Meet the Crew
Alex “Prototype” Malblanc |
Co-Founder
Alex “Prototype” Malblanc is a powerhouse multimedia artist who seamlessly blends his mastery of design engineering with freestyle animation dance. As a neurodivergent and biracial artist, his work supports marginalized artists in finding their voice.
Diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome from an early age, Prototype’s dance is informed by the involuntary muscle spasms associated with his condition. In the street dance scene, Prototype is known for his expertise in glitchy textures and the precise micro-controls required to execute animated and robotic illusions.
Prototype holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from the University of Cincinnati’s School of Design. His fascination with mechanics led him into work as a toy inventor, where he has experimented with claymation, stop motion, robotics, engineering, digital rendering, and character illusion, building a library of reference material for his dancemaking practice. Prototype has been honored for his innovative contributions to the toy invention industry with multiple toy-of-the-year awards, including Mattel’s 2022 “Invention of the Year” Award, and is a finalist for the Toy Association’s 2026 “Toy of the Year” Award.
With over a decade of experience teaching, performing, and competing, Prototype is a world-class animator who represents the Midwest animation scene. He has been invited to teach robot, animation, popping, and locking across the Midwest, including at Northwestern University, 10K Movement in Cleveland, and Planet Dance in Cincinnati, and teaches regularly through Sunday Funkday and other Shadow Puppetz initiatives.
In 2024, he placed Top 16 in both the robot and animation categories at the international championship Unimate and has performed onstage with artists such as Tyler the Creator, Ella Mai, Lois the Child, Flo Mili, Troyboi, and Glass Animals.
The healing, confidence, and purpose he has gained through his art have made him a dedicated ambassador for street dance culture. In 2019, he co-founded Shadow Puppetz, a Chicago-based funk styles crew. Under his leadership, Shadow Puppetz has reached national acclaim, hosting the largest popping events in the Midwest including Nightmare on Rockwell St. (2021) and Out of the Shadows (2022-2025). In 2025, he also served as a judge, performer, and co-organizer for the inaugural Devil’s in the Details, the Midwest’s first robot and animation event.
Tanya Armendariz |
Co-Founder
Born in Moscow, Russia, Tanya Armendariz is a Chicago-based freestyle movement artist, educator, and community leader. Her work intersects her identities as an immigrant, parent, and woman, championing mothers’ representation in street dance, a historically male-dominated field.
Specializing in popping, waving, and boogaloo, Tanya has over a decade of experience in her craft and has proven herself a fierce competitor in popping and open-styles battles across the U.S. She has been invited to represent Chicago at Red Bull Dance Your Style (2021 & 2022) and to judge events such as Snipe’s Hip Hop in Chinatown (2022), Skunkworks Dance Studio’s Dust Off (2022), and Columbia College Chicago’s B-Series (2020). With a deep pedagogical practice, Tanya teaches regularly at Shadow Puppetz’s Sunday Funkday and has been invited to teach across Chicago at Chamber.io Intensives (2023), CODA Intensives (2024), and University of Chicago (2021).
Tanya holds a Bachelor’s in Marketing and is the Co-Founder of Shadow Puppetz, a nationally acclaimed Chicago-based funk styles crew. Tanya’s influence in the street dance scene stems not only from her technical foundation and artistic voice, but is also from her commitment to inclusivity and building authentic personal connections. She leads initiatives that ensure Shadow Puppetz programs remain accessible, welcoming, and safe for everyone.
Under Tanya’s leadership, Shadow Puppetz has hosted national events including Nightmare on Rockwell St. (2021) and Out of the Shadows (2022-2025). She is also the Founder of Flow First Waving Collective, through which she hosts waving-focused educational initiatives and community events. In 2024, she was awarded Chicago DanceMaker Forum’s DanceChance Award, choreographing and performing an original waving piece.
Jude “Jinx” Brummett |
Executive Director
Jude “Jinx” Brummett is a cultural producer and freestyle robot and animation dance artist. With a Bachelor’s in Dance from Columbia College Chicago, her expertise spans dancemaking, pedagogy, event production, and organizational development.
She brings years of experience in donor stewardship, event production, education, and community programming to her role as Executive Director for Shadow Puppetz. As Executive Director, she oversees fundraising, programming, and the development of major initiatives, including Out of the Shadows (2022-2025), the largest popping event in the Midwest, and Devil’s in the Details (2025), the region’s first dedicated robot and animation event. She has led the organization’s fundraising and grant efforts, including securing support from Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and positioning Shadow Puppetz as a finalist for the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations’ Walking Together: Investing in Folklife for Communities of Color Award.
A dedicated steward of robot and animation dance traditions, Jinx has been invited to teach at the University of Chicago (2025) and regularly teaches at Sunday Funkday and other Shadow Puppetzs initiatives such as the Machine Learning: Animation Intensive (2024 & 2025).
Jinx’s performance credits include appearing with BUKU Breakers at BUKU Music + Art Project in New Orleans (2022) and performing in Hongdae, an iconic street performance district in Seoul, South Korea.
Sid Tucky |
Crew Member
With over 15 years of experience as a competitor, freestyle dance artist, and educator, Sid Tucky is a custodian of popping history and widely regarded as Chicago’s “heaviest hitter” within the national popping scene. His work as a music artist is inseparable from his dancemaking practice, embodying a visceral connection to the music through his movement.
A member of Electric Funkateers since 2014 and Shadow Puppetz since 2021, Sid’s journey has been defined by victories in multiple popping and open-styles events across North America including World of Dance (2021 Champion), Book of Styles in Washington D.C. (2023 Finalist & 2025 Champion), Bashville Stampede in Nashville (2017 Popping Champion), 10K Movement’s Lord of the Lands in Cleveland (2024 Popping Champion & 2025 Popping Finalist), and Jack of All Trades International Street Dance Festival in Montreal (2022 Popping Semi-Finalist). He has also been invited to judge, teach, and perform at events such as Sollusions in New York City (2025), The Beautiful Street Dance Festival in Portland(2024), Snipe’s Windy City Throwdown (2023), World of Dance (2022 & 2025), Kangz Kastle (2021), and Columbia College Chicago’s B-Series (2019).
With a mission to impart knowledge and preserve the essence of popping, ensuring its legacy resonates with generations to come, Sid’s reputation as an educator is coveted within the street dance community. He taught regularly at the original Electric Funkateers’ Sunday Funkday and has taught at several workshops and intensives including programming for Electric Funkateers, CODA, and Shadow Puppetz.
Under the mentorship of DJ Illanoiz since 2019 and DJ Captain Puerto Rico since 2021, Sid has become recognized as a premier funk DJ in the Midwest. He has DJ’d at various clubs and dance battles in the Midwest including B-Series (2019 & 2020), Snipe’s Hip Hop in Chinatown (2019 & 2022), Nightmare on Rockwell St. (2021), Out of the Shadows (2022-2025), Devil’s in the Details (2025), Sleigh da Funk (2024 & 2025), and 10K Movement’s Crobar Battle Circuit in Cleveland (2025).. He has also produced and released several mixtapes on SoundCloud.
Ricardo “Rio McFly” Robinson |
Crew Member
Ricardo “Rio McFly” Robinson is a freestyle artist, competitive dancer, and educator rooted in Detroit’s rich Black musical and street dance traditions. Raised in a family of artists, with Motown Funk, Techno, and Hip Hop as household staples, Rio McFly’s work carries the cultural and familial lineage that shaped him from an early age.
After two decades in the street dance scene, Rio McFly has become known for his authenticity, emotional range, and his pioneering influence on tutting in the Midwest. His movement explores vulnerability and healing, shaped by his experiences with ADHD, anxiety, and depression, and he is committed to disrupting the toxic-masculine expectations often embedded in street dance culture.
As an educator, Rio McFly has been invited to teach at the University of Chicago, Oakland University, Michigan State University, and regularly teaches at various Shadow Puppetz initiatives. He has also performed at culturally significant institutions including the Detroit African American Museum for J Dilla Day and Danny Brown events, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival for Egyptian Lover and Afrika Bambaataa, and the Fox Theater for KRS-One, Dougie Fresh, and Grandmaster Flash.
Rio McFly continues to share his voice through popping, tutting, and freestyle movement, aiming to inspire dancers to embrace the full spectrum of their identities and experiences.
Kevin Yu |
Crew Member
Kevin Yu began dancing in 2015 with Phinix Dance Crew, a freestyle dance club at the University of Chicago. He trained in popping under the mentorship of OG Poppin Chuck for one year and is largely self-taught in locking. In 2017, he expanded his horizons in the popping and locking community by spending his summers training with Rashaad, Future, and FireLock while dancing with the DMV dance community.
Shortly after, he began teaching and choreographing for Phinix Dance Crew, and later Groove Theory. After graduating from the University of Chicago in 2019, Kevin remained in Chicago where he joined Shadow Puppetz and began competing in popping and open-styles battles. He is also a founding member of Gridlock, a Chicago-based locking initiative, and a member of Flow First Waving Collective, where he performed at Chicago DanceMakers Forum’s 2024 DanceChance in a work choreographed by Tanya Armendariz.
Kevin aims to continue developing his skills and knowledge through battles, training with his crew, and ongoing mentorship from dancers he respects. He is committed to building the Chicago dance community and inspiring new dancers to become as passionate about the dance and culture as he and his crewmates are.