Sparking Global Curiosity
“Boat Kid” has taken social media by storm in the last week, and it seems as if everyone wants a piece of his attitude. Dancing like the boat kids of Indonesia and emulating their aura brings a smile to everyone’s face, so it’s no wonder the Internet is clinging to this trend to uplift the collective spirit. Dancing and connecting with a viral trend that’s bigger than yourself gives us a sense of global community—and in these desperate times, that’s what everyone seems to be craving.
Via u/jetson18
In the hopes of harnessing even a fraction of the boat kid’s coolness, content creators everywhere have attempted to imitate his dance moves. The flood of viral videos has brought well-deserved attention to a surprisingly wholesome ceremony from across the globe: Pacu Jalur. In a nutshell, this Indonesian boat racing tradition is a vibrant festival celebrating a bountiful harvest season. The dancing boys in front of the boats are like the masters of good vibes whose mission is to bring mirth and merriment to all the villages along the river as the racers parade through.
Gen Z has coined the term “aura farming” as the act of mimicking another person’s coolness in such a way to enhance your own aesthetic or persona. Aura farming the feel-good energy of the boat kids of Indonesia, has brought a spotlight to this exotic tradition. Not only does this fulfill the ultimate mission of spreading excellent vibes, but it is also shining a light on the wholesomeness woven throughout humanity. We don’t need cultural context or a communal language to understand what it means to feel powerful and confident—that’s universally understood. Through dance moves, we can extrapolate and extract profound meaning and positivity.
Dance is a ubiquitous and powerful thing. Julia F. Christensen, an Argentine tango dancer and swing dancer says, “Dance is an antidote to stress, a way to combat negative emotions, an elixir for the body, mind, and brain.” Universally understood in every culture, dance is something that brings people together and boosts our endorphins.
Famous for her clunky and strange freestyle dance video, Renata Bliss has become an aura icon for her dance moves. Precisely jabbing her hands into space, exaggerating awkward hip stiffness, and dancing with an oddly visceral sense of purpose, Renata went viral overnight. Although her fame stemmed from the unsettling, yet powerful dancing, she has become one of the dance world’s most aura-farmed sensations.
Via u/SindyGallows
Now, in the wake of her fame, Renata does live performances, hyping up voracious crowds with her extreme moves and bringing incredible energy to the stage that are more than entertaining, they’re infectious. When you dance like Renata, you shed your inhibitions and can exude her same mystical essence.
Via u/mashdnkutcher
Speechless Connection
Why are viral dance sensations so wholesome and powerful?
Since the rise of TikTok, it seems that there’s some new viral dance move sweeping the globe every other weekend, but the Internet’s fascination and obsession with dance-fueled aura farming is nothing new. “In a way, TikTok has democratized dance—it’s about vibe, personality, and originality,” says Arthur Gourounlian, a choreographer and Dancing With the Stars judge. “Dances can go viral overnight, and suddenly you’ve got people all over the world doing the same routine. It’s created a sense of shared energy and connection, which is really powerful.”
Since the dawn of user-generated content online, people all over the world have been sharing cultural positivity through dance. The renowned “Techno Viking” waltzing the streets of Berlin in 2000 became one of the first viral dancing sensations, but his aura and mystique has remained unmatched.
Via u/xtraa
Like “Boat Kid” and Renata Bliss, the “Techno Viking” was a speechless embodiment of swagger and oozed the kind of aura everyone dreams of. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, so by aura farming these dancing sensations and mimicking their attitude, viewers hope to mirror even a fraction of their magnetism and charisma.
Pop culture has revitalized dance as a universal language on TikTok and, as James Brades, a journalist from Medium says, “Dance has always been a part of human culture, [and it] transcends geographical and cultural boundaries.” As the world splits and divides before our very eyes, social media users actively seek unity and connection with one another through uplifting content online. Brades says, “TikTok has found a way to bring people together in a world that can often feel fragmented.” Strangely, these days, the most globalizing content on everyone’s feed is some non-verbal, non-political, and completely unbothered Indonesian kid, dancing his way through life and making us wish we could do the same.
Good to the Core
While the Internet has become a cesspool of negative information, the core of its original inception remains positive. As we peel back the layers of topically heavy headlines, sloppy computer renderings, and stupid, brain-numbing advertisements, the wholesomeness of the Internet can be found in humanity’s originality. I’m not saying that viral dance moves or charismatic super dancers from around the globe are going to change the world, but perhaps, for just a moment, they’ll uplift our spirits the way mankind always has: By dancing.
Via u/Brainjumper11