How to Create AI Dance Videos for TikTok in 2026

If you’ve ever watched a dance trend and thought: ‘ok… that’s me next’, but you didn’t want to film 47 takes in your kitchen — same. That’s exactly why I built FIKKU the way I did. It’s a fast, friendly AI dance generator that turns a single photo into a dance video that looks like it belongs on TikTok or Reels. And yes, I’m going to show you how I do it — step by step — plus what’s happening inside our custom generator when you hit generate.

Step 1 — Pick a dance effect that matches the vibe

I always start with the vibe. Is this a high-energy trend with sharp moves? Something smooth and loop-y? A funny baby dance? In FIKKU, each ‘effect’ is basically a recipe: a motion style + a set of generation settings that we know works reliably.

If you want something that feels instantly viral, pick a style that has strong, readable motion (big arm/hip movement) and a clean background. It looks better and it compresses better on social platforms too.

Step 2 — Upload a photo that the model can “read” easily

This part is underrated. The AI isn’t judging your face — it’s trying to understand structure. The cleaner the photo, the cleaner the motion transfer.

• Use a clear, front-facing or 3/4 angle photo.
• Make sure your full head is visible (no weird crop at the top).
• Avoid heavy blur and extreme low light.
• If you can, choose a photo where your shoulders are visible (it helps with pose continuity).

Step 3 — Generate once for speed, then generate again for “chef’s kiss”

My workflow is always: do a quick first pass, then do a second pass with a tiny tweak if needed. The first generation tells you if the vibe is right. The second generation is where you go from ‘nice’ to ‘wait… that’s actually me dancing’.

Tiny tweaks that make a big difference: switching to a different photo with cleaner lighting, choosing a different effect with less aggressive motion, or regenerating when the face looks slightly off in a few frames.

So… what is the “custom generator” actually doing?

Here’s the warm-and-gez version: when you click Generate, you’re not just running one model. You’re triggering a little pipeline that tries to be both fast and consistent — because the goal isn’t ‘a random cool clip’. The goal is: ‘your photo, doing the trend, in a way that looks shareable’.

In the simplest terms, our custom generator is the logic that takes your input (your photo, the selected effect, and optional settings) and turns it into a structured request that the video model can actually execute. It also handles the annoying real-world stuff: validation, parameter shaping, fallbacks between modes, and tracking progress so you can see your project in /projects.

1) It normalizes your input

First, the generator checks your asset type and prepares it. Some effects want an image, some effects want a video. If it’s an image, we make sure it’s usable (format/size) and we treat it as the character identity that should stay consistent across frames.

2) It selects the right “recipe” for the effect

Every style has a configuration behind it. That configuration says things like: which provider/model to call, what parameters matter for this effect, how much it costs in credits, and whether it needs a reference motion.

This is the part I care about most: consistency. A dance effect should feel like a product, not a coin flip. So styles are curated, ordered, and tuned — and the generator uses those settings as the source of truth.

3) It maps your selections into model parameters

Models are picky. They want parameters with exact names and formats. Our generator translates ‘user intent’ into ‘model input’. If the style says ‘send the asset as an array’, we do that. If it says ‘map the uploaded file to a specific parameter name’, we do that too.

This mapping is also where we keep the UX simple. You just pick an effect; the generator handles the complicated input schema behind the curtain.

4) It manages the lifecycle of a generation

Generating video isn’t instant — so we treat it like a real job. The generator creates a generation record, marks it as pending/processing, and updates it when the provider returns the final video. That’s why your results show up in Projects, with statuses and timestamps.

5) It keeps the output “social-ready”

This is the invisible polish. We bias styles toward vertical-friendly framing (9:16), readable motion, and stable identity. The whole point is: you should be able to download the result and post it with minimal extra editing.

My quick checklist for a banger result

1. Pick an effect with strong, readable motion.
2. Use a clean, well-lit photo with visible shoulders.
3. Generate once to check vibe, regenerate once to refine.
4. If the face drifts, try a clearer photo (it usually fixes it).
5. Download and post — don’t overthink it.

If you try this and you get a result you love, I genuinely want to see it. That’s the whole reason FIKKU exists — to turn ‘I wish I could do that trend’ into ‘I just did that trend’ in a couple minutes.