Repertoire
On this page, you can find info about all seventeen of the DDEs' dance numbers: when they've been performed, and by whom. All hyperlinks take you to YouTube video of the performance in question. "{LIVE}" indicates that the wizard rocker in question sang their song live as the DDEs danced.
This lists in detail the performers for four key iterations of each dance, where applicable: the ones who originated the dance, the ones who did the music video, and the performers at the DDEs' own wizard rock concerts, Avada KedavRock! 2012, 2014, and 2019. For more information about the various events, and some color commentary, take a gander through our History!
1. Like a Death Eater by Swish and Flick
Debut: 2009 (Evil Day 2)
Original Cast: everyone
Replacements: Leeza, Julia I, Annie, Sheila, Rosie, David, Julia II, Angelica, Scott
Halloween: Irvin, Leeza, Sheila ('11)
AK 12 Cast: Irvin, Mary, Leeza, Sheila, Rosie, David {LIVE}
AK 14 Cast: Irvin, Mary, Leeza, Sheila {LIVE}
AK 19 Cast: Irvin, Sheila, Scott, Julia II
Other Performances: 200th Meetup ('10), Incendio '10, Prom ('10) {LIVE}, NYDA Birthday ('10) {LIVE}, DDE Anniversary ('10), V-V Day ('11) {LIVE}, MISTI-Con '19, Magical Girl Burlesque ('20)
Like a Death Eater was the very first number the DDEs began working on, and they have performed it live more times than any other dance. This is due to a mixture of factors, including their friendly relationship with Swish and Flick, and the adaptability of the number to vastly different numbers of dancers. Like a Death Eater also holds the distinction of being the first number performed with the wizard rocker singing live. This number is the one that uses the DDEs' signature prop, a black feather boa that has molted in many places through the years. There has only ever been one boa used, and the boa in question was deemed a historically significant artifact that merited inclusion in the Wizard Rock Museum at MISTI-Con 2017.
2. Death Eater Tango by The Butterbeer Experience
Debut: 2009 (Evil Day 2)
Original Cast: everyone
Replacements: Leeza, Sheila, Julia II, Angelica, Scott, Maya, Sophia
Halloween: Irvin & Leeza ('11)
AK 12 / AK 14 Cast: Irvin, Mary, Leeza, Sheila
AK 19 Cast: Irvin, Sheila, Scott, Julia II, Maya
Other Performances: 200th Meetup ('10), Incendio '10, Prom ('10), NYDA Birthday ('10), MISTI-Con '19, Magical Girl Burlesque ('20), Irvin's birthday ('22)
Death Eater Tango is the song that inspired the entire enterprise of the Dancing Death Eaters, and will therefore always hold a special place in the DDEs' black hearts. It has some of the most significant wand choreography in the DDEs' repertoire. Despite the proximity of The Butterbeer Experience, this has never been performed with live singing, despite a few really close calls. The chorus of this number is perhaps the most iconic sequence the DDEs have done; it's not an uncommon sight to see various alumni doing it on the sidelines when the number is performed live.
3. 99 Death Eaters by Draco and the Malfoys
Debut: 2010 (200th Meetup)
Original Cast: Irvin, Mary, Saribel, Emma, Paul, Jennifer, Jax, Staci
Video Cast: Irvin & Sophia (coming soon!)
Replacements: Pam, Sophia
AK 14 Cast: Irvin & Mary {LIVE}
Other Performances: Incendio '10, Prom ('10), NYDA Birthday ('10)
99 Death Eaters was such an iconic song about Death Eaters, it seemed like a no brainer to do a routine for, so it was the first dance the DDEs worked on after their debut performance. It's very technically difficult - a long song without much of a chorus, and a lot of samba steps. That's one of the reasons it was almost never performed after the first generation of Death Eaters dispersed; it was also difficult to perform because such an iconic song usually gets people dancing themselves, instead of appreciatively watching how others dance. But it came back in a big way: the last dance the DDEs ever did in their first era - the concluding number of Avada KedavRock! 2014 - was 99 Death Eaters performed with Brian Malfoy singing live. The routine was revamped in 2022 for Irvin and Sophia, who spent almost half a year working on it before filming a video of the new routine (which has yet to be edited).
4. Spells and Scars by Oliver Boyd
Debut: 2010 (Incendio '10)
Original Cast: Irvin, Mary, Saribel, Pam, Emma
Video Cast: Irvin, Mary, Saribel, Emma, Pamela (ft. Margaret as the narrator)
Replacements: Sheila
AK 14 Cast: Irvin, Mary, Sheila
Other Performances: Prom ('10), NYDA Birthday ('10)
Spells and Scars may be considered the first dance made for the DDEs as they were throughout most of the first era: a scrappy troupe of four to six people, injecting the dancing with cosplay and other silliness. It was the first dance choreographed specifically for a smaller troupe, and to be adaptable for different numbers of dancers. It was also the first music video the DDEs ever shot: the story of Bellatrix Lestrange (Irvin) during the Final Battle. Throughout the dance, Bellatrix murders Fred (Emma), Lupin (Saribel), and Tonks (Pamela), until she is killed at the end by a grief-stricken Molly Weasley (Mary).
5. Hey Dark Wizard by Celestial Warmbottom
Debut: 2010 (video), 2010 (NYC Wizard Rock Fest '10) {LIVE}
Original Cast: Irvin & Mary (same for video, AK 12 {LIVE}, and AK 14 {LIVE})
Replacements: Julia II
AK 19 Cast: Irvin & Julia II {LIVE}
Other Performances: Incendio '11
Hey Dark Wizard was the first dance that debuted as a video first, and then was performed live. It served as an epilogue to the first season of the DDEs, a bonus fifth dance to put on their DVD (back when Irvin had hopes of a viable revenue stream from the DVDs). There is not much of a story, it's just about a torrid affair between a witch and a Death Eater. It's notable for being the first two-person routine the DDEs ever had; it was a sign of faith in Mary to put 50% of the performance entirely on her shoulders.
6. Dear Aunt Celestial by Celestial Warmbottom
Debut: 2010 (NYC Wizard Rock Fest '10) {LIVE}
Original Cast: Irvin & Julia I {LIVE}
AK 12 Cast: Irvin & Rosie {LIVE}
AK 14 Cast: Irvin & Leeza {LIVE}
AK 19 Cast: Irvin & Maya {LIVE}
Other Performances: DDE Anniversary ('10), Incendio '11
Dear Aunt Celestial was the very first DDE number to not be about Death Eaters - Irvin originally fretted about going off-brand with a sweet Lupin/Tonks song, but decided it was more important to just have awesome numbers. It was crafted specifically for an event: the NYC Wizard Rock Festival, where Celestial Warmbottom invited the Death Eaters to perform with her. The routine is a rhumba and deceptively difficult, but some very impressive cramming with Julia I, a new recruit, resulted in a successful performance. Dear Aunt Celestial has seen the most cast changes of all the DDE numbers, since the female lead has been danced by a different witch every single time. Chalk it up to a meta-commentary on Tonks's Metamorphmagus abilities.
7. If You Didn't Come to Party by Swish and Flick
Debut: 2011 (Irvin's birthday)
Original Cast: Irvin, Mary, Leeza, Julia, Rebekah, Annie
Video Cast: same as original
Replacements: Sheila
Halloween: Irvin, Leeza, Sheila ('11)
AK 12 / AK 14 Cast: Irvin, Mary, Leeza, Sheila {LIVE}
Other Performances: NYU ('11), Incendio '11, V-V Day ('11) {LIVE}
If You Didn't Come to Party is a DDE staple, and the Dark Lord's favorite routine of the first era. It's really a perfect blend of everything the DDEs do: cool dance moves, lifts, wand choreography, yelling threats, cosplay, and story-telling through dance. In the second generation, the DDEs practiced this number until they all could do it at the drop of a hat. The storyline takes place at the Hogwarts Yule Ball, where Astoria Greengrass (Julia originally, then Rebekah, then Sheila) is after Draco Malfoy (Irvin). Pansy Parkinson (Leeza) is her main obstacle, as Draco's date, but Hermione Granger (Mary) also gets in the way of all the fun. Snape (Rebekah) and Trelawney (Annie) are there too, whenever there are enough dancers to fill all the roles. This number was the centerpiece of the DDEs' second DVD, "Fatal Fun," where there are six alternate version of the standard music video that tell the story of each character's perspective on the night's events.
8. The Art of Parseltongue by Hawthorn & Holly
Debut: 2011 (Incendio '11)
Original Cast: Irvin, Julia, Rebekah, Sheila
Replacements: Leeza, Julia II, Maya
Halloween: Irvin, Leeza, Sheila ('11)
AK 12 Cast: Irvin & Leeza
AK 14 Cast: Irvin, Leeza, Sheila
AK 19 Cast: Irvin, Sheila, Julia II, Maya {LIVE}
The Art of Parseltongue was special for being the first number specifically requested by a wizard rocker (who wasn't a close friend of the DDEs). Near the close of the first season, Hawthorn & Holly got in touch with Irvin requesting a dance to one of their songs; Irvin was only too happy to oblige. In direct contrast to the previous number, this had no gimmicks, it was just a very technically difficult dance, an Argentine Tango, with the most impressive lifts the DDEs had done to date. To make it happen, they had to work through Leeza's phobia of being lifted, but (with liberal use of safe words) they got there eventually. There was a very long journey to performing this number live with Hawthorn & Holly singing. Hurricane Sandy impeded Hawthorn & Holly from performing at Avada KedavRock! '12. Irvin got halfway there when he got the band to sing live when he adapted it for Wizard Dance at Cons. At long last, over eight years after its debut, Art of Parseltongue was performed with Hawthorn & Holly singing live at Avada KedavRock! '19, in a very meaningful experience for all involved.
9. Stronger Than Imperio by Malfoy Manor
Debut: 2012 (Avada KedavRock! '12)
Original / AK 12 Cast: Irvin, Mary, Leeza, Sheila (same for AK 14)
Stronger Than Imperio presented the DDEs with two unprecedented challenges: learning the dance and acquiring the music. This song appears to be the single most obscure song in all of wizard rock, and just is not available anywhere. In the end, Mary had to perform some powerful Dark magic to procure the song... not even the Dark Lord knows what she did. The other challenge was learning it: for reasons still not entirely clear, it took far longer to learn this dance than any that preceded it, half a year to be precise. The technique of a waltz is unusual, having a lot of rise-and-fall action not found in other dances. Once the dance was completed, it became a particular favorite of Leeza's - appropriate for the Dark Lady, since it's all about Bellatrix.
10. Dark Mark Calling by The Blibbering Humdingers
Debut: 2012 (Avada KedavRock! '12)
Original / AK 12 Cast: Irvin, Leeza, Sheila, Rosie, David
Replacements: Dhaval, Scott, Julia II, Maya
Halloween: Irvin, Rosie, David ('12)
AK 14 Cast: Irvin, Leeza, Sheila, Dhaval
AK 19 Cast: Irvin, Sheila, Scott, Julia II, Maya
Other Performances: MISTI-Con '19, CONjuration '21 {LIVE}
Dark Mark Calling was a direct response to the difficulty of Stronger Than Imperio - a short song with a routine deliberately crafted to have no partnering, meant to be an entry point for dancers just starting out. It was originally learned in under a month, and has been very frequently revisited as new Death Eaters joined the troupe. Irvin was such a fan, it was even used as the very first number for the Wizard Dance at Cons that Irvin started teaching in 2013.
This is also one of two numbers where Irvin crafted a dance tutorial for it, which can be found at Alohomora's Patreon.
11. Oliver Wood by Witherwings
Debut: 2012 (Avada KedavRock! '12)
Original / AK 12 Cast: Irvin, Mary, Leeza, Sheila, Rosie, David
Halloween: Irvin, Leeza, Sheila, Rosie, David, (ft. Maddie as the Snitch) ('12)
AK 14 Cast: Irvin, Mary, Leeza, Sheila, (ft. Dhaval as the Snitch)
Oliver Wood may not have much to do with Death Eaters, but after over two years, the pool of danceable wrock songs about Death Eaters had grown thin, and Irvin was a very big fan of Witherwings. Given that most of the DDEs' recruiting after the first generation came from a Quidditch team, there had been talk of a Quidditch-themed number for some time, so the DDEs attempted their most elaborate production yet with this number. In terms of the sheer number of moving parts, this was crazy: brooms, bludgers, snitches, and whistles complemented the costuming, and this number contains the most impressive lifts in the DDEs' entire repertoire. The number tells the story of the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match in Prisoner of Azkaban, with every specific story beat being incorporated into the choreography.
12. Oh, the Goblins and the Wizards Should Be Friends by The Gringotts Girls
Debut: 2012 (Avada KedavRock! '12) {LIVE}
Original / AK 12 Cast: Irvin & Leeza (same for AK 14) {LIVE}
Replacements: Julia II
AK 19 Cast: Irvin & Julia II
Oh, the Goblins and the Wizards Should Be Friends is the only DDE number that was a paid commission. When the DDEs launched a Kickstarter for Avada KedavRock! 2012, the ultimate $100 reward was a custom dance by the DDEs to a song of the backer's choice. The Gringotts Girls, who were slated to perform at the event, decided they wanted to support the concert and got the reward, giving the DDEs a choice of their songs to choose from. The end result, though hastily thrown together, is a very comedic number about wizard/goblin hostilities, and was also a one-couple showcase for Irvin and Leeza (who'd not had one yet).
13. Dear J.K. Rowling by Celestial Warmbottom
Debut: 2013 (video), 2014 (Avada KedavRock! '14) {LIVE}
Original / Video Cast: Irvin, Mary, Leeza, Sheila, Rosie
Replacements:
~ Grindelwald: Dhaval, Ignacio, Scott
~ McGonagall: Leeza, Angelica, Maya
~ Pomfrey: Julia II
AK 14 Cast: Irvin, Mary, Leeza, Sheila, Dhaval
AK 19 Cast: Irvin, Sheila, Scott, Julia II, Maya
Other Performances: DDEs Reunion ('18)
Dear J.K. Rowling was a third Celestial Warmbottom song the DDEs danced to; since Celestial was always game for DDE shenanigans, the Death Eaters gladly made lots of routines with her. This number, which (like Hey Dark Wizard) was a music video first, had a unique gimmick: it paid homage to the twelve preceding DDE numbers by including one move from each one. It's always performed in full cosplay, and it's about Celestial being in denial about Dumbledore (Irvin) being gay. She brings up all the women Dumbledore has had relations with: Madam Pomfrey (Mary originally), McGonagall (Rosie originally), and Madam Rosmerta (Sheila). But Dumbledore only has eyes for Grindelwald (Leeza originally). After the first era of the DDEs ended in 2014, this number was performed in 2018 at the launch party for Irvin's first book; the success of this reunion precipitated the revival of the DDEs into a second era of evil dancing.
14. Don't Wanna Be a Death Eater by The Brothers Black
Debut: 2014 (Avada KedavRock! '14)
Original / AK 14 Cast: Irvin, Mary, Leeza, Sheila (same for video)
Don't Wanna Be a Death Eater ended up being far more appropriate a song to choose than Irvin could have anticipated, as it served as the finale to the DDEs' first era. It is a showcase for Sheila and Irvin, as the latter half of the dance is just the two of them. It is a very fast and physically demanding dance, quite lengthy and with intricate footwork. Thus, it took the DDEs an entire year to learn it - a process drawn out both by a lot of breaks and hiatuses, and by members deciding that they in fact "Don't Wanna Be a Death Eater" and causing a lot of turnover in the troupe. On a meta level, the song is about Death Eaters questioning whether they want to stay in the Dark Lord's service; and indeed, after this number was performed at Avada KedavRock! 2014 and subsequently filmed, the DDEs disbanded. It was a fitting end to the era, and remains one of the dances Irvin is most proud of.
15. My Obsession by The Parselmouths
Debut: 2019 (MISTI-Con '19)
Original Cast (solo): Irvin & Julia II (ft. Angelica as Harry)
Original / AK 19 Cast (full): Irvin, Sheila, Scott, Julia II, Maya (ft. Angelica as a Voldy understudy)
Original Cast (video): Irvin, Leeza, Sheila, Angelica, Scott, Julia II, Maya (ft. Noelle as Harry)
Other Performances: Holidays '19
When the Dancing Death Eaters reconvened for the second era, Irvin's imagination ran wild at the idea of creating a new routine: there was half a decade of pent-up choreography in him! Striving for a more democratic way of doing things, Irvin asked the DDEs' adoring public what their next dance number should be. On Twitter, the people spoke: My Obsession by the Parselmouths. So in 2019, the Dancing Death Eaters got to work. Seeing the caliber of dancing present in the new troupe, Irvin determined to craft his most complex and demanding routine yet. It would be a waltz (a spiritual successor to Stronger Than Imperio), with all the men as Voldemort and all the women as Bellatrix ("the Bellatri," as they're called). There were solos! There were chairs! And there was a brutal sequence known only as "the circles" that would challenge any professional dancer. After half a year of practice, the dance premiered in a solo variant with Irvin and Julia at MISTI-Con 2019. The dance is a particular favorite of the long-time members of the troupe - Irvin says it's his favorite, and Leeza is often brought to tears by the number.
After MISTI-Con, the DDEs spent a month filming a music video for the dance, which was finally released in June 2020. The version of My Obsession with a full cast (almost) finally premiered at Avada KedavRock! '19; Leeza was injured, so Angelica came out of DDE retirement to hastily sub in where a third Voldy was needed.
By democratic vote, the DDEs decided that this would be the last dance they did in the 2010s, concluding their special holiday lesson with a rendition.
16. Rodolphus by Ashley Trix
Debut: 2019 (Wizard Dance at Cons & Avada KedavRock! '19)
Original / AK 19 Cast: Irvin & Julia II
Rodolphus had an unusual journey into the DDEs' repertoire, in that it came to the DDEs from Wizard Dance at Cons instead of the other way around. Irvin had choreographed it to teach at MISTI-Con 2019, where it was a big hit and received the enthusiastic approval of Ashley Trix. The number was then folded into the DDEs' repertoire for Avada KedavRock! '19 - Julia II was the only Dancing Death Eater who'd attended The Art of Wizard Dance and knew the routine, so it became a solo for her and Irvin. In another departure from tradition, although Ashley Trix was performing at Avada KedavRock! '19, she requested the DDEs perform to a recorded version of the song so she could watch! This was received as an incredibly high compliment.
The number has since been revamped for a higher degree of difficulty, to include all the DDEs, but this version has yet to be seen performed.
This is also the first number where Irvin crafted a tutorial for anyone who wants to learn it, those videos can be found at Alohomora's Patreon.
17. Jingle Bell Rock from "Mean Girls"
Debut: 2019 (Holidays)
Original Cast: Irvin, Sheila, Scott, Julia II, Maya, Em
Replacements: Sophia, Jillian, Susan
Other Performances: Irvin's birthday ('20), Holidays '22, Holidays '23
In a bit of a departure from their wizarding roots, the mostly-millennial DDEs learned the "Mean Girls" routine as a holiday treat from Irvin (dressed as Regina George, obviously). It was so much fun, this is now being added to the DDEs' repertoire for special occasions - for instance, Irvin's high-school-themed 28th birthday party. This also became a holiday tradition for the Dancing Death Eaters, to do the Jingle Bell Rock at the end of each year to celebrate the holidays.