Dancing Pallbearers

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This article is about the Internet meme. For the song featured in the video, see Astronomia (Vicetone remix).
Dancing Pallbearers
Screenshot of the video clip showing pallbearers dancing with the coffin, which is originally taken from BBC News.
Screenshot of the video clip showing pallbearers dancing with the coffin, which is originally taken from BBC News.
Background information
OriginPrampram, Ghana
Members
  • Benjamin Aidoo with 4 others

Dancing Pallbearers, also known by a variety of names, including Dancing Coffin, Coffin Dancers, Coffin Dance Meme, or simply Coffin Dance, are a Ghanaian group of pallbearers who are based in the coastal town of Prampram in the Greater Accra Region of southern Ghana, although they perform across the country as well as outside Ghana.[1] The founder and leader of the group is Benjamin Aidoo.[2] They are locally referred to as Nana Otafrija Pallbearing and Waiting Service or Dada awu.[3]

The group initially gained worldwide attention through a BBC feature story in 2017.[4] In March 2020, the group became an internet meme when the videos were paired with EDM song "Astronomia" by Tony Igy,[5] and gained popularity in FAIL edits.[6]

Origin[]

The Dancing Pallbearers are led by Benjamin Aidoo, who started the group as a regular pallbearer service in 2003.[7][8] He later had the idea of adding choreography to their pallbearing work. Extra fees are charged for dancing with the coffin during a funeral.[9] The Dancing Pallbearers first rose to prominence in 2017 when they were featured in a BBC News report.[10] The third video, which depicted pallbearers accidentally dropping a coffin during their dance, was first posted by Facebook user Bigscout Nana Prempeth on May 2, 2019 and gaining over 2,900 reactions, 4,600 shares and 350,000 views in one year, and then Matthew "DigiNeko" Ordrick uploaded it in YouTube where it received over 300M views.[11]

Spread[]

The video gained significant popularity on TikTok as a punchline for FAIL clips in a manner similar to To Be Continued and We'll Be Right Back memes, implying that the person in the FAIL video has died. For example, on March 6, 2020, TikTok account Trickshots posted a version of the meme that received over 2.9 million views and 237,000 likes.[6] In 2020, the meme was used to send a message around the world during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.[12] Since the trend, it has been popular on social media but mostly used on TikTok.[13]

In popular culture[]

Pallbearers in Nigeria displaying different dancing skills with a casket on their way to a burial site.
  • In late March 2020, a YouTuber with the channel name "t-series" uploaded the video to YouTube which started a trend on the Internet. In April, the group became the subject of a darkly comedic internet meme when videos of people suffering various mishaps, followed by clips of the pallbearers dancing with coffins (implicitly the victims of the preceding clips), were widely uploaded to Reddit, YouTube and TikTok.[14] The clips are generally paired up with the song "Astronomia" by Russian musical artist Tony Igy and remixed by Dutch duo Vicetone, although others use either "You Know I'll Go Get" by DJ Haning and Rizky Ayuba (a remixed version of Enrique Iglesias's song "Finally Found You") or Lenka's "Trouble Is a Friend".[15] Many uses of this meme are commonly associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which was ongoing when the meme became popular.[16]
  • In Brazil, the social media meme was brought to the streets, as a billboard image featuring the coffin dancers was displayed with the caption 'stay home or dance with us'.[17] In May 2020, the group released a video where they capitalized on the phrase, encouraging viewers to 'stay home or dance with us'.[18]
  • Leaders of the Libertarian party in Georgia "Girchi" dressed up in traditional Georgian clothes – Chokha – and made their own version of the video.[19]
  • In May 2020, US President Donald Trump shared an edited video of the dancing pallbearers carrying a coffin on his social media in response to a controversial remark by Joe Biden. In the edited video, Biden's campaign logo was superimposed on the coffin.[20]
  • In Colombia and Peru, policemen imitate the group's dance carrying a coffin on their shoulders, encouraging the community to stay home to stem the spread of the Coronavirus.[21][22]
  • In Hong Kong, a company has started cashing in by molding them into plastic figurines for sale.[23]
  • In early October 2020, the meme experienced a revival on social media following the White House COVID-19 outbreak, in which Trump himself was tested positive for COVID-19.[24]
  • The usage of the meme also increased after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was diagnosed with the disease.[citation needed]
  • An easter egg in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War references the meme.[25]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "How Prampram pallbearers became an international sensation – and a meme". April 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "VIRAL COFFIN DANCERS (internet meme legends)" – via www.youtube.com.
  3. ^ "Funeral dancers for hire". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  4. ^ "Africa Live: Def Jam comes to Africa to 'invest in talent'". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  5. ^ Amter, Charlie (April 30, 2020). "Tracing the 'Coffin Dance' Meme Music's Path From Russia to Ghana to the World".
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ghana Pallbearers Funny Coffin Song Is Still in a Trend for a Meme". General News, Breaking News, Movies, Tv Shows, Gaming - XdigitalNews. April 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "VIRAL COFFIN DANCERS (internet meme legends)". youtube. 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  8. ^ "A Peep Into Ghana Dancing Pallbearers". Gistvic. 2020-04-02. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  9. ^ "Ghanaians really know how to celebrate when someone dies". Metro. 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  10. ^ "Ghana's dancing pallbearers bring funeral joy". BBC. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  11. ^ "Here's the story behind the 'coffin dance crew' we see on the internet every day". InqPOP!. April 13, 2020.
  12. ^ Staff, The World. "Ghana's dancing pallbearers are being used to send a message around the world: 'Stay home or dance with us'". Business Insider.
  13. ^ Lorenz, Taylor (May 7, 2020). "Memers are Taking Over TikTok". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Kaur, Loveleen (2020-04-04). "Ghana's Dancing Pallbearers Inspire Memes & Jokes Online". Storypick. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  15. ^ Amter, Charlie (April 30, 2020). "Tracing the 'Coffin Dance' Meme Music's Path From Russia to Ghana to the World". Variety. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  16. ^ Paquette, Danielle (April 25, 2020). "The sudden rise of the coronavirus grim reaper: Ghana's dancing pallbearers". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  17. ^ Nunoo, Favour (17 April 2020). "'Stay home or dance plus us' – How dancing Ghana pallbearers turn Covid-19 sensation". BBC News Pidgin.
  18. ^ Scribner, Herb (7 May 2020). "In new video, viral Ghana coffin dancers warn everyone to 'stay home or dance with us'". Deseret News.
  19. ^ ""გირჩის ცეკვა კუბოთი" (ვიდეო)".
  20. ^ "Did Trump Post a Video with Biden Logo on a Coffin?". Snopes.com. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  21. ^ "Viral Video: TN police imitate Ghana dancing pallbearers to urge people to stay indoors". May 4, 2020.
  22. ^ "'I'm stranded in Peru and can't leave my hostel'". BBC News.
  23. ^ Sullivan, Helen (May 14, 2020). "'Why should you cry?' Ghana's dancing pallbearers find new fame during Covid-19" – via www.theguardian.com.
  24. ^ "The Ghanaian Pallbearers Have Come For Trump". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  25. ^ "How to Complete Zombies Coffin Dance Easter Egg in COD: Black Ops Cold War". ScreenRant. 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
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