How viral African dance videos are busting stereotypes in China The more followers, likes and reposts they get, the more recognition, status and money they can gain. Art & Culture 24 min ago

Viral African dance in China becomes simultaneously a form of cultural exchange, a site that treats racial identity as a commodity, and a means through which dancers strategically negotiate and reproduce ideas about Africa and African dance.

Over the past decade, African dance influencers and dance entrepreneurs in China, like Yoofi, have worked hard to attract audiences, offering new ways of imagining Africa.

From learning choreography in studios to shooting dance videos on the streets to dancing in nightclubs, I entered this rich world of dance and developed a research project around it to study how African dancers in China harness cultural norms and market themselves to serve their larger mobility project.