MA-0003 · first seen 2003
Coffin Dance
Dancing pallbearers from Ghana, set to a dance track, used to caption every foolish accident in 2020.
- Status
- ClassicPeaked more than five years ago
- Trend score
- 21/100Estimated
- Change, 90 days
- 0%Estimated
- Peak
- 85Apr 2020
- Years active
- 2Index of 30 or more
- First seen
- 20032003
Popularity over time
Monthly attention from Jan 2015 to Oct 2026. Hover or tab through the chart for each month.
- First appearance
- Went viral
- Peak
- Decline
Attention index, 0 to 100 on one scale for the whole archive. Estimated from each meme’s key dates, not measured.
About
Benjamin Aidoo founded the Dancing Pallbearers in Prampram, Ghana, in 2003, adding choreography to the funeral services his team performs. A BBC News feature in 2017 introduced them to a global audience, and in February and March 2020 videos of the group were paired with the track “Astronomia”, by Tony Igy and remixed by Vicetone.
The pairing was added to clips of people about to meet a bad end, and the format quickly became the dark joke of the early pandemic. It was also used in public health messaging. It peaked in March 2020, with a revival in October after news of a COVID-19 outbreak at the White House.
Origin
The Dancing Pallbearers, founded in Prampram, Ghana, in 2003 by Benjamin Aidoo, featured in a BBC News report in 2017.
2003
Viralization
Paired with the track “Astronomia” in February and March 2020.
February 2020
Peak
Estimated peak in March and April 2020, the early weeks of the pandemic.
Apr 2020
Timeline
From the first post to where it stands today.
Origin
Dancing pallbearers
Benjamin Aidoo founds a Ghanaian pallbearing service that adds choreography to funerals.
Early adoption
A BBC feature
The group is introduced to a global audience by BBC News.
Viral
Astronomia
Videos of the pallbearers are paired with an electronic dance track and spread on TikTok.
Peak
The pandemic joke
The format is added to videos of dangerous mistakes across the Internet.
Decline
Fatigue
The joke wears thin as the pandemic drags on.
Current
A revival
News of a COVID-19 outbreak at the White House brings the format back.
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