Just before dimming the lights and securing the doors of Austin's Balance Dance Studios, Ciara Castro exchanged smiles, hugs and "I love you's" with her students as she wrapped up another night of instruction.

The evening, like many, began with the full-time shuffler and TikTok star encouraging the group to delve into a state of free-flow as they contorted their bodies and stomped on the mahogany wood surface of the studio space.

For Castro's students, and the growing number of shufflers in Central Texas and beyond, the art form has served as a source of community, self-expression and creative solace.