Latino youth have turned ‘aura farming’ into a competitive sport | CNN

“Aura battles” have taken off in Latin American countries in contests that appear to be designed for virality, with young competitors often demonstrating exaggerated versions of popular TikTok dance moves for the audience.

A group of rowdy spectators gathers in a public square, encircling two young men facing each other with intense looks in their eyes. The crowd points their phones at the pair, who are alternating between short dances, rhythmic movements, and striking poses.

This is not a scene from “Zoolander;” the crowd is attending a championship of “aura” in Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose, according to videos posted to TikTok and Instagram.

Tuesday’s event at the University of Costa Rica is one of many so-called “aura battles” that have taken off in Latin American countries, including Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. The contests appear to be designed for virality, with young competitors often demonstrating exaggerated versions of popular TikTok dance moves for the audience.

‘They become a character’

“Aura battles” have begun appearing in public spaces across Latin American countries, often organized by local content creators and engineered for maximum virality. Videos of the competitions have received hundreds of thousands of views on social media.

Victor Gabriel Tourinho Camargo, a Brazilian content creator known as Uvitinho, organized several tournaments in the city of Suzano.

More than 200 people participated, Uvitinho said. Videos showed the participants packed into a park, including one dressed as a sheikh with a briefcase full of Brazilian reais.

“The aura farming championship was something created with the focus of taking something popular on the internet and bringing it to reality, mixing it with childhood games and showing people and children that there is still hope for a more real life with genuine moments,” Uvitinho told CNN.

“There was a mix of shy, antisocial and extroverted people… and in that moment, they all put aside all that, played together, and made friends,” he added.

Mexican YouTuber Alex Crashers described encountering an aura battle in Mexico in a video shared this week. “Even though it seems silly, I got hyped every time someone pulled off a new move,” he said.

Argentinian content creator Cielo, known as Cieloween, helped organize an “aura battle” in Chinatown in Buenos Aires scheduled for this Saturday after watching viral videos of a previous battle in the coastal city of Mar del Plata just days before. “The concept of ‘aura farming’ has been around for a while, but now the competition aspect has started to take off,” she told CNN.