Millions danced joyfully to her song. She drew on her own pain to write it.

Isolation balm: Zikode, whose pandemic hit ‘Jerusalema’ inspired a global dance challenge during the lockdowns, penned the chorus while battling her own depression. — Photos: ©️2023 The New York Times Company

IT starts with a clap, and then the feet tap along to the beat: four times on each side, followed by a quick jump. As the melody rises, dancers dip low and twirl.

It’s a dance easy enough for anyone to learn, and people all around the world have done so, with everyone from an urban dance crew in Angola to Franciscan nuns in Europe showing off their moves on social media.