What Is The Oratrice Mecanique D'analyse Cardinale & Why Is TikTok Dancing To It?

While TikTok serves as a home to many things, including being a vital outlet for film discourse, it's mostly known for people uploading videos of themselves dancing. That's the case for the latest craze hitting the platform, but users aren't dancing to the new Olivia Rodrigo single. They're getting down to obscure lines of dialogue from "Genshin Impact," the action role-playing game that's effectively a "Breath of the Wild" clone.

The game has a character named Neuvillette, who frequently discusses a machine called the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, which is basically a large weighing scale. However, he says that phrase so smoothly that people are showing off their dance moves to it. The gimmick is they stay still when Neuvillette says other dialogue, but when he gets to "Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale," they dance. Some videos have gotten pretty popular, including one from @airy.blossom, whose video has already gotten over one million views. 

The YouTube channel Trend Múnch has put together a six-minute compilation of many users dancing for anyone who doesn't feel like scrolling on the TikTok app ad nauseam. It's such a catchy audio, with English voice actor Ray Chase delivering the potentially confusing line with a steady rhythm. It's weird and niche, but that's the magic of TikTok. Anything can catch on as a trend.

Taking an obscure phrase and turning it into a dance craze is pretty fun to see. People put their own twists on the meme, from wearing fun outfits to doing increasingly mundane activities during other portions of the dialogue. And for viewers, the trend itches a part of the brain they probably didn't know needed to be itched, whether they've played "Genshin Impact" or not. 

The "Genshin Impact" community is incredibly dedicated to the game, so much so that the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale dance trend isn't the first meme to catch on. As tends to be the case with any popular game, people regularly post how thirsty they are for certain characters online. TikTok has no shortage of these, with many users, like @saby917, simping over Zhongli. Arguably, the most obscure "Genshin Impact" meme to take off on TikTok involves making a video about how much "Genshin Impact" characters love the New York Mets. TikToker @tomatova made one such video, which had plenty of people scratching their heads while simultaneously being glad the video existed.

However, the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale dance is probably the biggest meme to come from the game so far. It's bringing the game to a wider audience, and if a sequel ever materializes, one would hope the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale would get referenced repeatedly.