Are Dance Monsters robots and how did they film the Netflix series? Tue 20 December 2022 11:51
Christopher Pierce
Updated on February 28, 2026
Publish date: 2023-12-04
Dance Monsters is the new Netflix competition that has left viewers both entertained and confused all at once. Many are now asking if the 15 contestants taking part in the series are actually robots or real people.
In this feel-good competition, amateur dancers disguised as CGI avatars bring their best moves, hoping to wow the panel of judges and win $250,000. Ne-Yo, Lele Pons and Ashley Banjo serve as judges, while Ashley Roberts is host.
The entire concept of holograms on the screen has everyone seriously confused. Similarly to show Alter Ego, those tuning in to the first three released episodes have accumulated one important question. Are Dance Monsters robots?
Are Dance Monsters robots?
No, the Dance Monsters contestants are not robots, but there is one character whose hologram appears to be a robot. However, they are not actually real robots dancing on the stage or the screen, and real humans are involved.
Humans are connected to CGI behind the stage, and do actually get a sweat on by dancing. However, the audience can only see their holograms being shown on screen rather than just a person dancing on the stage.
CGI stands for computer generated imagery while a robot is a physical machine that resembles a human being and is able to replicate certain human movements and functions automatically.
How did they film Dance Monsters?
The audience and the judges are thought to have seen the dancers hooked up in that costume during filming, while the cameras (which we’re seeing) is the hologram. There was a full crowd and judges there when it was shot.
An audience member revealed on Twitter that they “saw the characters on the stage LED Wall dance and they were low poly, low resolution versions” but that the live crowds were clapping at an empty stage.
When the performer starts to dance, they show a quick side-by-side of them in a sound stage in the costume hooked up and make it seem like the performance was pre-recorded.
I was there for the tapings of 2 of the episodes, the comparison with the character designs are a huge difference, we saw the characters on the stage LED Wall dance and they were low poly, low resolution versions, we were clapping at an empty stage obviously
— Joshua Riley (@JoshuaRiley01) December 16, 2022The Netflix series has left fans confused
From what the audience and the judges see, to how the CGI technology actually works, has left Netflix fans seriously baffled over how the entire series was filmed. Many also wonder if the eliminations are pre-recorded.
The real dancers are strutting their stuff backstage while their CGI Dance Monster disguises their identity and replicates the moves in front of the audience. They are hooked up to machines, which makes the holographs mimic their moves.
The camera does pan to the contestants so we can see them hooked up to the machines but their face is blurred to protect their identity. Netflix said that those performing saw a rise in their confidence levels and revealed:
The real person behind these monsters has a story explaining why their high-tech disguise has finally given them the confidence to perform for an audience.
Can someone write an explainer on how the tech works for the Netflix show Dance Monsters. What is the audience seeing. Are the eliminations pre-recorded. Why does the host look comped in to every shot.
— ally (@allymcleangames) December 19, 2022WATCH DANCE MONSTERS ON NETFLIX NOW
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