From his first cypher to Top 4 at Devil’s in the Details: How Shadow Puppetz helped Dante “Solo” Williams find his voice
When Dante “Solo” Williams stepped into his first cypher, he didn’t expect it to change the course of his dance journey. Until that moment, he’d mostly practiced alone–experimenting, learning by watching videos, and creating in isolation. Finding Shadow Puppetz made him realize dance didn’t have to be a solitary pursuit–that there was a whole community moving with the same passion he’d been nurturing on his own. “Being around Shadow Puppetz and the community you all have created showed me the power of being inspired by others,” Solo says. “It gave me the freedom to share my art with friends just for the sake of having fun and without worrying about doing something right or wrong or being perfect.”
Since then, Solo has become one of the most consistent and active participants in Shadow Puppetz’s programs. “All of the intensives have always left me with a sense of direction and goals within my dance, helping me stay motivated to keep practicing at times I felt I didn’t know what to work on next,” he says. “After the animation intensive, I began working on that style of dance more and trying to find ways to use it within my waving and popping.”
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.
These achievements reflect what our programs are designed to make possible: giving dancers the access, tools, and confidence to grow from local sessions to national-level competitions. “Hitting those milestones gave me a huge sense of accomplishment,” Solo says. “Making it past prelims at Out of the Shadows and then into Top 4 at Devil’s in the Details definitely gave me a sense I’ve been doing something right and that it’s not all for nothing. At the same time, both of those experiences were very humbling. I’m still getting used to battles, and being in that environment showed me I have a lot to learn in terms of foundations and dancing under pressure while trying to maintain composure.”
As Solo continues on his journey, the community around him remains a constant source of motivation. “To me, the Shadow Puppetz community looks like sessions in the parks, learning from peers, meeting new friends, watching those people grow within their art alongside you, and seeing new people begin their dance journey,” he says. “[Shadow Puppetz’s] free and low-cost programs make it possible for anyone to start and keep going. There’s been a lot of times I’ve been able to keep learning because of how available they are.”
Stories like Solo’s remind us what access and community can make possible. Every dancer who finds their footing through programs like Sunday Funkday, our intensives, and community events adds to a larger movement–one rooted in meaningful connection and the shared drive to keep Chicago’s funk dance scene thriving.