harder to eventually win and advance our program to be just as large as some of the other winning teams,” Weiss said.