Universal Dance Association (UDA) College Nationals is often referred to as the “Super Bowl of dance,” and this year, for the first time ever, the Fordham dance team made an appearance on the national stage in Florida. 

The UDA Nationals are held every year in Orlando at the Walt Disney World Resort, where collegiate dance teams from across the country compete in several style categories, including Jazz, Hip-Hop, Pom and Game Day. 

The Fordham dance team can be found on the sidelines of every Fordham football game and both men’s and women’s basketball games, as well as several halftime performances every year. However, this year, the dancers on the Fordham squad took their talents to the national stage, which meant they had to train for the athletics games and their national routines in tandem. 

In order to ensure that the squad had enough time to prepare for the inaugural debut at the UDA Nationals, the dancers came back early from their winter break to clean up and rehearse both their jazz and hip-hop routines. 

Jenna Stamps, who has been the head coach of the Fordham dance team since July 2024, has been a UDA staffer for the last decade and made it a goal for the Fordham dance team to make their debut. The squad succeeded in achieving this goal, performing two routines in front of Walt Disney World’s replica of Cinderella’s Castle, an iconic part of the UDA’s national stage. 

“To see my team walk through the castle was a dream. My biggest goal for them was to go out there and be proud of what they leave on that stage. I wanted them to walk off that stage with no regrets,” Stamps said.

To see my team walk through the castle was a dream./span> Jenna Stamps, Head Coach of Fordham’s dance team

The 17 dancers on the Rams squad performed two routines throughout the weekend, including a jazz routine choreographed by Shannon Atkins, a world-renowned choreographer and teacher from Australia. The routine was a sassy, sleek, slightly flirty and very technical number choreographed by Atkins to “Closer” by Ne-Yo.

The Rams’ hip-hop routine was choreographed by Jojo Brooks, who is a professional dancer and teacher at Brickhouse, where Stamps trains. Brooks choreographed the hip-hop routine to a mix of songs inspired by New York City — specifically the Bronx — like “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, “Welcome To The Party” by Pop Smoke and “New York” by Ja Rule. 

For Stamps, it was important to give her dancers not only the opportunity to learn routines choreographed by notable members of the industry, but also to ensure that her dancers were learning about the styles’ histories and contexts. 

“I brought Jojo in because she doesn’t just teach the movement, but teaches the foundation and history of hip-hop styles, (which was) extremely important to me, especially at a collegiate level, to be educated in the styles we are performing in,” Stamps said. 

“I would call our hip-hop (routine) a love letter to New York. Sara Kumar, FCLC ’27

Fordham dance’s first time at nationals was not the only unique occurrence from the weekend in Orlando, as Fordham was the only school from New York City competing. Representing New York City on the national stage was on the minds of many of the dancers, including Sara Kumar, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’27. 

“I would call our hip-hop (routine) a love letter to New York, especially since Fordham is the only school from N(ew) Y(ork) C(ity) at nationals, and we wanted to represent this at our first time there,” Kumar said. 

After their performances at the UDA Nationals, Fordham’s dance squad has now become a part of a four decade-long dance history, a moment that was not lost on Kumar, who has grown up dancing and has watched the UDA Nationals every year since she started.

“It’s hard to convey how surreal it was to transition from growing up watching it every year to actually being the one performing. Even when we were just practicing there, we would be surrounded by members from the teams we all looked up to when we were younger,” Kumar said. “Being able to be a part of the team that has brought Fordham’s name into this athletic and artistic space is such an honor.”

The UDA Nationals is a cornerstone not only of collegiate dance, but of the entire national dance community. In recent years, the UDA Nationals has received a lot of attention on social media because of routines that have gone viral, including but not limited to that of the Louisiana State University’s “Tiger Girls,” Ohio State University and Minnesota University. These teams all compete in Division 1A, which is the top of the three divisions at the UDA Nationals. The interest shown on social media for these teams highlight the incredible talent that is put on display every year on the UDA Nationals stage. The weight of the moment and opportunity to dance on the UDA stage was not lost on the members of the Fordham squad. 

“After you perform, you get to watch your routine in playback backstage. After jazz, we all watched our playback and just started happy crying (because of) how proud we were of all their hard work,” Stamps said. “One of the dancers came up to me and said she never pictured herself ever performing on this stage. She was so happy to be able to walk through the castle and be proud of herself and the team.”

We are so excited to continue our growth and push ourselves to be even better next year. Jenna Stamps, Head Coach of Fordham’s dance team

Fordham dance’s time at the UDA Nationals has continued to impact the Rams even after their return to the cold winter of New York City. Kumar reflected on how being able to both perform herself and watch some of the best collegiate dancers perform has inspired her own craft.

“I’ve continued to be inspired by the routines I saw there in the weeks following the competition. To have shared the practice spaces and the nationals stage itself with some of the most talented people in the country has really motivated me to push my limits,” Kumar said. “Some of these dancers look like they are actively defying physics all the time, and even though they are trained to hide the labor behind it, I know how much blood, sweat and tears goes into perfecting these skills. The arts are so underappreciated largely in society, but sharing a space with the other collegiate dance teams reminded me that what we do matters.”

The Rams’ time on the UDA stage has not only inspired their own art forms, but has influenced how the program will develop in years to come. Stamps is hoping to make this year’s trip to Orlando a yearly visit. Since the Fordham dance team performed, they have received  increased interest from dancers wanting to join the program and become a Ram. 

“Bringing the Fordham name to the UDA stage is amazing in itself, but already, we have been getting so many more messages and questions about joining our team. As this event has grown, especially on social media, more and more people will recognize a program just from stepping foot on that stage,” Stamps said. “This was an incredible bonding experience for us as well. I can feel the trust and support growing even stronger this year. We are so excited to continue our growth and push ourselves to be even better next year.”

The talents of the Fordham dance team will continue to be on display at the women’s and men’s basketball game this semester, but the Ramily will have to wait until next year to see the Fordham dancers walk back through the Walt Disney Castle.