New Zealand Dancer Elvis Lopeti Goes Viral for Spontaneous Dance Moves at the New York Marathon

Elvis Lopeti, a New Zealand-born Tongan TikTok personality and professional dancer known for performing alongside Rihanna and choreographer Parris Goebel, turned the New York City Marathon into a viral moment by breaking into an impromptu dance routine around the 14-kilometre mark. Wearing a shirt with "Tonga" on the front, Lopeti told the New Zealand Herald the dancing was "totally unrehearsed" and driven by the pumping music and crowd energy. "I was not supposed to dance in the race, but the music was pumping, and I was feeling a type of way," he said. "I'm gonna give these guys a show."

New York local Lindsay Carone filmed his moves from the sidelines and declared him the real winner of the marathon — a verdict many other online commenters echoed. Lopeti also posted his own videos of the run on Instagram, which spread widely.

Also known from Celebrity Treasure Island, Lopeti said part of his motivation was to give back to spectators who had been standing on the sidelines for more than ten hours in the heat. His best friend and fellow Kiwi dancer Lance Savali was waiting at the finish line. Lopeti crossed it in 6 hours 56 minutes and 44 seconds, placing 59,193rd out of 61,062 runners.

Having started running two years ago, he had originally intended to run the marathon the previous year but couldn't make it. He urged everyone to put the New York Marathon on their bucket list and said he planned to spend a few more days in the city before heading home to Aotearoa.