Saudi teenager arrested for dancing to Macarena in the street

The boy was accused of "improper public behaviour" for enjoying the song. Photo / Twitter

By Barney Henderson

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in the Saudi city of Jeddah for dancing to the Macarena song in a street.

The boy was accused of "improper public behaviour" for enjoying the 1990s pop hit as he crossed a road, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Mecca police said the unnamed boy also disrupted traffic. Photo / Twitter

Mecca police said the unnamed boy also disrupted traffic. It was unclear if he was going to be formally charged.

In a 45 second video clip, shared widely on social media, the boy stops halfway across the road and starts the well-known dance routine.

Jeddah boy dancing in the middle of Tahlia Street is the hero we need https://t.co/fui9v2UuDF

— Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) August 19, 2017

The footage was first posted last year, but his arrest was reported yesterday.

Some said the boy was a "legend" and "hero", while others apparently agreed with the Saudi authorities, stating that he behaviour was "immoral".

Earlier this month, a singer was arrested in the religiously conservative Islamic kingdom for using the 'dab' move in an onstage dance.

The boy stops halfway across the road and starts the well-known dance routine to the Macarena. Photo / Twitter

Abdallah al-Shahani performed the dance at a music festival in the city of Taif in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

The dance had been banned in the Kingdom by the National Committee for Drug Control, on the grounds that it advocated or encouraged drug abuse, according to Saudi media.

A young woman was arrested last month after footage emerged of her wearing a miniskirt and crop top at an archaeological site.

The unnamed woman was detained by Saudi Arabia's vice and virtue police on charges of wearing "indecent clothing".

This story originally appeared on the Daily Telegraph and is reproduced with permission.