Stars for One Night—and Maybe More
UC San Diego’s Dancesport team competes on popular “Dancing With the Stars” TV show

Christine Clark and Ioana Patringenaru| May 17, 2010

Ten students from UCSD’s team performed the samba, competing against eight students from Purdue, who performed the mambo.

They performed live for an audience of more than 20 million TV viewers. They rubbed elbows with Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek. A Los Angeles Times columnist praised their dance moves.

It was quite a week for UC San Diego’s Dancesport team, after they performed May 11 on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” one of network TV’s most-watched shows. The Tritons went head-to-head with Purdue University’s Boilermakers dance squad in the show’s first-ever collegiate “dance off.” Ten students from UCSD’s team performed the samba, competing against eight students from Purdue, who performed the mambo. Tune in to the show Tuesday night to find out who won.

UCSD bested Purdue by receiving more points from the competition’s judges (UCSD received a total of 24 to Purdue’s 22).

UCSD not only garnered cheers and praise, they also bested Purdue by receiving more points from the competition’s judges (UCSD received a total of 24 to Purdue’s 22). In doing so, they fulfilled the prediction team member Karen Liu made on camera before the contest began.

“We’re about to show America that even nerds can really shake it,” she said.

But that doesn’t mean victory is assured. Viewers also got to weigh in on who makes it to the next round through online voting and phone calls. If UCSD dancers win, they will be asked to perform in the finals, airing on the show’s season finale May 25.

Throughout the show, audience members from both schools rooted and cheered loudly for their respective teams. Immediately after the Tritons’ performance, students and other supporters in the audience broke out in the school’s cheer. “UC-SD,” “UC-SD,” they chanted. “One of my proudest moments was at the end of our dance when we were waiting for the judge’s comments, and our team yelled out our cheer,” said Brodie Kaster, UCSD Dancesport team captain. “I had a smile from ear to ear.”

The dance team performed live for an audience of more than 20 million TV viewers Tuesday night.

The judges were kind to the UCSD dancers. “The way you changed patterns during that samba was fantastic,” judge Len Goodman said. Added Judge Carrie Ann Inaba: “I love the staging and the transitions between the formations were amazing.”

Inaba said that the team suffered from Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek’s “syndrome:” they were extremely precise, but needed to come out with bigger, more expressive moves. Kaster and his teammates took the comment in stride.  “Lysacek came up to us after the show and said ‘I heard you suffer from Evan Lysacek Syndrome. What? You are hot and rich?' ” Kaster said. “We all laughed!”

“Dancing With the Stars” judges weren’t the only ones praising the Tritons performance. In a Los Angeles Times article, columnist Allyssa Lee wrote: “While the judges’ scores between the two teams were pretty close, I thought UC San Diego had the competition in the bag; they seemed more in sync and their formations were a lot more interesting.”

In addition to Lysacek, UCSD dancers, and the students, parents and alumni who came to support them had opportunities to see many other celebrities up close. Designer Vera Wang sat front-and-center, along with Teresa Giudice, Dina Manzo and Caroline Manzo of the “The Real Housewives of New Jersey;” Mia Hermanovski of “Project Runway;” and Gilles Marini of “Brothers & Sisters,” also a former competitor on “Dancing with the Stars.” The French band Gipsy Kings were featured as special guests on the show, performing two numbers, including a Spanish rendition of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” the theme song from Pixar’s “Toy Story.”

The judges were kind to the UCSD dancers. “The way you changed patterns during that samba was fantastic,” judge Len Goodman said. Added Judge Carrie Ann Inaba: “I love the staging and the transitions between the formations were amazing.”

Before the Tritons danced, a short video showcased the UCSD campus. Students were seen dancing on the beach, taking a stroll on Library Walk and generally enjoying the campus and San Diego’s climate. “We get to study in paradise,” dance team member Liu said on camera.

“Most of our dancers are engineers and science majors who get great grades, but they’re incredible dancers too,” said Peter Edwards, a UCSD alumnus and the Dancesport team coach. “They’re dedicated, have an amazing work ethic and real passion for dance.”

The UC San Diego Dancesport team is a national ballroom championship team and has been the top formation team in the Collegiate Dancesport Division since 2004. In addition to winning first place at the national competition last year, the team was undefeated during their competitive season last year. Since the show, many members of the San Diego community have been supportive of the team, said Kaster.

“We would like to thank all our supporters,” he said. “It means so much to us for all the love and encouragement everyone has given us.”