I grew up googly-eyed over boy bands. First it was the Backstreet Boys and, my personal favourite, NSYNC. Then One Direction came right on into the picture; before their heartbreaking hiatus [1], they stole my heart. Regardless, I'll always have a soft spot for the perfectly-choreographed, harmonizing groups I used to idolize, so when I heard the music from Sekai Wright's floor routine at the start of the 2021 NCAA gymnastics season [2], I audibly gasped with excitement.
Wright, a junior at UCLA, has a floor routine this year featuring "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" from the Backstreet Boys, "Motownphilly" from Boyz II Men, and NSYNC's "Pop." It's so much fun, and you can tell she has a blast performing. In the video above, you'll see her routine from UCLA's Black Excellence meet on Feb. 27. She's wearing her Black Lives Matter leotard adorned with a raised fist on one sleeve, and she pays tribute to the movement at the end.
You will witness UCLA choreographer BJ Das [3] (and teammate Norah Flatley [4]) dance along before Wright's last tumbling pass: a roundoff connected to a front layout with one-and-a-half twists and another front layout. Wright also adds in a little air guitar, which is so fun. This particular routine received a 9.850 and is absolutely something to clap about. Keep it up, and good luck at this weekend's Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships!