Shadow Puppetz

Last December, Jingwen “JZ” Zhang took home the win at our inaugural Sleigh da Funk, a novice popping battle designed to give Shadow Puppetz students a supportive, low-pressure environment to gain battle experience, build confidence, and celebrate the progress they’ve made over the course of the year. 

As one of Shadow Puppetz’s longest-time students, JZ’s win reflected years of steady training, growth, and commitment. More importantly, it showed the power of joy and authentic self-expression in a style where dancers can easily get caught up in the pressure to perform. “My biggest takeaway was to remember to have fun when dancing, even in battles,” JZ says. “I usually get very nervous at battles, but I had so much fun at Sleigh da Funk. It was the battle where I felt the most relaxed and the most freedom to do my own thing. I think that mentality showed through in my movement, and I hope to carry that with me.”

The opportunities provided by Shadow Puppetz programs–such as Sunday Funkday and our specialized intensives–paired with Solo’s commitment, consistency, and hard work have led to major breakthroughs in his growth. Shortly after participating in our recent Machine Learning 2.0: Animation Intensive, he placed in the Top 4 at Devil’s in the Details, Chicago’s inaugural robot and animation dance festival. Within only a few short years of training consistently in popping at Sunday Funkday and with Chicago’s own OG Torrence “Tea-Buggz” Griffin, he also became one of the few Chicago dancers–and one of the first Shadow Puppetz students–to break into the Top 32 at Out of the Shadows, the largest annual popping festival in the Midwest. 

What tied everything together was the sense of ownership from the community itself. “The dedication from everyone to the theme and style,” another participant reflected. “It truly felt like an event for animators, by animators.”

By the end of the weekend, Devil’s in the Details had proven itself as more than a first-time event. It showed how battles, showcases, workshops, and tech demos can work together to bring generations and ideas into the same room, and how robot and animation continue to grow when given space to shine.