The BYU Cougarettes are no strangers to going viral online — most notably, the group’s 2017 collaboration with Brigham Young Univerity’s mascot, Cosmo the Cougar.
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Since then, the Cougarettes haven’t slowed down. They have continued to stack national championship trophies across various dance categories, most recently taking home a hip-hop title at the Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship with the highest score of the entire competition.
The group’s latest viral sensation? An international project over a year in the making. It began when the Cougarette coaches reached out to the Japanese dance crew Chibi Unity to see if they could workshop together and potentially share a stage.
Chibi Unity is a globally renowned dance team that gained fame as finalists on “America’s Got Talent,” alongside producing their own popular social media videos on Instagram and TikTok.
The resulting trip to Japan wrapped up just a few weeks ago. It proved that the two groups could easily overcome language barriers to speak a universal language: dance. A collaborative video posted to Instagram has since exploded, surpassing 8 million views as of Thursday afternoon.
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Reflecting on the international collaboration, Chibi Unity wrote on Instagram, “We had the opportunity to take lessons together, film a reel, and even share the same stage on the final day.”
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That final day culminated in a joint performance at a performance center in Niigata. Both groups praised the dancers on each squad, Chibi Unity calling the Cougarettes “incredibly dedicated and full of smiles.”
In a separate post summarizing the experience, the Cougarettes echoed the sentiment: “The opportunity of a LIFETIME! We are so honored that we got to collaborate” with Chibi Unity. “Learning from each other was an unforgettable experience that we will never forget. They are the most kind, talented, and inspiring people and we are so grateful for our friendship!”
Rachelle Morris, who traveled with the Cougarettes during the first week of the tour, was on hand to witness the dancers’ connection in Niigata. She told the Deseret News how impressed she was by both groups and their ability to blend together in a way that looked effortless.
This required high-level focus, as a captain from each group took turns teaching a section of the workshop. Even though there were a handful of translators available for the teams, the dancers largely sidestepped the language barrier entirely — communicating through the movements of the choreography and keeping time using English step counts.
The Deseret News contacted the Cougarettes’ coaching staff for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
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