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Lunar New Year gets funky—watch this amazing Asian dance group boogie to James Brown

lunar new year, year of the tiger, black history month
TikTok

They got soul power!

This year, Lunar New Year got funky.

If you were on social media Feb 1, you might have (very likely) seen posts commemorating the first day of the Chinese New Year, though it’s also celebrated in other Asian cultures.

Being the year of the Tiger, which symbolizes courage, bravery, boldness—all those awesome tiger-y things—we were pleasantly infiltrated with tiger memes and videos, including this adorable cutie:

Which I suppose is more of a dragon, but still.

However, since both Lunar New Year and the first day of Black History Month fell on the same day this year (not always the case), one dance group decided to do something extra festive. And it’s not hard to see why it’s become a viral sensation.

The TikTok video, now with nearly 4 million views, has a simple, yet effective caption: “we’re feeling good and ready to have a funky time.”

@danceon We’re feeling good and ready to have a funky time 🎶💃🕺 #Moga_almeri♬ Doing It To Death - Pts. 1 & 2 - The J.B.'s

Everything about this performance is a delight: the fun flowy outfits, the undeniable amount of joy being had, the fabulous thwack-inspired choreography that elicits an insatiable urge to get up and shake it … it’s just glorious. And the fact that it’s set to iconic music of James Brown is what brings it all together.

lunar new year

MOGA Almeri being hella fly.

TikTok

A fan favorite is the front lead dancer lovingly nicknamed “Yellowpants.” Clearly, Yellowpants has fully embraced her inner tigress.

One person wrote, “The Black Delegation would like to welcome Yellowpants as an honorary Soul Sista.” I think we can all agree to that.

And just who is that groovy gold-clad dancer with the killer moves? The choreographer, MOGA Almeri.

Yellowpants wasn’t the only one getting internet love. “Brown checkered set was a whole vibe,” commented one TikTok user.

And hey, if you can’t pick a favorite, you’re not alone. One person asked “who is replaying the video focusing on a different dancer each time?”

This video is certainly taking social media by storm. It even received a retweet from Wanda Sykes.

But what’s truly remarkable isn’t its virality. The feelings of communion it has inspired is the real magic here. Just take a look at some of these comments:

“I’m loving this sooooo much. We need more of this unity and crossover appreciation.”

“I’m not a ‘retweeter’ generally…however, it was SPECIFICALLY because of the fusion of culture and the associated reference of blending Lunar NY with Black History Month which triggered HOPE inside my soul!”

Sometimes cultures blend in a way that is so fascinating and fresh and unique that it gives a whole new level of appreciation. This is one of those times.

If you’re already jonesing for more amazing routines, you can follow MOGA on Instagram. Here’s to a Happy Lunar New Year and a powerful Black History Month.

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'Lazy' mom of four shares a video of her incredibly messy home and parents love her for it

"It's not dirty, it's just messy."

via themessymama4/TikTok

Bri James and her messy (not dirty) home.

It’s hard to keep your home clean when you have a child, but when you have four, unless you have a live-in maid, it’s completely impossible. There is no dishwasher fast enough to keep up with the dishes in the sink and no magical point where all four children have it together enough to put their toys away.

The problem is that if you take your eyes off the prize and let a day go by without cleaning up, you’re practically drowning in chaos.

TikTok user and stay-at-home mom Bri James (aka @themessymama4) did the unthinkable and let her home go four days without tidying up and shared the incredible mess with everyone on TikTok.


"I know I'm going to get roasted," she says in the clip, "but ... this is what happens when two really lazy adults have four kids and don't clean up after themselves."

The clip shows cutlery on the floor, empty packets everywhere, dishes piled a mile-high in the sink, and clothes and toys strewn everywhere. The house looks like the parents went away on a permanent vacation and left their kids to fend for themselves.

The video was praised by a lot of parents who are tired of seeing mommy influencers with spotless homes and children in matching linen outfits. Finally, there was a mom on TikTok they could relate to.

"I'd MUCH rather see you clean your realistic house than watch another blonde clean an already clean countertop," Meghan Sanders wrote.

TikTokker Its_not_that_serious put things in perfect perspective. "Dude, at the end of the day all of their fingers and toes are attached and feeling safe and loved you’re doing fine. Someday the house will be clean," they wrote.

"Having children is mentally and physically exhausting and you don’t always have the energy to clean every day," Rose added.

But not everyone appreciated Bri's slice of reality. Some people thought that her messiness was borderline neglectful and that she was setting a terrible example for her children.

"Set a good example for your kids. Make them help," carleebocciaa wrote.

"Without children = fine, your choice. With children (especially small ones) = completely unacceptable," ACZOgirly wrote.

Shortly after posting her first video, Bri got to work on the impossible task of cleaning up the entire house. Noticeably absent from the job were her spouse and four children. She appears to clean the entire place by herself.

She showed her cleaning prowess through a series of fast-motion videos.

@themessymama4

my butt does not look flattering in these Walmart lounge pants 🤦🏼‍♀️😅

Finally, at 9:30 p.m., Bri was done with most of the job, although she still had a bit of vacuuming to do and there were still some dishes in the sink. At the end of the job, she was exhausted. But she got the job done and that’s all that matters. It’s OK to let your house fall into disarray from time to time but eventually, you have to take care of business.

@themessymama4

I'm going to bed now. 🤣🥱😴

We’ll give TikTokker Sannon Martin the final word on this story because she hits the nail on the head. “Your home is exactly like mine,” she wrote. “Some days it’s a wreck and some days it looks amazing. That’s life. You’re doing great!”


This article originally appeared on 03.05.22

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