“Aura Farming Boat Kid”: Indonesia: the viral dance of a child makes the crowds jump to a traditional race

In their long boats, the rowers swarmed frantically in front of a crowd who came to attend the Pacu Jalur, a traditional nautical race in Indonesia. But this year, she is experiencing an exceptional crowd, boosted by the video that has become viral of a young boy dancing at the front of the boats.

About a kilometer long, the Pacu Jalur race is very famous in the archipelago where it was held until Sunday on the Kuantan river, in the province of Riau, on the island of Sumatra (west).

It traditionally makes up for spectators, mainly Indonesian. But this year, the organizers were waiting up to 100,000 additional people, this time from around the world.

The reason for such a craze? The dance of Rayyan Arkan Dikha, 11 -year -old Indonesian, standing at the front of boats launched at full speed, captured in a video of about twenty seconds which went around the world in June.

The images show Rayyan turning off his hands and then swing his arms back and forth. It has accumulated millions of views on Tiktok and other platforms. Sports stars such as F1 pilot Alexander Albon or Marc Marquez (MotoGP) then imitated the child’s gestures. At the Pacu Jalur, the dancer at the front of the boat has the function of encouraging the rowers.

This visibility has generated this year an unprecedented influx of visitors to the Kuantan river, including Duncan McAnaught, 22 -year -old Australian tourist. “I wanted to film and show the festival to the whole world,” he says. “I think the rowers are crazy. They are great. ”.

Foreign tourists

Yuyun Kurnia, a 38 -year -old Indonesian, made the trip from the city of Medan, at 5 p.m. on the road after hearing the race on social networks. It is “incredible” to be able to attend in person, she enthuses.

The origins of the Pacu Jalur date back to the 17th century, according to the local government’s website, when the inhabitants used the river to transport goods and people aboard a long traditional wooden boat called “jalur”. The boat then evolved to be used in races organized annually in August.

For the 2025 edition, more than 220 teams, most of them from local villages or districts, participated in the race, with a total of around 900 million rupees (55,000 dollars) estimates Roni Rakhmat, director of the Riau Tourist Agency.

Last year, Pacu Jalur attracted 1.4 million visitors and reported more than $ 2.5 million to the local economy, according to the Ministry of Tourism. This year, the organizers were waiting for 1.5 million spectators and hoped for revenue up to $ 4.6 million in revenue, according to Roni Rakhmat.

In previous years, “there were no foreigners to attend the Pacu Jalur. Today there are, ”he says.

«Super cool»

According to him, the authorities took advantage of this increased visibility to improve the organization of the event and the cleanliness of the river. Police and the army have thus taken measures to put an end to illegal gold exploitation near the watercourse in order to reduce pollution.

“I find it super cool that a child of his age managed to create a personal brand image thanks to the Pacu Jalur,” says Naysila Ayunita Sari, 18. “With his dances, he made the Pacu Jalur known to the whole world.”

“This kid dancing standing on a boat, it’s not easy at all,” abounds Frima, a 35 -year -old resident, who, like many Indonesians, has only one name. “If you ask me if I dare to try … the answer is no”.