Was he showboating?
Viral TikTok dances seem to be a dime a dozen at this point. However, few have captivated the online masses like the “aura farming” jig, a scintillating routine that’s taken the platform by storm and has been replicated by everyone from DJ Steve Aoki to Travis Kelce.
For those out of the loop, the now-ubiquitous clip shows a sunglass-sporting adolescent executing a sequence of moves while perched precariously on the prow of a racing boat — like a dance comp meets a regatta.
He blows kisses, rolls his hands and even points to the sky like Usain Bolt — all while maintaining the same stoic expression.
Clips of his dance, many of which have been notably dubbed over with a rap song called “Young Black & Rich” by Melly Mike, have amassed millions of views and untold fans.
“Bro is aura farming,” declared one admirer, while another wrote, “bet he wasn’t even trying to go viral.”
One reportedly dubbed the aura farmer “the Reaper” as he “never loses.”
This dancing tween has been identified as 11-year-old Rayyan Arkan Dikha, who performed the routine while participating in the Pacu Jalur boat race in his home province of Riau, the BBC reported. He is the Togak Luan, a boat dancer whose role is to boost the rowers’ morale — like a swagtastic coxswain.
Dikha told the BBC that he “came up with the dance” himself and that “it was just spontaneous.”
The red-hot number might serve a pragmatic purpose. However, the routine — and Dikha’s complete nonchalance while performing it — has become the embodiment of “aura farming,” defined by Know Your Meme as the act of constantly trying to look “cool” or “badass” to cultivate charisma or, as Gen Alpha would call it, rizz.
It’s safe to say the “showboater” farmed a lot of aura among celebs, many of whom recreated his routine in viral videos.
In one TikTok clip with over 50 million views, MotoGP driver Marc Marquez, a MotoGP driver, is seen dancing on his bike to celebrate winning a race in Germany.
Meanwhile, Kansas City Chiefs player and Taylor Swift beau Travis Kelce posted a viral TikTok compilation of him performing various endzone dances intercut with corresponding moves from Dikha’s routine.
DJ Steve Aoki also performed the jig onstage in Portugal, the Tab reported.
Meanwhile, “Young Black & Rich” singer Melly Mike — whose song was featured in the most famous “aura farming” dance videos — joked about traveling to Indonesia to perform the ditty for Dikha.
Dikha’s dance has made him a hero in his hometown as well.
The teenybopper was named a cultural ambassador by the governor of Riau, while this week he and his mother were invited to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, to meet with the nation’s culture and tourism ministers, and to appear on national television.
When asked how fans can replicate his success, Dikha replied, “Stay healthy, friends, so you can become like me.”
