The official dance team of Louisiana State University, the LSU Tiger Girls, lights up every field or dance floor they perform on. Known best for their unforgettable hip-hop and jazz routines at UDA College Nationals, the team’s flawless choreography is not the only memorable aspect of their performances.
For years, the Tiger Girls have been strong advocates for women’s rights and equal opportunities for female athletes. They have used their platform to raise awareness of the unequal treatment of men and women in sports, the prevalence of eating disorders in dance, and the need for better acknowledgement of dance as a sport.
Back in 2021, following the pandemic, the Tiger Girls were told by their school that they would not be able to attend UDA for the first time in years, due to LSU prioritizing athletic funding for the NCAA-recognized sports. One of LSU’s renowned choreographers, Samantha McFadden, started a campaign with #LetThemCompete to demand fair treatment for the dancers. The school still refused, and even though the Tiger Girls are required to train and follow the exact same student athlete guidelines, dance was not—and still isn’t—considered a sport. When the Tiger Girls came back for the 2022 competition season, they had a clear message they wanted to make with their piece.
Their 2022 UDA Hip Hop routine was to Ciara’s “Like A Boy,” which emphasized female empowerment and sparked broader discussion of gender equality in sports. In the chorus of the song, Ciara sings, “Would the rules change up or would they still apply? If I played you like a toy / Sometimes I wish I could act like a boy.” This piece went viral across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter for its powerful movements and response to the unfair treatment the team received. The #LikeABoyChallenge emerged online, where thousands of dancers learned the LSU choreography in support of the team and of their larger message. The Tiger Girls won first place for the dance and were crowned as the National Champions. Choreographer McFadden stated, “What [these athletes] do is incredible, and it’s so under-appreciated and misunderstood, and all we can hope is that this continues to spark a larger conversation to close that outdated gap of people in athletic departments. Our dancers are more than just the pretty girls on the sidelines” (CBS).
Following this iconic routine in 2022, the Tiger Girls’ Hip Hop continued to make a viral impact on social media at UDA every year. In 2024, they performed their notable routine to “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson, dressed in all white, and took home the national prize. In 2025, they stepped outside of the box by using prop umbrellas while dancing to “Cry Me a River” by Justin Timberlake. At the most recent UDA nationals in January 2026, LSU placed second in both D1A Jazz and Hip Hop. In the Jazz category, they received a score of 95.6 for their dance to “Oops…I Did It Again” by Britney Spears, which was the highest placement the team has ever received in jazz, proving their versatility. In Hip Hop, they took to the stage in denim outfits adorned with rhinestones, with “TG Unit” on the back of their jackets, and performed to the Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl music mashup. With a score difference of 0.3, they took second place in the category, behind UNLV, the reigning champions from the year prior. This result widely upset LSU fans on TikTok. A trending TikTok audio of Abby Lee Miller saying, “I’d like to see the scores on that one” from an old Dance Moms clip had resurfaced; UDA viewers posted complaints about the Tiger Girls being “robbed” of gold. People have also commented on UNLV dancers’ posts, saying that they did not deserve to win, and that they only did because there are nine male dancers on the team. Two of the most important values in dance are sportsmanship and humility, which the dancers at LSU and UNLV both stand by. Tearing down one team and using the fact that they are a co-ed group to diminish them defeats the aim for equality that LSU has been advocating for.
The LSU Tiger Girls embody the belief that every dancer deserves a platform and to receive the respect and opportunities they deserve as athletes. As the team continues to push boundaries and inspire others, they keep the conversation going for female athletes to be treated equally.
