In the dance competition show Dance Monsters, you’ll be introduced to both humans and beasts: There are 15 monsters you’ll see practicing and performing, but there are also just as many real people behind those CGI creatures. Each monster has an amusing and unique appearance, yet the regular humans doing the actual dancing backstage are somehow just as captivating. Through personal struggles and incredible triumphs, they’ve made it to this dance floor with a little help from their monster pals. 

Dance Monsters is a three-week event that begins Dec. 16 on Netflix. Below, meet the monsters competing for the whopping $250,000 prize. And, although we can’t reveal the names of the human dancers just yet, you can get to know their backstories here.

Beti

Behind this blinged-out purple yeti is a small-town kid from Kansas with versatile dance skills and lots of showmanship. Though you wouldn’t guess it based on Beti’s stage presence, he was bullied as a kid for being more into dance and magic than sports. With help from this monster, he’ll ice those haters out.

Marsha

This adorable marshmallow person’s human counterpart is a former Miami Heat dancer. Now, she’s a mom and a dance teacher to many kids. She’s long been used to putting her child and students before herself, but this underdog is stepping back into the spotlight.

Jam 

On the outside, Jam is a funky and furry red creature with a fedora perched between his bull horns and sporting glasses and fingerless gloves. On the inside, however, he’s a preschool teacher who has long dreamed of being a dancer but has never felt like he had the right body type. He’s here to show his students that they can do and be anything — even a dancing monster with fabulous taste in accessories.

Peaches

In the real world, this cute and cuddly orange cat-bear-hybrid-thing is a mechanical engineer who works on oil rigs. However, she still aspires to dance on Broadway one day. Watch this kitty smile through the entire competition, even when things get tough.

Jellifer

She may be dancing as a sporty Jellyfish lady in this competition, but the woman behind Jellifer used to be an actual backup dancer for huge artists, including Britney Spears. Sadly, after losing her husband when she was 6½ months pregnant, she gave up her career to be a single mom. At 42 years old, she’s returning to the stage after a decade.

Rocky

The man behind this handsome pile of rocks wanted to be a professional dancer but gave up that particular dream in order to prioritize love and family. These days, he’s working nine-to-five as an insurance agent and raising three children with his wife. No doubt, those kids will be excited to see their dad rock out in this competition.

Flame

Flame is a fiery amalgam, as she’s decked out in red-orange flaming quills, blue scales and feathers, and wears sneakers and jewelry. The human contestant competing as this imaginative creature pursued a career in dance — and even auditioned for musical artists like Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber and Beyoncé — until a shoulder injury took her out of the game. As Flame, she’s finding the strength to dance again and put her technical training back to work.

Roberta 

The person who’s performing as this robot is a fitness instructor from London. She’s loved dancing since she was a kid, but the activity was seen as too provocative for her conservative family, so she always had to dance in her room behind closed doors. Finally, she’s getting the chance to dance in front of others — well, kind of.

Grummy 

Controlling this mummy is a man who works at a science museum in Queens, New York. He wanted to be a dancer but struggled financially to make ends meet. He may have given up on his dancing desires for a time, but he never gave up his flips, tricks and vibrant personality.

Chester 

Chester is a furry one-eyed alien who wears his mouth on his chest and has an eyebrow that floats above his head. This beast’s human counterpart is the quarterback of his college football team in Iowa. He’s been picked on for being a dancer but wants to prove that boys can be refined contemporary dancers too.

Candy 

This monster’s body is made up of a macaron and a candy heart. She’s got candy cane arms and legs and a wrapped hard-candy head with a chocolate-dipped cherry on top. The person performing as Candy was on track to become a professional dancer until she was diagnosed with cancer. Now, she’s lacing up her dancing shoes once again, which is pretty sweet.

Slink 

Boogying down as this slinky cyborg is a research scientist who works in cancer prevention. His genuine passion for dance had to take a backseat while he worked on his Ph.D., but Slink is allowing him to bounce back onto the stage.

Darcy

Darcy the android and her human have something important in common: They both love ballet. The human, however, is also a farmer from North Carolina. The farm keeps her pretty busy, so despite her training and experience, she hasn’t danced in two years. That is, until Dance Monsters.

Ferg

She might look like a huggable critter with iridescent rainbow fur, but she’s actually a self-described small-town girl from Marietta, Ohio. While she has always had the love and support of her family, she’s been a little intimidated by dancing because of body image issues. Furry Ferg is here to provide a much-needed confidence boost.

Hammer 

Styling in a T-shirt and board shorts, Hammer is a hammerhead shark controlled by an 18-year-old TikTok dancer who is looking for his dancing to be taken more seriously. Can his youthful energy and Hammer’s chill vibe make that happen?

Dance Monsters Season 1 TrailerA dance competition like you've never seen before.