Short answer: to do the gas station dance AI trend, upload one photo of yourself, or one of you and one of a friend, to a generator that has the template, such as the gas station dance page on raindance-ai.org. Pick golden hour or 4 a.m. and press Make. In two to five minutes you get an 8-second, 9:16 clip with an original beat, in the trend's three shots: a loose dance on an empty forecourt, a grinning handheld selfie, and a slow, cool step out of a black car. It costs $3.99 for your first video and $7.99 after that.
What is the gas station dance trend?
It started as a real road-trip clip filmed in 2024: friends stopped at an empty roadside station in the early morning, one danced on the forecourt, one filmed himself grinning, and one stepped slowly out of the car. In September 2026 it became an AI template, and people began putting themselves, their friends, partners and parents into the shots. It moved from Russian-language social media to TikTok, Reels and Shorts everywhere.
What makes it recognisable is the order of three shots, not a dance move:
- The dance. A wide shot of someone dancing a carefree, slightly silly freestyle in the middle of the forecourt.
- The selfie. A handheld close-up, phone at arm's length, a big grin, the pumps glowing behind.
- The step out. The car door swings open and someone steps out slowly, straightens up and gives the camera a calm nod. This is the beat people rewatch.
A generic "dancing" AI clip misses it. What you want is a tool that keeps those three shots in that order.
One photo or two?
| You upload | Who does what |
|---|---|
| 1 photo | You do all three: dance, selfie, step out of the car |
| 2 photos | Photo 1 dances and steps out of the car; photo 2 takes the selfie with the dancer behind them, then leans on the car laughing |
The original had three people, and several template sites ask for three photos, one per shot. Ours takes one or two: two photos is the version people post with a best friend or a partner. Swap the photos to swap the roles.
How to make it, step by step
Step 1: Add your photos
Open the gas station dance page. Choose 2 photos (the default) or 1 photo, and add them: one adult per photo, face toward the camera, good light. Waist-up or full-length photos give the dance more to work with than a tight selfie. More tips are in choosing the right photo.
Step 2: Pick the light
- Golden-hour forecourt: low warm sun, long shadows, an open highway behind. The look most people go for.
- 4 a.m. gas station: bright white canopy lights and a deep blue sky just before dawn, closer to the original clip.
Step 3: Make it
Press Make, and sign in with Google or an email if you aren't already; your photos are kept. A standard 8-second clip is 10 credits: $7.99, or $3.99 on your first order because the first credit pack is 50% off. Choose 12 or 15 seconds in Video settings for longer shots. Rendering takes two to five minutes, the clip is saved under My videos, and a failed render gives the credits back.
Step 4: Post it
Download the MP4 (no watermark), post it to TikTok, Reels or Shorts, switch on the AI-generated label, and tag the friend you put in it. The clip has an original dance beat; you can swap in the trending sound in the app.
Does it use the original song or a real gas station?
Neither. The beat is original, and the station and the car are unbranded, with no logos on the pumps, the canopy or the car. That keeps the clip yours to post anywhere. Add the trending sound in TikTok if you want the original audio: TikTok's own library is the safe source for it.
Can you do it for free?
Not on raindance-ai.org: every video is a real render, new accounts start with 0 credits, and the cheapest video is $3.99. Some apps offer sign-up credits that cover one try. General image-to-video apps can make a gas station clip if you write the prompt yourself, but expect several attempts before the three shots come out in the right order with both faces intact.
Tips that make it look like the original
- Pick the dancer with the least dignity. The trend is funny because the dance is a little silly and the step out of the car is deadly serious.
- Use the 4 a.m. light for the "real road trip" feel, golden hour for the cinematic one.
- Caption it like a memory. "Us on the way back from [your city]" beats any hashtag.
- Make one for the group chat. Two photos, one dancer, one selfie: it's the version that gets sent around.