Behind the Scenes of Gymnast Nia Dennis and Brooklyn United’s Explosive Met Performance

Nia Dennis Met Gala 2021
Photo: Getty Images

The Met Gala is known for theatrical arrivals, but only one attendee hands-free-cartwheeled into In America: Lexicon of Fashion accompanied by the booming Brooklyn United Marching Band: gymnast Nia Dennis, best known for her groundbreaking Beyoncé and Black Lives Matter-themed floor routines while a student at UCLA. Wearing a patriotic, blue-hued bespoke adidas by Stella McCartney bodysuit, Dennis, a guest of the designer, told Vogue: “I feel like Superwoman.”

Dennis grew up watching Battle of the Bands, the famed annual face-off between the marching bands for historically-Black Southern University and Grambling State University, with her family in New Orleans. Her first viral routine, in 2020, opened to the drumbeats of Beyoncé’s Homecoming. It felt like a match made in Met heaven, then, to star in Brooklyn United’s pop-up parade: “Their energy is ecstatic and it’s contagious,” said Dennis, 22. “They come with such power and such explosion that they make me want to explode as well.”

Photo Credit: Getty Images

In keeping with the ode to Americana, the full-scale red carpet production—fittingly co-directed by Broadway choreographer Raja Feather Kelly and director Rachel Chavkin (the force behind Natasha Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812  and Hadestown)—featured what Dennis deems “traditional American songs:” “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars’s “Uptown Funk” and “American Boy” by Kanye West featuring Estelle. Rehearsing with the band in a massive New York auditorium, Dennis chose gymnastics skills she knew she could safely execute off the mat and at the Met, including the triple trick of a cartwheel-back handspring-back layout and an array of stag and switch leaps. She cited the majorette style—a combination of baton-twirling, gymnastics and dance popular at historically Black colleges and universities—as inspiration. Majorettes are “really, really fierce—a lot of attitude, a lot of energy,” she said. Typically, a majorette leader goes first, modeling moves for the squad to follow. Monday night at the Met, “I am the majorette leader,” Dennis said.

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When Dennis’s “Beyoncé routine” rippled across the internet, she felt the love but sensed people “didn’t necessarily understand that was Black culture.” Bringing her “full self” to the Met performance meant leaving no doubt. “This is how we have fun. This is how we perform. This is how we get crazy,” Dennis said. “This is Black entertainment.”

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Post-performance, Dennis darted for a quick wardrobe change, topping her bodysuit with an adidas by Stella McCartney blue diamond net layer and linking up fellow McCartney guests Ella Emhoff and Emmy-winniner Ozark star Julia Garner. In addition to Ana Khouri jewelry and Jennifer Behr hair accessories, Dennis wore adidas by Stella McCartney Earthlight trainer boots, embellished with blue diamantes, glitter, and net—evoking a sparkly, Cinderella-via-the-gym vibe. “This feels like I'm living in a dream,” Dennis said. Outside of the Olympics, “people aren't necessarily tuned into gymnastics. I'm really excited to bring the sport to the Met Gala”—and beyond.

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