UT Social Dance
CA Performances
In this exhibit, you’ll find a reverse chronological list of all of the end-of-semester performances by the UT Social Dance CAs at the Social Dance Soirée. Each piece is choreographed by UT Social Dance instructors Nick & Melissa Enge, with the goal of giving our CAs a well-deserved opportunity to shine after all the hard work they put in throughout the semester, not just in rehearsal, but in all of the things they do for us and the program.
Fall 2024
no body, no crime
Choreographers’ Note: Who doesn’t love a piece by Taylor Swift, particularly when it involves murder—and justice? With this choreography, we wanted to dive deeper into storytelling than we ever had before, and we’re so proud of our CAs for doing it justice!
Dancers: Campbell & Cole, Halle & Marissa, Muskan & Vanessa, Ellie & Larah, Nhi & Wesley, Reva & Jenna
Music: no body, no crime (feat. HAIM) — Taylor Swift
Spring 2024
Tout l’univers
Choreographers’ Note: Like Hurts 2B Human (Fall 2022), this was another song that we knew we had to choreograph to the first time we heard it (during Moris Kvitelashvili’s short program in figure skating at the 2022 Olympics). Of the dances we teach, Tango was the best fit, so we chose to choreograph a dramatic cabaret version of it. Having watched our soloist, Shannon, regularly practicing her solo moves before and after our classes, we knew we wanted to give her the opportunity to choreograph a solo for herself, and we’re so glad that she accepted! We’re also glad that Rianna, Lillie, and Oscar had the gymnastics and cheerleading backgrounds to pull off the most dramatic stunt of any CA piece to date!
Dancers: Shannon, Kelly & Melissa, Reva & Rianna, Wendy & Larah, Campbell & Wesley, Lillie & Oscar, Tran & Jenna
Music: Tout l’univers — Gjon’s Tears
Fall 2023
Run
Choreographers’ Note: This performance was as close as we could get to the 10 year anniversary of our first choreography together, for the Stanford Viennese Ball Opening Committee. Having already done an Opening-style Waltz (Blackheart in Spring 2018), we did an Opening-style Polka, but this time to a pop song, with a WCS-inspired breakdown in the middle.
Dancers: Gretchen & Larah, Campbell & Chirag, Lillie & Wesley, Kelly & Jason, Tran & Reed, Shannon & Rianna,
Music: Run — OneRepublic
Spring 2023
Ex’s & Oh’s
Choreographers’ Note: This group specifically told us they wanted to do an East Coast Swing piece. To differentiate it from our previous Swing piece, we incorporated a variety of different Swing styles, aerials for everyone, and lots of partner switching.
Dancers: Kennedy & JC, Tran & Reed, Amber & Wesley, Calista & Jason, Rianna & Aimery, Shannon & Chirag, Audrey & Ryan, Lilly & Uriel, Campbell & Jack
Music: Ex’s & Oh’s — Elle King
Fall 2022
Hurts 2B Human
Choreographers’ Note: Ever since this song was released in 2019, we knew we were going to do a CA piece to it. This group’s love of Fusion fit perfectly, so that’s what we did, mixing a variety of dance elements, including a Hey borrowed from English Country Dancing.
Dancers: Rianna & JC, Kennedy & Jack, Shannon & Reed, Jackie & Chirag, Tran & Ryan, Audrey & Jason
Music: Hurts 2B Human (feat. Khalid) — P!nk
Spring 2022
Origin of Species
Choreographers’ Note: This was the first piece we choreographed after the pandemic, and we designed it to tell the story of social dancing during the pandemic, starting with a representation of our online social dance classes, and ending with a confident statement that “social dance is back!”
Dancers: JC & Lorenz, Erica & Phillip, Farai & Ryan, Rianna & Jonathan, Hansel & Chirag, Dora & Reed, Jackie & Jack
Music: The Origin of Species — Audiomachine
Fall 2019
Easy
Choreographers’ Note: When our predecessor Campbell Miller invited us to teach at an Austin Waltz Weekend a few years earlier, we heard this song played at least three times in as many days, so we came to associate it as “the UT Cross-Step Waltz.” So when it came time to perform Cross-Step Waltz, we simply had to do this one.
Dancers: Elizabeth & Alan, Sofia & Ben, Rissa & Seongyong, Sindhu & Cooper, Emma & Jerry, Abby & Geoffrey, Caroline & Joseph,
Music: Easy — Rascal Flatts, Natasha Bedingfield
Spring 2019
be my forever
Choreographers’ Note: This piece was choreographed as a tribute to Stanford Swingtime, which we were never a part of, but were always impressed by. It was the first time we broke out of two solid colors for costuming, and the first time we incorporated props (the corsages).
Dancers: Stephanie & Tyler, Jordan & Cooper, Sofia & Roland, Elizabeth & Geoffrey, Vanessa & Alan, Abby & Catherine, Emma & Tommy
Music: be my forever — Christina Perri, Ed Sheeran
Fall 2018
La Vida Es Un Carnaval
Choreographers’ Note: This Salsa Rueda-inspired piece allowed us to explore performing Salsa without stepping on the toes of Texas Latin Dance, who often performs at the same event.
Dancers: Vanessa & Alan, Jasmine & Tyler, Abby & Catherine, Jordan & Chi, Dara & Seongyong, Arushii & Jerry
Music: La Vida Es Un Carnaval — Celia Cruz
Spring 2018
Blackheart
Choreographers’ Note: This was the first fully choreographed CA piece, designed as a tribute to the Stanford Viennese Ball Opening Committee, where Nick & Melissa got their start as choreographers.
Dancers: Dara & Jerry, Arushii & Tommy W, Rachel & Alan, Tai & Seongyong, Stephanie & Tommy A, Catherine & Paul, Talía & Schuyler, Ashley & Koger, Cinnamon & Sergio, Sofia & Rohit
Music: Blackheart — Thomas Bergerson, Two Steps from Hell
Fall 2017
Drive By
Choreographers’ Note: This piece was arranged (rather than choreographed) by Nick & Melissa at the request of our original group of CAs. (Little did we all know that this performance would start the unbroken—save the COVID semesters—tradition of semesterly CA performances!) As a tribute to UT alumni Ken Traynham and Victoria Avila's six-dance mashup for the Stanford Waltz Lab in 2012, we arranged a seven-dance mashup to the same song. While the transitions were choreographed, the majority of the dancing was freestyle social dancing.
Dancers: Ashley & Koger, Stephanie & Ben, Cinnamon & Brent, Lisa & Tara, Arushii & Rohit, Samantha & Alan, Rachel & Alex,
Music: Drive By — Train
Updated: February 2025
First Displayed: February 2025