A Philippine worker based in Chiayi County on Monday released his own version of a trending online dance challenge to share the beauty of Taipei with people in the Philippines in the hope of showcasing Taiwan as a tourist destination.
Cyril Buna, 40, mixed his own unique dance flavor with iconic scenes from Taipei in his rendition of the viral In My Feelings dance challenge.
The challenge, which is also referred to as the “Kiki” or “Keke” challenge, has evolved into a format in which people around the world get out of moving vehicles and dance next to them while the driver films.
Videos have included marching bands, dogs and even more exotic events, such as farmers dancing next to a plow pulled by bullocks in a rice field.
According to a Washington Post online report on Tuesday last week, the dance challenge started when US comedian Shiggy on June 30 posted a video on Instagram dancing to In My Feelings, a track from Canadian rapper Drake’s fifth studio album, Scorpion, which was released on June 29.
As of Wednesday, Shiggy’s video had generated 6.899 million views.
As the craze caught on, people started adding more dangerous moves and stunts, such as dancing alongside moving vehicles, the newspaper said.
The trend quickly caught on and the number of posts on Instagram with the hashtag #inmyfeelingschallenge had passed 486,000 as of Wednesday.
In the past few weeks, some “challengers” have been run over, fined or badly injured, including a US teen who fractured her skull, the newspaper said, adding that others have fallen or tripped over potholes, while one woman was even robbed as she danced.
Filming with moving vehicles is dangerous, Buna said, adding that he does not promote the idea.
Instead, he added his own twist by dancing in and around tourist sights in Taipei, such as the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei Expo Park and Taipei 101.
The message and inspiration behind the video is to show viewers how overseas Philippine workers can utilize their spare time by combining the recreational activity of dance with exploring the beauty of Taiwan’s capital, Buna said.
He said he wants to show that overseas Philippine workers can promote “good vibes” in everything they do while staying positive and happy.
When not working, Buna said he advocates dancing and has encouraged his coworkers to do the same as a way of channeling their energy into something creative, rather than vices.
He and his friends create mutual trust and friendship by dancing together while promoting the benefits of dance, he added.
Buna arrived in Taiwan in 2005 and has been active in dance competitions in the nation since 2006.
His dance group won trophies at competitions organized by the Taipei City Government for migrant workers in 2007 and 2009, he said.
He is captain of the six-member Nanya Dance Crew, who are to participate in the Kapamilya Fun Time dance competition, organized by global subscription TV network the Filipino Channel, in Taoyuan on Sunday.
Buna is not alone in his plans to showcase Taiwan as a vacation destination.
Last month, a photograph of Philippine actress and vlogger Alex Gonzaga during a trip to Taiwan received more than 196,000 likes on Instagram, reflecting increased interest in the nation as a possible vacation destination for people from the Philippines.
The photograph, which shows Gonzaga strolling on a main walkway in the gardens of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, was uploaded to the social network on July 9 and had received 196,212 likes as of July 14.
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