Jump to content

Dancing Pallbearers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Masem (talk | contribs) at 14:37, 19 May 2020 (→top). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Dancing Pallbearers
Screenshot of the video clip showing pallbearers dancing with the coffin, which is commonly used for the meme.
Screenshot of the video clip showing pallbearers dancing with the coffin, which is commonly used for the meme.
Background information
OriginPrampram, Ghana
Members
  • Benjamin Aidoo

Dancing Pallbearers, also known as Dancing Coffin and the 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 internationally.[1][2][3][4] They are locally referred to as Nana Otafrija Pallbearing and Waiting Service or Dada awu.[5][6][7]

Though the group initially gained worldwide attention though a BBC feature story in 2017, the footage became part of an Internet meme in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

Origin

The Dancing Pallbearers are led by Benjamin Aidoo, who started the group as a regular pallbearer service. He later had the idea of adding choreography to their pallbearing work. Extra fees are charged for dancing with the coffin during a funeral.[8] The Dancing Pallbearers first rose to prominence in 2017 when they were featured in a BBC News report.[9]

In April 2020, 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 YouTube and TikTok.[10] 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".[11] Many uses of this meme are commonly associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which was ongoing when the meme became popular.[12]

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'.[13] In May, the group released a video where they capitalized on the phrase, encouraging viewers to 'stay home or dance with us'.[14]

References

  1. ^ "How Prampram pallbearers became an international sensation - and a meme". April 17, 2020.
  2. ^ BroBible. "Comedy May Have Officially Peaked With The 'Dancing Pallbearers' Meme And It Couldn't Have Happened At A Better Time". BroBible. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  3. ^ "Dancing Pallbearers". Know Your Meme. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  4. ^ "The dancing pallbearers meme showcases failures of epic proportions". The Daily Dot. 2020-04-05. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  5. ^ "Funeral dancers for hire". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  6. ^ "How Prampram pallbearers became an international sensation - and a meme". The Ghana Report. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  7. ^ Quaye, Jacqueline Johnson (2020-04-16). "From Ghana to Global Superstars: The Dancing pallbearers from Prampram". AmeyawDebrah.com. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  8. ^ "Ghanaians really know how to celebrate when someone dies". Metro. 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  9. ^ "Ghana's dancing pallbearers bring funeral joy". BBC. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  10. ^ Kaur, Loveleen (2020-04-04). "Ghana's Dancing Pallbearers Inspire Memes & Jokes Online". Storypick. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Paquette, Danielle (April 25, 2020). "The sudden rise of the coronavirus grim reaper: Ghana's dancing pallbearers". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  13. ^ Nunoo, Favour (17 April 2020). "'Stay home or dance plus us' – How dancing Ghana pallbearers turn Covid-19 sensation". BBC News Pidgin.
  14. ^ Scribner, Herb (7 May 2020). "In new video, viral Ghana coffin dancers warn everyone to 'stay home or dance with us'". Deseret News.
Stub icon

This death-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This job-, occupation-, or vocation-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dancing_Pallbearers&oldid=957576781"