Who is Rayyan Arkan Dhika? An 11-year-old Indonesian boy going viral for his boat racing dance

Indian Express

14-07-2025

Rayyan Arkan Dhika, an 11-year-old boy from Indonesia, has caught the world's eye for his dance, smooth and full of swagger, during a local festival, as he stood in the front of a long, speeding boat.
Dhika was a part of the traditional Pacu Jalur festival in Riau, where he danced confidently at the bow of a racing canoe. In one of his viral videos, he can be seen in a traditional Teluk Belanga costume paired with a Malay Riau headcloth.
Dhika, a Class 5 student from a village in Kuantan Singingi Regency, was making his first appearance at the festival.
Standing at the prow of the moving race boat rowed by several adults, he can be seen blowing kisses to both sides and waving his arms, all the while maintaining an expressionless face.
In another video, he extends one of his hands forward at chest height and sweeps the other beneath it, then rotates both fists in a wheel-like motion.
bro's job is to aura farm pic.twitter.com/aqwyTrezwB
— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) July 2, 2025
Reacting to his viral moment, Dhika, in an interview with the BBC, said, 'I came up with the dance myself. It was just spontaneous. Every time my friends see me, they say, 'You're viral'.'
The video racked up over five million views, with a user saying, 'I watched all the videos below, and the kid in black clothes still has the best sense of rhythm.' Another user commented, 'The amount of balance you need for this is crazy.'
'He's directing the wind for better aerodynamics,' a third user reacted.
French football club Paris Saint-Germain shared a TikTok clip of themselves attempting the boat racing dance, captioned, 'His aura made it all the way to Paris.' The video garnered over seven million views in just 10 days, as reported by the BBC.
NFL star and Taylor Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, also posted his rendition, which has since surpassed 14 million views.