Indonesian boy's ‘aura farming' dance on boat takes internet by storm: Who is he?

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4 days ago

Rayyan Arkan Dikha, an 11-year-old boy, has gone viral for his dance moves on the front of a boat. His videos have amassed millions of views and have popularised the term 'aura farming'. The boy has now been declared a 'tourism ambassador' of Riau, the province where he lives read more
Rayyan Arkan Dikha has gone viral for his dance moves. Image Courtesy: TikTok/Lensa Rams
A boy in Indonesia has gone viral for dancing on the tip of a long racing boat. The 11-year-old has become an internet sensation and popularised the phrase 'aura farming'.
The boy's moves have been imitated by famous sporting stars such as American Football player Travis Kelce and F1 driver Alex Albon. As the kid grabs eyeballs for his cool dance steps, who is he and what is aura farming?
We will explain.
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What does 'aura farming' mean?
'Aura farming' is used to describe anime characters and various celebrities, including Hollywood star Timothée Chalamet.
Popularised last year, the term refers to the act of consistently looking cool to build one's 'aura.'
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the slang aura as 'stylishness; confident and suave excellence'. A sportsperson or performer is said to have aura when they exhibit 'exceptional talent, charisma, or other inspirational qualities'.
'On social media, one is said to gain or lose (metaphorical) aura points when doing something impressive or embarrassing, respectively,' it said.
Indonesia boy's 'aura farming' dance viral
Rayyan Arkan Dikha is making waves globally for his dance, full of swag, on the front of a boat. Dressed in all traditional black and wearing sunglasses, the viral video of the boy shows him blowing kisses to his left and right before he breaks into dance.
The boy, who hails from a village in Kuantan Singingi Regency in Indonesia's Riau province, was donning a traditional outfit known as a Teluk Belanga with a Malay Riau headcloth, as per a BBC report.
The clip that has gone viral is from the national Pacu Jalur boat race last August. The centuries-old annual festival features canoe-like boats in the competition. Dikha is the Tukang Tari, who dances on the tip of the boat to energise the rowers, as per The New York Times (NYT) report. Each boat has its own Tukang Tari.
The original video of the young boy was first posted to TikTok in January by a user named Lensa Rams. Dikha, who has been participating in the boat race since he was nine, has been dubbed 'the ultimate aura farmer' on social media.
🔥🚨BREAKING: This young man named Dika has taken over the Internet on all platforms for 'legendary aura farming' he can be seen dancing on the front of boat races in Indonesia to boost moral.
The viral kid stealing hearts at Pacu Jalur, His dance isn't just moves, it's pure… pic.twitter.com/awify23gFh — Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) July 7, 2025
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Videos have gone viral with hashtags like 'aura farming kid on boat" and 'boat race kid aura', garnering millions of views on TikTok since late June.
'He's known as 'the reaper' because he never loses,' a top-liked comment on a clip that has over one million likes read.
'Bro taking out opps[opponents] while aura farming is crazy,' wrote another.
Athletes, sports teams copy Dikha's moves
Several social media users, including popular athletes, have been copying his moves and posting videos online.
Travis Kelce, US football player and boyfriend of pop singer Taylor Swift, compared his own moves to Dikha's in a video which has amassed over 13 million (1.3 crore) views.
American soccer player Diego Luna celebrated the US men's national soccer team's victory over Guatemala recently by imitating Dikha's moves.
On July 1, the French football club Paris Saint-Germain posted a TikTok clip trying the boat racing dance, with the caption: 'His aura made it all the way to Paris.'
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Dikha becomes tourism ambassador
The global popularity that the boy has garnered has caught the attention of the Indonesian government.
'Dancing at the tip of the boat is not easy,' Indonesia's minister of culture Fadli Zon told reporters at an event to fete Dikha last week. 'Maintaining balance as a dancer who motivates the Pacu Jalur rowing team is truly not simple. Perhaps that's why children are chosen instead of adults - because it's easier for them to keep balance.'
The governor of Riau has named Dika as a tourism ambassador for the province, citing that he had been 'inspiring local kids to embrace and preserve their traditions'.
The boy has been awarded a scholarship of 20 million rupiah (around Rs 1.06 lakh) for his education. Dikha also performed a rendition of his dance with Governor Abdul Wahid and other officials.
'Wow, I'm so happy,' Dikha said in Indonesian about the scholarship. 'I never imagined I'd meet the governor.'
Speaking to BBC Indonesia, he said the moves came to him out of the blue. 'I came up with the dance myself,' he said, adding: 'It was just spontaneous.'
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All eyes will be on Dikha, who will perform in the boat race next month, with the local government confirming his participation.
With inputs from agencies