It’s usually the guitarists who get all the girls, but for peacock spider bachelorettes, nothing is more appealing than a drummer with some dance moves. In this recently released clip taken from an upcoming episode of Nat Geo Wild’s Destination Wild, we get a glimpse into the colourful mating ritual of peacock spiders.

Endemic to Australia, these tiny arachnids put on an elaborate courtship display that is as extravagant as it is entertaining to watch. Male peacock spiders begin the ritual with a percussive invitation, drumming on a tree branch to entice a potential mate.

Sense organs in the female’s legs pick up on the subtle tapping and, if the male is playing her jam, she’ll hop on over for a closer look. That’s when the arachno-drummer pulls out the moves: he lifts up two of his legs, unfurls a brilliantly coloured abdominal flap, and begins a kind of sideways strut, shaking what his mama gave him.

But female peacock spiders have high standards. If a male doesn’t get his spider shuffle just right, the female will wiggle her abdomen in disapproval and move on. She may even attack and possibly eat him if he’s a particularly talentless twerker.

According to a study conducted last year, experienced lady spiders are the hardest to please. In an experiment that involved releasing male spiders on to a dance floor made of stretched pantihose, researchers were able to measure the strength of the males’ vibrations and determine that they had more luck with virgin spideressess. Overall, the research revealed that female peacock spiders are hard to please. Out of 64 male courtship dances analysed in the study, only 16 were successful.

Keep twerking little guys, she’ll come around.