Black ‘Alors on Danse’ TikTok creators not given same opportunities as white counterparts
White creators on the popular app receive more accolades and opportunities than Black ones do
The Black creators of the viral “Alors on Danse” TikTok dance from last summer say they didn’t get the same level of credit as their white counterparts.
Usim Mang created the dance and video, set to a remix of the 2010 Stromae song, which has received more than 150 million views and counting. It has since been shared by more popular TikTok users – many of whom have not credited Mang or the other dancers – all Black – by tagging them in the videos, said Insider.
In addition, TikTok has not verified the creators of the video; as with Twitter, verification is a badge of authenticity that confirms someone else is not pretending to be the original creator.
The viral nature of TikTok videos are attractive to other forms of media, including late-night TV. White teen Haley Sharpe created a viral dance to Doja Cat’s “Say So” in 2020, and since appearing on various shows, has over 3 million TikTok followers, a clothing line, a verified account, and was invited by Doja Cat herself to perform in a music video.
“The opportunities that these artists or creators get are really life-changing,” Akua Sackey, one of the dancers in the video, told Insider.
Mang has attempted in vain to get media to cover his dance.
“We have been proven time and time again, that Black creators don’t get credit,” Sackey, one of the dancers in the video, told Insider. “And people just don’t care about Black creators.”
In June, Black TikTok creators went on strike by deciding not to post their choreography to Megan Thee Stallion’s new song “Thot Sh–” after white creators were given all the credit for viral dance routines, theGrio previously reported.
“We observed over the years on TikTok that most dances on the app are originated by Black creators. And creators who aren’t Black will water it down to do the bare minimum of the dance and claim it as their own,” Jazmine Moore, a 20-year-old TikTokker, told Mashable.
As with many viral memes, it can be tough to determine the original creator and provide due credit, but TikTok has the ability to pinpoint the creators via verification.
“White creators try to make out, like, ‘I didn’t know the dance creator’ — well, figure it out,” said TikToker Aaron Canthoop, also featured in the “Alors” video, to Insider. “It’s literally easy,” he added.”I guess some creators think they’re too big to do that, but it’s important for creators, especially when they’re trying to grow.”
As is often the case, famous white people who co-opt or use the intellectual content of Black creators don’t credit them. This was the case when Addison Rae, one of the most followed TikTok personalities, caught flak early this year for performing Black dances on The Jimmy Fallon Show without offering credit.
Same with Charli D’Amelio who also appeared on Fallon to do a dance created by Black teen Jalaiah Harmon. D’Amelio leveraged her TikTok fame into a Hulu reality show.
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