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Indian professionals dance for foreign client sparks online debate
The video shows a group of employees dancing to viral Indian songs.
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 24, Jul 2025
- 12:43 EDT
- 46
Indian professionals dancing in office / X (@WokePandemic)
A video of Indian professionals dancing in office to welcome a foreign client has gone viral.
The clip has prompted intense debate over workplace decorum, cultural expression, and the perceptions of unequal treatment in Indian corporate settings.
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The video, initially shared by the social media account Woke Eminent, shows a group of employees dancing to the Telugu song Killi Killi, followed by a solo performance to the Bollywood number Main Tera Boyfriend.
The foreign client, appearing amused, later joins the group in dancing—an act that drew cheers from staff but swift criticism online.
India should stop chaprification of corporate offices
— Woke Eminent (@WokePandemic) July 21, 2025
This is so pathetic to see Indian girls dancing in office an d welcoming a foreign client and the becahra client also forced to dance.
Such showcasing will only make other countries feel Indian offices are causal and not… pic.twitter.com/gpA9kXY4GJ
“India should stop chaprification of corporate offices. This is so pathetic to see Indian girls dancing in office and welcoming a foreign client and the bechara (poor) client also forced to dance. Such showcasing will only make other countries feel Indian offices are casual and not worthy of serious work,” the video’s caption said.
The backlash was immediate. Critics described the performance as unprofessional and reflective of what they termed a “colonial mindset.” One user commented, “This is embarrassing… the optics are much worse,” while another wrote, “Submissiveness is a state of mind… This ‘thanks for giving us work’ attitude should stop.”
Others shared personal accounts of similar experiences, recalling directives to wear traditional attire or perform dances during client visits, particularly when the visitors were white. “It’s a uniquely Indian habit of acting like clowns to suck up to white people,” a Reddit user wrote.
Some viewed the incident as emblematic of ingrained power structures and a lingering inferiority complex. Commentators noted that the incident raises broader questions about how Indian workplaces present themselves on the global stage. “Nothing screams ‘we’re not serious’ louder than making a foreign client do bhangra at a Q4 review,” one post remarked. Another added, “It’s the slave mentality ingrained in our blood.”
However, the criticism was not unanimous. Several users defended the performance as a form of cultural hospitality and employee engagement. “This is done in most workplaces to break the fatigue of sitting behind a desk,” wrote one user, while another added, “Happens everywhere across the world… and helps a long way.”
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