What is Dance Monsters?
Dance Monsters is a new Netflix competition show with a cyberpunk twist. While having the mechanics of classic competitions like America’s Got Talent or So You Think You Can Dance, it departs from the norm by giving its contestants a unique gift — the gift of anonymity.
Each dancer is given a CGI digital avatar to represent them in the show. The dancer, herself, hides in a sphere-forest mocap suit behind the scenes. While she puppets the CGI monster on stage, real-life judges interact with the monster avatar as if it were an actual 8ft furry contestant.
This achieves (perhaps unintentionally) a very surrealistic effect. When masters of contemporary dance critique the techniques of a bioluminescent mushroom in a leotard, one can wonder if they’ve accidentally stumbled upon a Black Mirror easter egg.
Is Dance Monsters the future of TV?
And, indeed, perhaps they have. Perhaps Dance Monsters isn’t just an innocent competition that grants over-the-hill former Brittney Spears backup dancers a fresh face to compete with. Perhaps Dance Monsters is the rubric by which most reality television will be produced 15 years from now.
Why Avatars are liberating
Behind a digital Rawlsian veil of ignorance, anonymous dancers can hide their race, gender, age, and lack of television personality behind an iridescent fuzzball or a grooving sentient marshmallow. In a world where race and privilege are so highly scrutinized, the ability to escape into a race/gender-neutral avatar presents an attractive avenue. Ask any 45 year old programmer playing a young female World of Warcraft sprite.
