A Nigerian dancer is attempting to dance non-stop for seven days in order to set a new world record.
Benjamin Daniel, known as Ben Dancer, is aiming to dance for 168 hours – 41 hours longer than the current record for the longest individual dance marathon.
Guinness World Records has yet to confirm whether the attempt qualifies as an official record. The BBC has contacted the organisation for comment.
Young people have been gathering in recent days to cheer him on at Freedom Park in Lagos, filming his every move and dancing along from behind the barriers.
“It’s a beautiful moment. Seeing how far he has come and witnessing him achieve this feat made me incredibly proud and grateful to God,” Uche Anumudu, one of those watching, told the BBC.
The current record is 127 hours, set by Indian dancer Srushti Sudhir Jagtap in 2023, when she was 16. Her performance focused mainly on kathak, one of India’s major classical dance forms.
Ben Dancer, 33, has been dancing professionally for 18 years.
His attempt began on Tuesday 22 September and, if he completes the planned 168 hours, he is due to reach his target early on Tuesday morning.
For much of the marathon, Ben Dancer has drawn on Nigeria’s rich dance traditions as well as its fast-changing internet culture.
Afrobeats has been a constant presence, alongside genres including fuji, jazz and zouk.
At times, he has swapped his dance clothes for traditional Nigerian outfits, including the flowing agbada and dashiki.
Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups, with a wide range of cultural traditions.
Ben Dancer’s team says the performance is intended to reflect that diversity, rather than simply test his physical endurance.
His team says he underwent intensive fitness training before the attempt, changing his diet and focusing on carbohydrates and cardiovascular conditioning.
During the marathon, he has been eating lightly and drinking fluids while taking the permitted five minutes of rest for every continuous hour of activity.
Ben Dancer has chosen to dance for several hours at a time before taking his accumulated rest.
A medical team has also been present at Freedom Park to provide assistance when needed.
The scene around him has become something of a street party. Crowds of young people have gathered to cheer him on.
Videos from the attempt have gone viral across social media platforms, drawing more people to the venue.
Moronumubo Akodu, who has repeatedly visited to support Ben Dancer, said she was impressed by his determination but worried about the physical toll.
“It is actually insane but I am so proud of him,” she told the BBC.
Emmanuel Ulelu, who visited the performance twice, said he noticed a striking change in the dancer’s energy.
“On day two, you could see the stress,” he said.
“Even after just three hours of dancing at the location myself, I wondered how he would keep going.”
But when he returned 16 hours into day five, he said Ben Dancer appeared more energetic than before.
“It reminded me that we’re capable of doing unbelievable things when how badly we want something matches and surpasses the difficulty of achieving it,” he said.
Nigeria has also developed a strong relationship with Guinness World Records, particularly in entertainment.
In 2023, Nigerian chef Hilda Baci cooked continuously for 93 hours and 11 minutes in Lagos, which Guinness officially recognised as a new record.
Her achievement sparked a surge of interest in record attempts in Nigeria, even though others have since surpassed her.
Guinness says it received more than 1,500 new applications from the country within two months of her cook-a-thon, including events such as reading, singing, and crocheting.
