Who Is Rayyan Arkan Dikha? 11-Year-Old Indonesian Boy Whose Boat Dance Went Viral
Rayyan Arkan Dikha has taken social media by storm with his swift and swagger-filled dance moves while he stood on the tip of a long, speeding boat.
An 11-year-old Indonesian boy is the new internet sensation. Named Rayyan Arkan Dikha, he has taken social media by storm with his swift and swagger-filled dance moves while he stood on the tip of a long, speeding boat. He has now become the face of 'aura farming'. Rayyan's dance got so popular that even celebrities couldn't stop themselves from imitating it.
If you want to know more about the viral Indonesian boy and aura farming, keep on reading.
What Does 'Aura Farming' Mean?
It is an internet slang term to describe someone who looks cool and confident all the time, or to build one's aura. Popularised last year, the term is used to describe Anime characters as well as celebrities like Timothee Chalamet. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the slang word 'aura' is used to describe 'stylishness; confident and suave excellence."
It further said, 'In sports and entertainment, an athlete or performer is said to have an aura when displaying 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."
Who Is The Viral Indonesian Boy?
Rayyan Arkan Dikha, the 11-year-old Indonesian boy, is a class 5 student from a village in Kuantan Singingi Regency in Riau Province. As reported by the BBC, he was dressed in a traditional outfit known as a Teluk Belanga with a Malay Riau headcloth and stylish sunglasses. As seen in a video, he confidently stood in front of a boat rowed by a bunch of men, blew kisses to people and broke into smooth dance moves while balancing on the narrow tip of the boat.
The clip, which has captured millions of hearts around the world, is from last August, from the national Pacu Jalur boat race. Rayyan was not dancing just for fun; it was a part of their centuries-old tradition. Every year in Indonesia, a boat race called Pacu Jalur, like Vallam Kali in India. The boats are long and shaped like canoes, and each one has a young dancer called a Tukang Tari in the front, like Rayyan. This dancer helps motivate the rowers with his performance.
The original video was shared on TikTok in January this year. Rayyan, who has been a Tukang Tari since he was nine, has been dubbed the 'ultimate aura farmer" on social media.
His moves have been copied by popular celebrities like the NFL star Travis Kelce. Meanwhile, American soccer player Diego Luna celebrated his team's victory over Guatemala by imitating Rayyan's dance moves. Even the French football club Paris Saint-Germain shared a clip on TikTok, with the caption, 'His aura made it all the way to Paris."
Rayyan's popularity grew so much that the Indonesian government took note of it. Indonesia's Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, spoke about him at an event and said, 'Dancing at the tip of the boat is not easy. 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 even named the 11-year-old a tourism ambassador for the province, sharing that he had been 'inspiring local kids to embrace and preserve their traditions". He was also awarded a scholarship of 20 million rupiah (approx. Rs 1.06 lakh). He told BBC Indonesia, 'Wow, I'm so happy. I never imagined I'd meet the governor." Speaking about his now-viral dance, he mentioned, 'I came up with the dance myself. It was just spontaneous."
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First Published:
July 15, 2025, 09:59 IST
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