We haven’t had the pleasure of speaking directly with quadruple amputee Aarón Acosta, but we’ve seen him dance. And the dancing pretty much says everything.
A quadruple amputee since the age of 18, Acosta has become an international star by posting 20-second bursts of pure joy on TikTok. His moves are graceful enough to render his limb difference completely invisible, but that’s not what makes these videos so irresistible. It’s what is written on Acosta’s face. We see more than happiness and pleasure there. To us, it’s an expression of pure liberation, pure freedom. Check it out:
The man isn’t dancing; he’s flying. He’s playing with the laws of gravity—and winning. We’ve shared amputee dance videos with you before, but we’d place Acosta in a class by himself.
“I really like to dance,” Acosta told the website In the Know. “I’m not saying I’m very good at dancing, but I really like dancing.” And people really like watching him: His TikTok feed has attracted more than 800,000 followers since he launched it in April, generating millions of individual views.
A native of Chihuahua, Mexico, Acosta already had achieved plenty of success before he gained fame on social media. After losing his limbs as a college freshman in a workplace electrical accident, Acosta completed his studies and earned a law degree. He married his longtime girlfriend, who stayed with Acosta throughout his long and complicated recovery, and the couple had two kids (who are now 19 and 13). Acosta eventually wrote two books, Despertando Vidas (which translates to Waking Lives) and Yo Soy Aarón (I Am Aarón), and he now makes his living as a motivational speaker and conference presenter.
He may appear to be waltzing through life with ease, but Acosta has fought the same emotional and physical battles as any amputee. It took years, he says, to reach the point where he felt at peace with himself and his place in the world. Only then did Acosta begin sharing his story publicly—first to small local groups, then to larger gatherings. Today he travels routinely, speaking to everyone from schoolchildren to corporate executives.
“What I have learned the most after living through the accident and losing my arms and legs,” he says, “is that I’ve learned to really value time—to not postpone things for later, to take advantage of the time I have right now and not say, ‘I’ll try it tomorrow.’ Because tomorrow, for some people, will be too late.”
Here are links to a handful of our favorite Acosta dance clips. In addition to his TikTok feed, you can find Acosta on his website, on Instagram, and on YouTube.
Cardio Burn — https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronacostamx/video/6863899127290416385
Y Tú Bailas? — https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronacostamx/video/6826501798719769861
Venga La Alegría — https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronacostamx/video/6833926870837366021
Banana — https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronacostamx/video/6863996310698102017
Merengueaaaando — https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronacostamx/video/6835702013876112646
Hey Mufasa — https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronacostamx/video/6858378098208001286