I don’t know how these tiny dancers got trapped inside this spinning zoetrope but it’s the only explanation I can come up with for this insane light animation. Their movements are so smooth, and the shining light captures the grace of their dance so well that I’m sure some sort of magic has to be at play here.

But it’s the work of artist Akinori Goto. He created a linear 2D animation and puts those frames into a circle that’s then printed in 3D. When light is projected onto the spinning 3D printed zoetrope, it all comes to life. Then he combined the classic zoetrope build with light to create an entirely fresh effect.

 

Here’s a short video explainer from Akinori Goto describing how the effect is achieved: