Elephant dance viral video gains over 7 lakh views; netizens say ‘It’s not vibing…’

Viral video: Dance, and other art forms have often been known to be outlets of emotions. Human beings dance in joy, peacocks dance in rain. But, have you ever come across an elephant dancing to express its stress?

A video of two women performing Bharatanatyam while an elephant sways behind them, seemingly joining in the dance, has gone viral on social media. However, an Indian Forest Service officer suggested there may be more to the ‘dancing elephant’ than it appears, and the animal could actually be stressed.

The post has garnered over seven lakh views, leaving netizens in awe.

How the elephant danced

The video shows two women performing Bharatanatyam outdoors, with an elephant tied to a pole behind them. As the women dance, the elephant begins swaying side to side, seemingly joining in.

The video was shared on X with the caption: “Two girls are performing Bharatanatyam when suddenly an elephant joins in, matching their moves and vibing along gracefully.”

Netizens recognise the truth behind

While some X users made hilarious comments about the elephant‘s dance, several others pointed out how animal’s swaying motions was an indicator of stress.

“Except the fact that, elephant was in chain and the girls were free,” commented one user.

“1) Mohiniattam, not bharatnatyam 2) The elephant is stressed,” wrote another one. A third commented, “It’s not vibing. It’s literally stressed.”

We should not humanise animals. They have their own ways of living and expressing themselves.

Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan highlighted that the elephant is likely stressed, rather than dancing in joy as many might think. “That elephant is stressed. It’s not dancing, but showing signs of stress,” Kaswan wrote in response to the clip. “We should not humanise animals. They have their own ways of living and expressing themselves,” he added, sharing another video of an elephant swaying side to side when stressed.