Toddler Learning Traditional Dance Delights Internet: ‘The Best’

A toddler has proved you are never too young to start learning your family’s culture in a clip on TikTok.

Hope Lawrence, from New Zealand, posted a video on TikTok of her 1-year-old enthusiastically attempting to follow his dad’s movements while he teaches him the traditional Haka dance. She captioned the clip: “Teach them the way young. Keep our culture going.”

The Haka is a traditional Mãori dance that originated in New Zealand and holds deep cultural significance for the Mãori people, the indigenous Polynesian population of the country.

The Haka is often characterized by synchronized movements, rhythmic stomping, chanting and facial expressions designed to convey strength, unity and emotion.

Lawrence’s TikTok video went viral on the platform, amassing over 59 million views since it was uploaded on November 16. It also garnered more than 58,000 comments from other social-media users who were moved by the dad passing on his heritage. Newsweek reached out to Hope Lawrence via email. We could not verify details of the case.

“Baby Haka is the best!” one user wrote. “The Haka is so powerful but seeing this father teaching his baby is so much more powerful. I am deeply moved,” another said.

Studies show that infants are naturally responsive to rhythm and movement. Research from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) indicates that babies as young as a few months old have a natural ability to move rhythmically to music and prefer rhythmically synchronized sounds.

Others praised Lawrence and her husband (@zaro9lawrence on TikTok) for fostering a strong cultural connection at such a young age.

“You know Haka runs deep in their veins when the babies know what to do. Their ancestors are speaking to everyone of all ages,” a third user commented. “I’ll never skip a Haka video. The passion gives me chills every time,” said another.

Today, the Haka remains a vibrant symbol of Mãori identity and culture. Its most globally recognized use is by New Zealand’s national rugby team, the All Blacks, whose players perform a Haka before each match.

One user suggested the need for “an entire team of babies” doing the traditional Haka dance. “Can’t stop watching. Any haka stops me in my tracks and this one was extra special,” another wrote.

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