Draft:Viral Nigerian Dances on TikTok

Viral Nigerian Dances on TikTok
As of June 2024, It is nearly impossible to not be familiar with TikTok. Even those who are not part of the social media culture would be stunned to accept the influence it has on the society. Now it lives on as a world renowned global short video and user-generated content platform. With its concentration on UGC & algorithms, it is best placed among other social media platforms to cater to amplifying trends and building communities. While some may claim that TikTok is only powerful right now based on the generation that uses it most (Gen Z) — TikTok can thrive due to the way it is equipped with advanced technology like targeted content, which in turn allows people from all around the world share their videos with millions of other individual.

Recently, videos of users partaking in Nigerian dances on TikTok have amassed millions of views with these dances gaining considerable popularity. Some of the recent dance styles that have made waves include Shaku Shaku, Zanku, and Gbese, and challenges like Davido’s ‘Unavailable Challenge’ have done the same. Users integrate these dance moves into their videos, many a time creating choreographies attributed to the songs associated with those dances. This current reality can be credited to the aforementioned nature of TikTok and its consequent ability to promote and sell culture, making it accessible to a global audience.

The goal of this article is to provide perspective to the emergence of Nigerian dances on TikTok and also document some of the popular Nigerian viral dances on TikTok. It will also inform the influence of public figures in the Nigerian dancing scene and the cultural impact of Nigerian dances on TikTok. One will also elucidate on how the platform is being used as a means of sharing culture, creating an identity and the consequences (positive or negative) as it affects Nigerians and the world at large.

It will also highlight how the fluidity of entertainment has directly affected the virality and popularization of Nigerian dances. The article explores how you can come to understand the ease with which Nigerian dances can be spread and engaging to share and consume as content by looking at a few key features of platforms, content and audience engagement.

The article will also focus on the value of Nigerian courtesy of viral Nigerian dances and how Nigerian dances on TikTok can serve as an educational platform for the masses. In light of the above, this article is simply an attempt to deeply consider the many dimensions of the phenomenon — Viral Nigerian Dances on TikTok and its impact on world culture.

= The Rise of Nigerian Dances on TikTok = TikTok is a social media app that was launched in 2016 and has been gaining popularity as the go-to spot for bite-sized digital entertainment. The democratized nature of the app has helped people create content without any discrimination and get a global audience where people can express themselves through dance. Short form videos, music and 'sounds' danced their way perfectly to allow users to choreograph dances and began dance challenges. Complete with an endless selection of sounds and easy-to-use editing tools, TikTok has become a clearing-house of sorts - where dance styles collide and millions follow.

Nigerian dances are vibrant, full of energy and colour and show off a lot of cultural taste that many have largely been interested in the special rhythm, and amazing expression they bring. The dissemination internationally of music and dance has influenced the popularity of Nigerian dances on TikTok. One of the ways Nigerian dances have been sold more is through the spread of Afrobeats. The Nigerian stars of Afrobeats (Wizkid, Davido, and BurnaBoy), who combine traditional African rhythms with contemporary sounds, are among the biggest stars in recent years. Their music is being played globally, they were all chart-topping musicians by themselves with songs that have gone viral on platforms like TikTok, introducing the world to the infectious sounds of Nigeria, and popularizing Nigerian dance moves.

TikTok's algorithm and reach play into this too. The algorithm of the platform is designed to have trends pulled through as widely as possible, hence the trends going to the most people. Millions of people around the world see these short dance videos, which are typically intricately choreographed to go with viral sounds or songs and shared on TikTok's "For You" page. Because of such reasons, Nigerian dances have been driven to the top-list of the world pop culture and as a result, has swept the world off its feet. This way, dancers in Nigeria and the diaspora can promote Nigerian dances and bring it to a wider audience everywhere on earth, keeping us intertwined as a species and appreciating everyone for what they have to offer culturally.

One other thing also is, many already made personalities in the industry such as musicians, choreographers, and celebrities, also join in the trend, promoting Nigerian dances on Tiktok massively. Their music videos, live performances as well as social media posts of Nigerian dance styles have listened to the world to the broad and diverse culture of Nigeria. An increase in the visibility of Nigerian dances among other genres in the industry, the cohesiveness between digital media was strengthened with music as acts and artistes liaise in the music and the dance industry on a balanced scale. Everything from endorsement and collaborations with celebrities, global recognition to literal unity among a dance community worldwide.

= Key Nigerian Dances that Went Viral on TikTok =

Shaku Shaku
The year 2017 had its own with the street dance, Shaku Shaku that took over the streets of Lagos, Nigeria. Carrying the Afrobeat spirit into the world of street music, this fast paced arm crossing, feet slightly opened, half gallop dance style was created. There is no clear origin of the dance but it is believed to have originated from moves done by street boys in Lagos Mainland. It was inspired by street culture specifically due to the input of underground artists like DJ Real and Mr. Real. But Olamide did it, it went viral - and that is how it became an evolution. The dance was first seen in the music video for his song “Wo!!” In August 2017 and had collected 15 million views by January 2018. Post-release the song gained virtually popular status overnight when Olamide performed alongside other 'street' musicians to a crowd of more than ten thousand people on the Lagos Mainland, launching the dance into the mainstream. This became the official hip hop soundtrack for the Shaku Shaku dance after trending for some months, Olamide released "Science Student" to serve as the official soundtrack for the Shaku Shaku dance.

With songs like "Wo!!" by Olamide, Nigerian music played a pivotal role in the widespread popularity of the dance, with artists having featured the dance prominently in their music videos and live performances encouraging fans to replicate the moves. The dance spread through different social media platforms with popular Nigerian celebrities like DJ Cuppy and Wizkid posting their attempts at the dance. TikTok served as a pivotal platform for contributing to the increase in popularity of the Shaku Shaku dance.

Shaku shaku was able to catch on as popular dance challenge on Tiktok, the perfect platform for turning songs into viral hits, known globally for its dance challenges and craze of songs going viral. As the users of TikTok began to copy it and adopt it into various types of dance videos, and to participate in challenges with the same hashtags such as #shakushaku and #shakushakudance, it was quickly accompanied by the appearance of tutorial videos demonstrating how to reproduce it. Which helped the dance blow up on the app to be shared across the world.

Never more so was the impact that TikTok can have on global reach epitomised than in the popularising of the Shaku Shaku dance, as it brought together people from across the globe with a mutual enjoyment of colourful Nigerian sounds and beats. Leading to a new chapter in the Nigerian dance culture crashland on TikTok, and we enjoyed it all the way until now.

Zanku (Legwork)
Zanku the driving force behind the madness of Legwork in Nigeria, rapidly it spreads across the globe hold millions of people on the lockdown for the world. 2018 – Zanku makes its first appearance on Zlatan Ibile’s music video “Jogor” (featuring Lil Kesh & Naira Marley) and Chinko Ekun’s “Able God” (featuring Lil Kesh & Zlatan Ibile) It birthed the Zanku movement; a pan-African viral curiosity traceable to the intoxicating bassline from Lagos Mainland and a head-banging medley of ferocious rhythms, brash street lingo, and hypemen squalls.

The dance itself features a string of foot stomping followed by the same as a kick, it can be taken so far as to waist level, some very eager dancers even perform a spinning hook kick. The term, "Zanku Legwork" was an acronym he coined from "Zlatan Abeg No Kill Us" and it became viral on all social media platforms especially Tik Tok. The dance step became a viral dance with users posting videos of them dancing to Zlatan Ibile's music and some trying to out-dance each other.

This dance trend soon became a movement in the physical dance culture starting initially from Nigerians and other African countries and then a global phenomenon further fueled by the challenges that came with it as well as hashtags like #legwork. The opening up of this room called for several versions and spin-offs of the initial Zanku dance. Tiktok users flooded the platform with various videos, while some began to make zanku dance tutorials, showing off their legwork skills as well, renaming them butterfly legwork, cross legwork, heel-tap legwork, inverted butterfly, gbe wa, ogba, side to side and galala.

These imitations sometimes came in form of a mash up to other top Nigerian songs including ‘SoSo’ by Omah Lay, Victony ‘Soweto’, ‘Bandana’ by Asake amongst others, allowing the dance to spread even more on the app. Viral on TikTok — The viral success of the dance trend helped to drive its promotion of not only Nigerian culture and music, but also the fact that foreign influencers like Niana Guerrero, a popular Filipino dancer, singer, and lifestyle creator had been able to join in on the trend as well.

Gbese
One of the many cultural exports that has taken the energy of Nigerians onto the global stage is the Gbese dance. An animated dance form made up of a series of repeated steps where you jump and kick one leg in the air again, and again is an accurate expression of the spirit of street life in Nigeria. Specifically, Nigerian artist Burna Boy popularised the Gbese dance worldwide with his song ‘Killin Dem’ featuring Zlatan. The five-year-old song ‘Killin Dem‘ has a total of 100 million streams globally. Although the song eventually went truly global due to its uptempo rhythm and a string of the energetic adlibs at the time, well tailored to suit the character of Zlatan who was featured on the song.

It went viral across social media platforms due to popular Nigerian dancers Pocolee and Rahman Jago among others creating numerous videos messing around the Gbese dance. The viral helpers that had popularised the track earlier made the song and dance rise to local fame, while Burna Boy - a former Atlantic Records signee from a deal secured in the US in 2017, fresh off his career-making 2018 as a solo act on the international stage - flew in to take it to international fame with his 2019 official music video.

The creation of the #gbese hashtag was a significant evolution of the dance. The dance move also went viral with people all over the world trending the challenge and reacting to it by posting their versions of the dance move. Tik Tok, which had reached more than 507 million active users by December 2019, played a major role in spreading the dance throughout the US. The dance went viral as a challenge and people began posting their #gbese and #burnaboy on IG - also videos of Burna Boy doing the dance. When this Gbese dance came out on TikTok, a lot of people - including some that would not have been exposed to it otherwise - got to know about it as well, because TikTok encourages interaction.

The Gbese dance is a fine example of the power of social networks in taking Nigerian culture to a global audience. It has its roots in Nigeria, but it has become a global phenomenon, bringing the world together for the love of entertainment.

= Influencers and Key Figures = There have been so many stars and starlets performing these dances on the platform that TikTok has pretty much become the new Hollywood for the now generation of social media youths. Dance trends and challenges that are popularized by the TikTok community are then taken up by the famous from YouTube streamers to lifestyle influencers, to reality stars. Though this is common on the app, since it is a trend used among users, the inclusion of popular personalities is what determines how viral those dance trends/challenges get. Of all people among these, Nigerian dancers were peculiar but infectious. Some well-known TikTok users are @reginaeigbe and @itsjustnifee.

Prominent TikTok Dancers
Regina Eigbe or @reginaeigbe on TikTok, became popular of about four years ago. She and some other dancers posted choreographed dances on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #chopdaily and the username @chopdaily. With her incredible dance skills, followed Regina on Instagram, which was launched in 2012. Her talent has made her collaborate with several prominent artists in Nigeria and she has even featured in some of their music videos. With over one million followers on TikTok now, she is known as a TikTok dancer, taking part and starting a variety of dance challenges. She also collaborates with other top dancers for this and makes some relatable and engaging content with these dancers which they can relate to as a part of Nigerian culture and can have a dance to in various parts of Nigeria and the other parts of the world.

One more relevant figure is Oluwanifewa Agunbiade (TikTok: @itsjustnifee) who started gaining following around the time Regina Eigbe did. An Instagram user since 2015, Nife has developed her career over the past few years as a key figure of the ‘Chop Daily’ camp and has now attracted over two million followers on TikTok. Not only is she one of the top-billed dancers on the platform, but is also a professional choreographer and works with various musicians and companies. Similar to Regina Eigbe, she has also featured in the music videos of some of Nigeria's biggest artists putting her in a very rare category of Nigerian dancers to admire.

Nigerian Celebrities
Nigerian musicians that include Burna Boy, Wizkid and Davido have been instrumental in the popularization of Nigerian dances. Nigerian Afro-fusionist artist, Burna Boy, had introduced traditional Nigerian dances into the international scene through his music videos and performances. His contribution to the promotion of Nigerian culture cannot but be harnessed, being a world recognised artist. Case in point, a celebrity defending Nigeria culture is a song such as “Ye”, which was released five years ago to the tune of two hundred and sixty five million views. The track roots itself into the central theme of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, with Burna Boy drawing similarities between himself and the late star. It is one of his more mainstream songs in how much it is viewed on YouTube and has also been played at some of his big shows around the globe including the Glastonbury Festival. It puts Fela and Afrobeat into a lot of people's consciousness who would have probably never heard about them otherwise. Afrobeat itself has rich sounding elements of Nigerian culture and is enjoyed globally as well, thanks to the sounds of Burna Boy.

Another popular Nigerian singer, Davido is best known for his exciting tempos and stressful rhythms. Known for his viral choreography, his music videos almost always include top notch dancers, and subsequently result in the most popular dance trends that appear on TikTok and other social media pages. One of his most TikTok famous songs was “Unavailable” from his Timeless project released earlier this year. The singer took to his account to share a video of him dancing to the song alongside other performers, using the hashtag #UnavailableChallenge. But soon, users put their own versions of the private dance challenge. It wasn't long before many users made tutorials on how to perform the dance. The app was littered with multiple videos of the #unavailablechallenge as celebrities including DJ Cuppy, and Chris Brown hopped on the trend. The dance fad was seen by tens of millions throughout the globe due to the growth of the artist who popularized it.

These corroborates the symbiotic relationship between Nigerian musicians and TikTok content creators/ influencers. Artists are able to connect with fans in an exciting new way, influencers get to be a part of high-profile gigs in cool creative areas. While this benefits the user who was inspired to the trend with high audience engagement this also means the artist who created the song gets more streams and gets introduced to more people. Numerous musicians have claimed to see a surge in streams or sales after their music began trending on the platform. Effect: while Burna Boy's “Anybody” challenge on TikTok and Wizkid “Joro” challenge shot, it makes the Nigerian music and dance displayed all over the world even more popular. At the same time, it assists in raising profiles of the content creators/influencers and helping in taking the cultural impact of the Nigerian music and dance to a global level.

= Cultural Impact and Significance = Nigerian dances can now easily be found on TikTok due to their popularity, getting the attention of people with their contagious energy and vivacious expressions. However, beyond the exciting trends, these viral dances uphold a deeper importance, leaving a long-term impact on global culture.

They also seek to create the notion of a 'Nigerian' identity by propagating Nigerian music and entertainment and as well as connect the community globally. Viral dances from Naija are not just about getting the moves right. Both are as much about being the part, giving back, and working together. It is an adaptive and creative dance so people can make variations on it or can add things from their own culture, as people around the world have. While simultaneously constructing a universal community through a shared experience - this forms a platform for originality. The Zanku dance is a typical example. Its complex footwork pattern originated from the Afrobeat scene in Nigeria and went extremely viral on Tiktok around 2020. There were multiple options to accompany the live audio stream, but the aforementioned broadcast which went out with the hashtag #legwork was the most viewed option. With dancers adding their own flavor and public figure we know such as Chris Brown taking a shot at this trend, it has become water that honey to make it a mix between creativity and cultural interchange.

Furthermore, they export Nigerian entertainment including entertainers and music; this is one way Music channels brought the Music and African Songs directly to millions of viewers worldwide. That the world knows the Nigeria of today, who has a familiar and identifiable essence, emanates from these dance steps and the music that accompanied them going mainstream. Applications such as TikTok have gone a long way to globalizing Nigerians and their talents, it has worked magic on the Nigerian entertainment industry as a whole. The era of some giving Nigerians and other respite, as the much-important “G.O.A.T” in Nigeria artists is running free and marketed at the expense of the “G.O.A.T” itself, causing albums sales and streams to experience boosts, many benefits from the era of  'virality' many other Nigerian artists have enjoyed that have served as spokespersons of the Nigerian culture.

They also go a long way to debunk stereotypes and change the narratives on Africa. Africa has long been stereotyped in traditional media representation For some of the natives across continents, Africa was a country. And the stories of how Africans got by were mostly negative and savage. But these sorts of moments, like when Nigerian cultural objects such as our dance and music go viral, calls these descriptors into question, showing the world the continent is far more diverse and creative energy than many are led to believe. The dances are very expressive and show the diversity and liveliness of Africa as it is. A continent full of young talent and their reach to their own culture as well as shared culture. The Amapiano trend is a case in point. This Gentle flow of dance originates from South Africa. Nevertheless Nigerian dancers took the spice by service a tweak on it and therein combined the unlikely one Poco-lee, It illustrates the relationship between African cultures and debunks a lot of damaging and constraining stereotypes about Africans and their identities.

So these dance trends serve just as much as a tool for the preservation of Nigerian culture as well as its upliftment. The hundreds of informal documentation of Nigerian dances through the videos, not only preserve our culture, but also helps to afford some form of pride and acknowledgement with Nigerians at home and in the diaspora. Prime example is The “Buga” Dance by Kizz Daniel ft. Tekno, Essentially The dance is an integration of some dance rudiments of the Kalabari's of Niger Delta. Soon after the release of the song that same year, the official music video was released and this sparked an increase in interest on Kalabri culture, as well as information on where the dance originated from, what dance it was and so forth. This is to ensure that traditions are not gradually marginalized and are one that growing Nigerians and even non Nigerians would always enjoy.

= Fluidity Of Entertainment = The notion of "fluidity of entertainment" is in reference to the notion of how traditional demarcations which existed hitherto with our media consumption and the experience we've had over the viewer have and are crumbling. It just indicates the dynamic progression of entertainment with the changing time. It is a process that involves the evolution of content, platforms and audience engagement that intends to drive the narrative of the movement of modern entertainment of all kinds. Ultimately it means that entertainment is ever-changing and subject to our whims, fads, and tech moves.

This is core to the evolution underway in the entertainment industry. Under the broader frame of Nigerian dance trends, it is this fluidity of entertainment that demonstrates how dances in trends can transcend their origins in order to be appropriated, modified to be made available on a different platform, and engaged with to a larger extent. We can look at viral Nigerian dances on TikTok using the three concepts that are natural to the sporadic nature of entertainment.

Content
As for content, the ebbs and flows of entertainment enable an unending evolution of trends. Years back, Nigerian music and dance was not like trending or popular as it had not hit the international stage yet but with the improvement of technologies, because of globalization as well, Nigerian entertainment is now popular stuff and Nigerian entertainers too, Tems, Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy are international music stars with chart topping music. Now, these big songs are also coming with some popular dances and with this, it is easy to see why for example a dance like Zanku is making waves worldwide as people are remixing and creating their own videos of the dance to relight the trend. This fluidity is what keeps content fresh and engaging.

Platforms
Entertainment used to be confined to specific platforms, and mediums - which generally meant movie theaters for a particular time, or TV stations at appointed times. But in the digital age, as everything has evolved, social media - an easy way to consume content - has been brought to us in all its sophisticated glory. In this context, the reach-ability and sustainability of tiktok is helping users are creating good content, so they are sharing it and ultimately content gets to engagement from the audience. Which enabled comments, stitches, reposts, algorithms, and just a plethora of new tools to help increase the virality and volume at which content is created, sent out, and shared. Thus, enhancing the probability of virality as the content is sent to the audience it was intended for and sometimes influence it beyond. This is equally applicable to any other media platform. Media convergence enables content to be easily shared across various platforms making it even more likely to be discovered by a wider audience.

Audience Engagement
In turn audience engagement, likes, comments, shares, and interaction has catapulted the consumption of content to a whole new ballpark. Media has traditionally been a system for passive consumption, with its audience playing no role in its production and distribution. Now, what seemed like a fairytale, today, changes after the 21st century as social media has taken the revolutionized the word of user-generated content and it is the most popular trend. Users are able to now become apart of the creation and conversation around trends in real time which will aid in the kinds of content that are able to not only go viral but also become even more popular. This is some of what makes viral Nigerian dances viral. Both users could also film their time so together but the nature of TikTok would more willingly allow for this than on any other social media platform. This is shown by their participation by setting the pace for dance trends, creating dance challenges, choreographing dances, and dancing themselves. It encourages a communal and unified culture which contributes to the success of dance trends.

Nigerian dance trends are also popular worldwide due to how Nigerians influence the ebb and flow of entertainment, and this flow is well manifested on TikTok. Through TikTok, Nigerian dance has enjoyed a resurgence, illustrating the nimble, ever-changing nature of contemporary entertainment. This interrelated evolution of content, platforms, and audience engagement highlights the transforming fluidity reshaping global entertainment landscapes.

= Conclusion = TikTok is one of a handful of platforms sites being used to launch the next global wave of entertainment and this year its champion is the Nigerian dance scene on TikTok. These global movements were a rebranding and compilation of typical Nigerian dances such as Shaku Shaku, Zanku, Gbese, and others with inclusion of an app that could make users perform dance routines. This together with key personalities sharing it like TikTok content creators/influencers and celebrities have all added cherrypicked to the trends, making it a worldwide rage. Currently, culture is more accessible, thanks to the internet and related advanced technologies. However, thanks to the democratisation of content creation Nigerian culture has been able to take advantage of this increased broader access to digital media. Not only these dances have created an evolution dance for popular dance trends but has raised Nigerian entertainers, the Nigerian entertainment industry as a whole and from all these Nigerian Culture, it becomes a way of cultural edification and preservation which will last for decades and generations to come.

This further helps to build a Nigerian brand everywhere in the world, of a people, who are vibrant, innovative and talented, particularly in the music and dance domains of the entertainment industry. This promotes social relationship both within Nigerians and non-Nigerians and it enhances the growth and well-being of global community. This will also improve the reception and processing of Nigerians and Africans in general but will also quell the stereotypes and encourage the spinning of new narratives that show Africa people are strong and at the same time unique.

TikTok has been a pioneer in cultural exchange, transcending geography to facilitate the global sharing of cultural information, which has an impact on the situation of world culture. Its embrace of experiential bonding serves to enhance its outstanding entertainment portfolio and promote cultural understanding on a global scale. This exchange has also allowed for entertainers from less prominent places around the world and new types of entertainers easier access to reach larger entertainment industries than ever before as the benefits cannot seen been by the rest of the world many more people can recognize many new and different actors, entertainments, and ideas.

The world will definitely see more from Nigeria and Nigerian trends as we transition to a more entertainment-fluid environment, and not just Nigeria, but many countries tied more into this expression of self. These are things that would have been inconceivable to most people only a few years ago, yet are now what we have come to expect and they will no doubt continue to change and grow. This is a big reason why, TikTok shows the power of digital media in a connected world.

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