Join us for Devil’s in the Details, Chicago’s inaugural two-day robot and animation dance festival. Featuring live music, art, dance workshops, technology demonstrations, a showcase competition, and a head-to-head dance battle with a unique twist, Devil’s in the Details reimagines how robot and animation dance is presented through a fresh multidisciplinary approach.

1v1 Robot & Animation Dance Battle: Battles are head-to-head competitions where dancers freestyle to random music by a live DJ. Devil’s in the Details combines this with a unique twist where the Top 16 dancers will freestyle to specific concepts that demonstrate an in-depth knowledge and creative exploration of robot and animation dance.

Busking-Inspired Showcase Competition: Robot and animation dance are rooted in busking, also known as street performance. Devil’s in the Details reimagines this tradition in an invitational showcase style competition. Spectators will be invited to participate by voting for their favorite performance through a ticket-in-the-hat system.

Dance Workshops and Tech Demos: The pioneers of robot and animation dance created these styles by emulating the technology of their time. Devil’s in the Details blends dance education with technological insight in workshops and tech demos designed to show dancers how to explore and generate their own movement inspired by first hand reference material, rather than merely emulating the movement of other dancers.

Devil’s in the Details will take place on Saturday, September 20, 2025 in The Sanctuary at Epiphany Center for the Arts. Doors open at 2 PM, prelims for the 1v1 battle will begin at 3 PM, and the main event will begin at 5 PM.

For the latest updates on this year’s lineup of judges, DJs, MCs, showcase artists, and vendors, be sure to follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/shadowpuppetzcrew

For full details on the weekend’s activities, visit our website: