How to Make the Cheba Man AI Dance Trend
The Cheba Man AI trend puts you on a small red-lit stage under string lights, throwing the same Tecktonik arm moves as the Russian dancer Sasha Cheba while the crowd films on their phones. This guide explains where the dance comes from, the moves you need to hit, the one-photo way, how to do it yourself, and why this trend needs a different kind of AI tool from most.
What the Cheba Man AI trend is
Cheba Man is Sasha Cheba (@cheba_man on TikTok). On 24 May 2026 he posted himself dancing Tecktonik, the arm-heavy electro dance from the Paris clubs of the 2000s, alone on a stage in red light to Benny Benassi's "Love Is Gonna Save Us". The clip passed 17 million plays, Spinnin' Records reposted it, and a cat version followed in June.
In October the AI remakes took off: creators keep the stage, the lights, the crowd and every move, and put someone else on the stage. A how-to for the "retro Tecktonik party" trend by @letsayhey reached 667,000 plays in a week.
The routine, second by second
The first ten seconds hold the signature moves. These are what people recognise:
| Time | Move | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 s | Arms thrown out wide in a T, pulled in to the chest | The instantly recognisable opener |
| 1–2.5 s | Both hands to the head, then arms straight up | The first beat drop |
| 2.5–5 s | Fast arm wraps over the head, hands switching between head and chest | The Tecktonik part people try to copy |
| 5–7 s | Elbows bent, arms flung out with small side steps | Adds the swagger |
| 7–10 s | One hand points up, more wraps and wide swings | The confident finish |
This is a fixed routine. If the dance in your video is different, people will not read it as Cheba Man, however good the stage looks.
What you need
- One photo of the dancer: one person, facing the camera, waist-up or full body, no sunglasses. Your outfit replaces the striped T-shirt.
- An AI tool that follows a motion reference video, not just a photo: our Cheba Man template, or a character-replacement model.
- The song, "Love Is Gonna Save Us": laid under the video by our template, or added in TikTok or CapCut.
Method 1: the one-photo way (about 5 minutes)
Open the template
Go to the Cheba Man AI generator. The original stage clip is already loaded as the motion reference.
Upload your photo
One person, face clearly visible, no sunglasses. Waist-up or full body works best because the arms do the whole dance.
Keep or drop the song
The opening of the original track is laid under your video from the first frame. Pick No song if you want to add the sound in TikTok.
Generate and download
Choose 768p or 2K. You get a 10-second vertical MP4 in a few minutes; failed videos are refunded automatically.
Make the Cheba Man video with one photo
10-second 9:16 video with the trend sound, from 65 credits. No prompt needed.
Open the Cheba Man generatorMethod 2: make it yourself
Here a normal image-to-video model is the wrong tool: from a photo and a text prompt, it will invent its own dance. To copy the routine, you need character replacement (sometimes called video-to-video or motion transfer): the model takes the original clip as the motion and your photo as the person.
Pick a character-replacement model
MiniMax, Kling and Seedance all offer a mode that takes a reference video plus a photo. Check the length limit; most accept 5 to 10 seconds of reference.
Trim the reference clip
Use the first 10 seconds of the original stage clip, vertical, without captions burned in.
Describe what to keep and what to replace
See the checklist below.
Add the song
Lay "Love Is Gonna Save Us" from the first frame in CapCut so the beat lands on the moves, or pick the sound in TikTok.
What your prompt has to cover
- Use the clip as the motion source. Say the reference video drives the dance and its timing.
- Replace only the dancer. Keep the stage, the red light, the string lights and the crowd with their phones.
- Keep the face readable. The red light is strong; ask for the face to stay like the photo and leave out the original sunglasses.
- Clean hands. Fast arm moves often melt hands and fingers, so say they must stay clean.
- Your outfit. Say the clothes come from your photo, not the striped T-shirt, unless you want the original look.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- A different dance. You used plain image-to-video. Switch to a mode that takes a reference video.
- Sunglasses appear. The model copied the original dancer. Use a photo without sunglasses and say not to add them.
- Blurry hands. Try a higher quality setting and ask for clean hands and fingers.
- Song out of sync. Start the track exactly on the first frame; the routine follows the opening of the song.
Label your video as AI-generated where TikTok, Instagram or YouTube ask. It is required on most platforms and does not hurt reach.
Cheba Man AI examples
The original clip, the Spinnin' Records repost, the cat version and some of the AI remakes.
я чеба мэн
This creator is going viral for bringing back the Tecktonik dance
The retro Tecktonik party electro mechanical dance trend is exploding on TikTok!
Eunjin's Tecktonik Dance Rocks the DJ Party
Cheba Man Dance
Make the Cheba Man video with one photo
10-second 9:16 video with the trend sound, from 65 credits. No prompt needed.
Open the Cheba Man generatorFAQ
What song is in the Cheba Man dance?
"Love Is Gonna Save Us" by Benny Benassi. The template lays the opening of the track under your video, synced from the first frame.
Is Cheba Man the same as the Tecktonik dance AI trend?
Yes. Tecktonik (or tektonik, or electro dance) is the dance; Cheba Man is the dancer whose 2026 red-stage clip brought it back. Most Tecktonik AI videos remake his clip.
Can I make the Cheba Man dance from a text prompt?
Not reliably. A text prompt invents its own dance. The model needs the original clip as a motion reference, which the template sends for you.
Why is the video only 10 seconds?
The template follows the first 10 seconds of the routine, where the signature moves are: the wide arms, the hands to the head, the arms straight up and the fast wraps.
