{"id":210386,"date":"2026-03-08T14:09:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T14:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/210386\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T14:09:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T14:09:10","slug":"ucla-womens-basketball-explain-what-inspired-its-viral-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/210386\/","title":{"rendered":"UCLA women’s basketball explain what inspired its viral dance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The UCLA<\/a> women\u2019s basketball team wanted to go dancing in March so badly, they got a head start.<\/p>\n

When three Bruins starters \u2014 Lauren Betts<\/a>, Gabriela Jaquez<\/a> and Charlisse Leger-Walker<\/a> \u2014 joined the UCLA dance team for a halftime performance at a men\u2019s basketball game on March 3, Leger-Walker viewed it as just a fun little bonding moment and an expansion of the team\u2019s intentional joy.<\/p>\n

What she didn\u2019t expect was the virality of the moment right as the 28-1 Bruins were headed to the Big Ten tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just wanted 1,000 views,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Since then, videos of the routine have exploded across social media \u2014 14.5k likes on espnW, 21.8k likes at Fox Sports, tens of thousands more across Instagram and TikTok.<\/p>\n

Leger-Walker challenged the UCLA dance team to teach a halftime routine within 24 hours for a video on her YouTube channel<\/a>, where she was joined by Jaquez. She said if the video got more than 1,000 likes, she and her teammates would perform during halftime at a men\u2019s basketball game.<\/p>\n

During halftime of the UCLA men\u2019s basketball game against Nebraska, Leger-Walker, Jaquez and Betts stood at the front of the group and danced to Tate McRae\u2019s \u201cJust Keep Watching\u201d for more than a minute in front of their teammates and coach Cori Close. The basketball team swarmed the trio after their performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the dance captains [Kaili Tam] reached out to me, and she was like, \u2018oh my gosh,\u2019 like, if you wanted to ever do a collab with the dance team, we would totally be down,\u201d Leger-Walker said. \u201cI was like, totally. Like, I\u2019m so down for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leger-Walker and Jaquez made a video on Feb. 16, practicing a dance routine with the challenge in mind. If it got 1,000 likes, they would dance at the men\u2019s game against Nebraska on March 3.<\/p>\n

It reached 1,200 likes, so the stage was set.<\/p>\n

\u201cI brought in [Betts] because I knew she\u2019d love something like that,\u201d Leger-Walker said, drawing a smirk from senior guard Kiki Rice, sitting next to her in the Bruins\u2019 Big Ten tournament locker room.<\/p>\n

Practice makes perfect \ud83d\ude4c <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how Charlisse Leger-Walker, Lauren Betts, and Gabriela Jaquez\u2019 halftime performance with UCLA Cheerleading came to life \ud83e\udd29 pic.twitter.com\/EEmZ0MwDll<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Big Ten Women’s Basketball (@B1Gwbball) March 4, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u201cI almost had her in there!\u201d Leger-Walker said, turning to Rice. \u201cBut there was such a time commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have,\u201d Rice said with a smile.<\/p>\n

Leger-Walker began vlogging her season<\/a> in December, beginning with a video titled, \u201cMY 650 DAY RETURN FROM BRUTAL ACL INJURY!\u201d She has done videos with the No. 5 ranked gymnastics team and No. 7 softball team, where Jaquez spent time last season.<\/p>\n

Leger-Walker played her first four seasons at Washington State but tore her anterior cruciate ligament midway through her senior year. She transferred to UCLA and redshirted last season before starting the current one as a key weapon for UCLA.<\/p>\n

In her return to the court, the sixth-year guard has averaged 9.1 points per game with 4.3 rebounds in 27.9 minutes.<\/p>\n

With the Cougars, Leger-Walker had been one of the most lethal shooters in the country, averaging 17.7 points per game and shooting 34.9% from three-point range as a junior. She averaged more than 36 minutes per game until she tore her ACL while playing against UCLA.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re kind of in the end process of getting back onto the court, there is such a mental barrier of, is my knee going to give out again?\u201d Leger-Walker said. \u201cLike, \u2018Can I do what I used to do?\u2019 Trying not to compare myself to the player I was before. There\u2019s so many factors that play into it. So, you know, I had to do a lot of therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bruins haven\u2019t lost a game since Nov. 26 when they fell to No. 4 Texas. As the No. 2 team in the nation, UCLA is one of the favorites to make a run back to the Final Four.<\/p>\n

Getting a fun moment outside of basketball is the kind of ethos of this season\u2019s Bruins, with Jaquez saying Close has preached joy as much as wins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to enjoy life,\u201d Jaquez said. \u201cWe play with joy, but we have that competitive edge too. But it makes it more fun out there if you are, you know, actually having fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next rehearsals come with more urgency and the key performance will be on a much bigger stage, with the NCAA tournament on the horizon.<\/p>\n

\u201cA big thing for me, is you\u2019re playing, but you\u2019re not only just playing, but you are playing on the best team in the nation,\u201d Leger-Walker said. \u201cGratitude is big.\u201d<\/p>\n