OnStage — formerly known as Dance and Theatre — is the strangest and most endearing RoboCupJunior league. There is no ball, no victim and no line to follow. The team designs and performs a short stage show with robots they built themselves.
What a performance involves
Each team gets a few minutes to present a show with music, lighting, set design and one or more robots. The robots can dance, play, tell a story or interact with team members. The one firm constraint is that the robots must genuinely be the team's own build, programmed by the students.
How it is judged
Contrary to appearances, this is not purely an art contest. Judging runs on parallel axes:
- Technical merit: how complex are the robots? Which sensors and mechanisms? How smart is the code?
- Entertainment value: does the performance hold an audience?
- Creativity and originality.
- Technical interview: judges question the team separately about what they built and why. This is where it becomes clear whose work it really was.
What raises the score
- Tight synchronisation with the music — moves on the beat, not approximately. Teams that tune timing to the millisecond stand out.
- Mechanism variety — arms, rotation, lifts, light, sound. A robot that only drives forward and back earns little technical credit.
- Human–robot interaction — segments where a robot and a human performer work together always score well.
- A narrative — a show with a story reads far better than a sequence of moves.
- Reliability: a robot that dies mid-show wastes every creativity point earned.
Common mistakes
- Focusing on set and costume instead of the robot — technical merit is scored separately.
- Using an off-the-shelf commercial robot without meaningful modification.
- Being unprepared for the technical interview; every member should be able to explain their part.
- Never rehearsing on a real stage — lighting, floor surface and sightlines change everything.
Skills built
OnStage teaches a rare combination: mechanics, timed programming, teamwork, design and above all presentation. Many students who start here move to more technical leagues such as Rescue Line — with the difference that they are no longer afraid to stand in front of a judge.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need a complex robot?
No — a simple robot can enter. But technical merit is a judged axis, so thoughtful use of more mechanisms and sensors scores higher.
Are ready-made kits allowed?
Off-the-shelf parts are generally allowed, but the robot must be assembled and programmed by the team. An untouched commercial robot earns no technical credit.
What ages does it suit?
It is among the most suitable leagues for younger RoboCupJunior brackets and runs up to age 19.
Want to get on stage?
Novin Zehn competition teams train from zero to the world stage — in Tehran and live online.
Register / free consultation Foundation robotics course