What Is the Gas Station Dance? The Litvin Dance, Explained
Where the gas station dance came from, who is in the clip, what song it uses, and how to remake its three shots with AI from your photos.
The gas station dance AI trend puts your face into a short gas-station clip with three shots: a dance between the pumps, a selfie close-up, and a car exit. The version made by Gas Station Dance AI runs about 16 seconds and is set to "On And On" by Akcent. You can use one photo for all three roles or three photos for three people.
The original clip
The video comes from Mikhail Litvin, a Russian creator, and his friends Ravshan and Adel. On a road trip they pulled into a gas station early in the morning, and Ravshan simply started dancing. No setup, just tired friends being silly at a pump.
That is why the trend has several names. People search for it as:
- the gas station dance
- the Litvin dance
- the Litvin Ravshan Adel dance
- the Russian gas station dance
- the gas station meme
They all mean the same clip.
The three shots
Every remake keeps the same structure, and that structure is what makes it recognizable in the first second.
| Shot | What happens | Who it belongs to |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The dance | One person dances across the empty forecourt | Ravshan |
| 2. The selfie | A close-up of the person filming on the front camera | Litvin |
| 3. The car exit | Someone climbs out of the car and joins the moment | Adel |
The whole clip is short, so it loops easily and works as a meme from the very first shot.
Why it went viral
A few things make this clip easy to love and easy to copy:
- It feels casual. The roadside setting and playful moves give the clip a road-trip mood.
- It has three roles. Most friend groups can cast themselves instantly: the one who dances, the one who films, the one who shows up late.
- The song is part of the joke. "On And On" by Akcent is a catchy dance-pop track, and hearing it is enough to know which video it is. More on that in what song the gas station dance uses.
- The setting is everywhere. Everyone has stood at a gas station at a strange hour, so the scene needs no explanation.
Why everyone is remaking it in 2026
For a long time the clip lived on as a meme. Then in 2026, AI video templates made it reusable. Instead of driving to a gas station and learning the moves, people started uploading photos and getting the same three shots back with their own faces, outfits and friends, still set to the original song.
That turned a single meme into a trend: the same video, remade over and over with new faces on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Different generators offer different durations, controls and pricing; see our gas station dance AI generator comparison before choosing one.
How to join the trend
You have two options:
- Film it yourself. Find an empty gas station, bring two friends and copy the three shots. It is fun, but you need the location, the timing and someone willing to dance in public.
- Make it from photos. Upload one photo of yourself, or three photos for you and two friends, and an AI generator rebuilds the three shots for you. Our step-by-step guide walks through it, and you can try the generator here.
If you are going the photo route, read which photos work best first. It makes the biggest difference to the result.
FAQ
Who started the gas station dance? Russian creator Mikhail Litvin and his friends Ravshan and Adel, in a road-trip video filmed at a gas station.
What song is in the gas station dance? "On And On" by Akcent, the Romanian dance-pop act led by Adrian Sînă.
Do I need to know the dance? No. If you film it yourself you just copy the original. If you use AI, the moves come from the original clip and only the faces and outfits change.
Can I do it alone? Yes. With one photo you can play all three roles. See gas station dance with friends vs solo.