Nia Dennis

Since going viral for her show-stopping, Beyoncé-inspired floor performance in 2020 — a Twitter video capturing the routine racked up 17.6 million views alone — followed by an inspiring Black excellence routine a year later — life has dramatically changed for former UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis.

We sat down with the gymnast for a conversation about her new partnership with Pressed, self-care, and more. You know her. At the top of 2021, she had us cheering at our phones, wondering how she’d flip, twist, and sashay across the gym mat next. She also made sure to incorporate Black rhythms; like simplified step routines, a famous localized walk, and national dance fads into her big moment.

When Nia Dennis graduated from UCLA last spring, she knew she still had some gymnastics opportunities ahead of her, namely the Gold Over America Tour with a rockstar roster of world-class gymnasts, many of whom she grew up competing against. There was also an electric, flip-filled appearance on the 2021 Met Gala steps (no big deal). But ultimately, she's looking to branch out and discover what it means to be "NiaNation" beyond her sport.

Didn't get enough of the gymnastics during the Summer Olympics in Japan?. If not, for those who appreciate the skill and athleticism of the sport, you can see Simone Biles and other Olympic gymnasts in action in the Gold Over America Tour on Oct. 19 in Nationwide Arena. The tour...

Here are some of the best looks from athletes — including Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka, Russell Westbrook, Serena Williams and Nia Dennis — at the 2021 Met Gala.

UCLA star gymnast Nia Dennis went viral on Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, when she performed backflips, twists and twirls on the steps at the ultra-popular MET Gala in New York. Dennis kicked off the grandiose annual soiree by transforming the iconic granite stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art into her own personal floor mat.

Gymnast Nia Dennis, who first went viral for a Beyoncé-themed floor routine, brought gymnastics to the Met Gala with an exciting routine on the steps.

NEW YORK — Move over, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian: A new face has fans flipping over her grand Met Gala entrance. According to The Associated Press and Vogue, former UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis, whose Black culture-inspired floor exercises have been going viral since 2020, kicked off the festivities Monday at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art with a red carpet tumbling routine as the Brooklyn United Marching Band played “Uptown Funk” and other songs.

Photos: Gymnast Nia Dennis, marching band steal the show at Met Gala 2021 US gymnast Nia Dennis arrives for the 2021 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021, in New York. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)