These Nigerian Children's Dance Videos Are Going Viral—Thanks in Part to Rihanna

March 18, 2018

Everyone loves a good viral video, especially when there’s dancing involved. And though many viral videos are contrived and created for the soul purpose of instafame, the story behind the latest video catching the eyes of millions—including Rihanna, super model Naomi Campbell, and Diddy—is even more unique because it features children who don’t even know who those celebrities are.

A dance troupe in Nigeria has become the next internet sensation, thanks to their exuberant dancing and passion with which they perform. Their enthusiasm for dance is evident in every step and it’s hard not to smile as you see these children (who range from ages 6 to 15) express pure joy in something as simple as dance. These nine kids are part of The Dream Catchers, an organization started by 26-year-old Seyi Oluyole, that gives impoverished children a place to live while teaching them how to dance.

Oluyole has an Instagram account full of videos that illustrate the talent of her live-in dance squad, but it wasn’t until Rihanna featured one of The Dream Catchers’ videos on her account that the group started to see a massive increase in likes. Naomi Campbell joined in and posted the dance squad’s video on her Insta with a caption that read “Dancing QUEENS… can’t wait to meet you in person.”

Oluyole hopes that dancing will give these children an opportunity to pursue their education and go on to get Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. “We hope the kids can attain this height of success through their passion; dancing and acting,” Oluyole said.