What is ‘aura farming'? This Indonesian tween will show you

Straits Times

4 days ago

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The video of Dika dancing on the boat has gone viral, with many recreating the dance on social media.
In the past few weeks, Rayyan Arkan Dikha, an 11-year-old boy who lives in Indonesia and, according to his local government, goes by Dika, has been hard to miss on social media, even if you have never heard of his name.
A video of him dancing on the front of a boat has become an internet sensation and is the reason 'aura farming' has become a popular phrase.
The video has been overlaid with various songs, imitated by countless creators, commented on by celebrities and, most recently, led to Dika being named a tourism ambassador for Riau, the province in Indonesia where he lives.
While many of the videos featuring Dika have amassed millions of views around the world, his popularity in the United States – and the explosion in use of the phrase 'aura farming' – has come despite relatively little information being available about him or the race he competes in.
What is aura farming?
According to the website Know Your Meme, the expression was popularised in 2024 largely in reference to anime characters and various celebrities.
It generally refers to someone who does something repetitive to look cool and build, as Gen Alpha would say, aura.
Dika, who seems strangely calm on the bow of a thin boat, dressed in black and wearing sunglasses, uses a series of repetitive movements in his dance, making him a perfect fit for the term.
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Why is he dancing on the front of a boat?
In the original video, which was posted on TikTok in January 2025 by a user named Lensa Rams, Dika is participating in an event in Riau called Pacu Jalur, which roughly translates to 'boat race'.
It is part of an annual festival that dates back hundreds of years, and each of the long canoe-like boats in the race has, as part of its large crew, a Tukang Tari who dances and provides inspiration for the rowers.
Dika, who has participated in the races since he was 9, has become the face of the tradition, but each boat has its own Tukang Tari, and each brings a different vibe to the race.
How has this spread so quickly?
The video has been around for months – Pacu Jalur is held in August – but it has exploded in popularity in the last few weeks, at least partly because the dance is easy to imitate.
In addition to the various creators on Instagram and TikTok who have tried their hand at Dika's dance, it has been posted about by Travis Kelce, the NFL star and boyfriend of Taylor Swift, who compared his own moves to Dika's in a video with more than 13 million views.
The dance was recreated on a baseball field by the Party Animals, a rowdier cousin of the Savannah Bananas, with a TikTok of their rendition receiving more than 5 million views.
It was even used as a goal celebration by Diego Luna of the United States men's national soccer team in a win over Guatemala last week.
Is the kid getting anything for all this attention?
On July 8 , the government in Riau, citing the impact of the video and the fact that he had been 'inspiring local kids to embrace and preserve their traditions,' named Dika as a tourism ambassador for the province.
The Riau governor, Mr Abdul Wahid, awarded him a scholarship for 20 million rupiah (S$1579) for his education. Dika also performed a rendition of his dance along with Mr Wahid and other officials.
'Wow, I'm so happy,' Dika said in Indonesian in a notice from the government about the scholarship.
'I never imagined I'd meet the governor.'
He can most likely expect quite a bit more attention when Pacu Jalur returns in August . NYTIMES