The gas station dance is a short video trend built on one very late night clip. Three friends on a road trip pull into a gas station, one starts dancing by the pumps, one films a selfie and the third climbs out of the car like he is arriving at a premiere. In 2026 the clip became an AI template, so anyone can now put their own face into one of those three spots.
Where the gas station dance came from
The original video comes from Mikhail Litvin, a Russian blogger with one of the biggest followings in the country, and two friends known online as Ravshan and Adel. According to the story that travels with most reposts, the three were on a road trip in 2024, stopped for gas at around 4 a.m. and started fooling around while the tank filled. Nothing was planned. There is no choreography, no lighting setup and no second take.
Ravshan does most of the dancing, throwing his arms around in front of the pumps. Litvin holds the phone and turns it on himself for a quick selfie shot. Adel steps out of the car near the end with the kind of slow confidence usually saved for a red carpet.
The clip went up on Litvin's account and spread far beyond Russian-speaking audiences, mostly because it needs no translation. Three grown men having the time of their lives at a gas station in the middle of the night is funny in any language.
The gas station dance song
The track people pair with the clip is usually credited in reposts as "On and On" by Akcent, the Romanian pop act. Its bright dance-pop beat gives the video a road trip feel and makes even random arm waving look like it was meant to happen.
If you are making your own version, use the audio attached to the original trend on TikTok or Instagram instead of a remix. Most versions cut between shots on the beat, so a different edit of the song can make the timing feel off.
The three shots behind the trend
Almost every version of the gas station dance follows the same three-part structure:
- The dancer. A full body shot on the forecourt or in an open lot. This is the person doing the wild arm moves.
- The selfie. A close-up of the person holding the phone, filming themselves for a second before turning the camera back.
- The car exit. A slow step out of the car at the end. AI versions often swap in a luxury car and a sunset.
The original was filmed at night under gas station lights. Most AI versions move it to golden hour, which is why so many of the clips you see now have that warm orange glow.
This structure is also why AI versions usually ask for three photos, one for each role. The finished clip tends to run around 17 seconds in a vertical format made for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
Not to be confused with the Sunoco gas station dance
There is a second viral video with a similar name. In the summer of 2026 a Sunoco station and car wash in Halfmoon, New York put a sign at the register that read "Want a discount? Show us your best dance move." Eight customers danced for the camera. Three of them agreed to be posted, and the clip set to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" passed one million views on TikTok.
It is a fun video, but it is a different thing. When people say "gas station dance trend" in 2026 and ask how to make one with their friends, they almost always mean the Litvin, Ravshan and Adel clip.
How AI gas station dance videos are made
The AI versions do not generate the dance from scratch. They start from a reference video that copies the timing and camera moves of the original. You upload a photo for each role, and a video model replaces each person in the reference video with the person in the matching photo while keeping the moves, the camera and the cuts.
Under the hood this is a hard job for a video model. It has to keep a face recognizable from every angle, match clothing and body shape to your photo and still copy every move from the source clip. We have been testing several video models on exactly this task. Some refuse photos of real people outright. Others keep the motion but drift so far from the face that the result looks like a stranger. The ones that do it well take a few minutes per clip and cost noticeably more than a regular text to video generation, which is why most apps charge extra for this kind of template. Our gas station dance AI tool came out of that testing.
Tips for photos that actually work
Most bad results come from the photos, not the model. A few things make a big difference:
- One person per photo. If there is a group in the shot, crop it down to the person you want first.
- Face the camera. A clear, front-facing photo with both eyes visible gives the model the most to work with.
- Show the outfit. A waist-up or full body photo lets the model copy clothes too. A tight face crop leaves it guessing.
- Use a sharp original. Small thumbnails and heavily compressed screenshots lose the details that make a face look like you. Use the original photo from your camera roll when you can.
- Keep the light simple. Even daylight works better than harsh shadows, strong filters or a face half in the dark.
- Check the order. Decide who dances, who films and who gets out of the car before you upload, and match each photo to its role.
- Try twice before changing everything. Results vary from one run to the next. If one clip looks off, run it again with the same photos before you swap anything.
Only use faces you have permission to use
The joke works because everyone in the video is in on it. Stick to your own face and friends who said yes. Do not use photos of strangers, kids or people who have not agreed to be in the video.
Many AI video services block photos of celebrities and public figures, and some reject any photo that looks like a real person. Even when a tool lets a famous face through, posting a fake video of a real person can break platform rules and can cause real problems for the person in it. When you post your clip, label it as AI-generated. TikTok, Instagram and YouTube all have a setting for this.
FAQ
What song is used in the gas station dance?
Most reposts credit the song as "On and On" by Akcent. Use the audio linked to the original trend so the cuts land on the beat.
Who started the gas station dance?
The clip that started the trend was posted on the account of Russian blogger Mikhail Litvin and features him with his friends Ravshan and Adel. It reportedly dates back to a 2024 road trip.
How many photos do I need for the AI version?
Usually three, one for each role: the dancer, the person filming the selfie and the person stepping out of the car. Some apps let you reuse one photo for more than one role.
How long is a gas station dance video?
AI versions usually run around 17 seconds and come out in a vertical format for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
Can I use a celebrity photo?
Most AI video services block celebrity and public figure photos, and posting a fake video of a real person without their permission can break platform rules. Use your own face and friends who agreed to take part.
Is the Sunoco gas station dance the same trend?
No. The Sunoco video from Halfmoon, New York shows customers dancing for a discount to a Whitney Houston song. The trend people recreate with AI is the Litvin, Ravshan and Adel clip.