Dancing with death: The risks behind Thailand’s latest street trend

Young social media users are turning roads across Thailand into stages for their online performances, in a viral trend that has sparked public alarm as well as a legal backlash.

Hungry for likes on channels such as TikTok and Instagram, content creators have taken to performing stunts and dance routines under streetlights, risking their own and others’ safety as vehicles speed by.

In one recent incident, five women filmed themselves dancing on a busy road in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district then posted the video on TikTok. In the clip, one woman performs backflips across the asphalt as a car soon moves past her.

The video quickly went viral, sparking police action amid loud complaints that the women could have caused a serious accident.

“We went out there to create content,” one of the women explained. “We didn’t think it would cause problems because it was late at night, and we didn’t expect many cars to be on the road.”

As the video racked up thousands of likes, Sattahip Police Station chief Pol Colonel Komsan Khamtunkaew ordered his men to track down the culprits.

Fines and reprimand

After discovering that they worked at a karaoke bar near the spot where the clip was recorded, police summoned the women for punishment. They were fined for jaywalking and obstructing traffic, and threatened with harsher penalties if they repeated the stunt.

Looking chastened as they left the station, the troupe of tarmac dancers promised there would be no encore of their street performance.

Breakdancing at the intersection

A few days earlier, a 47-year-old named Wittaya stopped his motorbike at a busy intersection in Udon Thani and launched into an impromptu breakdancing routine in heavy traffic. A clip of the performance recorded by a driver waiting at the red light rapidly went viral, attracting more than 10 million views.

Three days later, police officers showed up at Wittaya’s doorstep. Their first action was to take him for a drug test, which came back negative. But he had still broken at least three laws by obstructing traffic, parking in a prohibited zone, and not wearing a helmet.

However, police let him off with a stern warning and a threat of punishment if he was caught dancing on the street again.

Apologising to officers, Wittaya explained, “I just wanted to show my dance moves to inspire the youth.”

Unstoppable trend?

These two recent incidents are just the tip of a viral iceberg. Social media platforms are hopping with content showing individuals and groups breaking into spontaneous dance performances on roads across Thailand.

In 2024, three popular TikTokers sparked a backlash after stopping their vehicle on a steep road in Nan province to record a dance reel. Heavy public criticism forced them to delete the reel and post an apology.

When it can hurt

As well as being both dangerous and illegal, performing acrobatic dance moves on hard street surfaces carries a high risk of personal injury.

According to the article “A Hard Place to Land: Dancing on Concrete”, published by Dance Informa magazine (www.danceinforma.com), dancing on unforgiving surfaces like concrete and asphalt can cause long-term physical damage.

Dr Emily Love, director of Physical Therapy at Oklahoma City Ballet, notes in the article that concrete offers zero shock absorption. She adds that she has treated many street dancers for injuries like stress fractures, sprained ankles, bruised heels, shin splints, plantar fasciitis and lower back pain.

By Thai PBS World’s General Desk