A police officer in Washington defused a confrontation between teenagers by challenging one of them to a dance-off.

The policewoman had asked a crowd to disperse when a 17-year-old girl walked up to her while dancing to 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)' - and the cop confidently told the teenager that she had better moves.

The pair competed to see who had the better dance routine on condition that if the officer won the girl and her friends left the area.

Step for step, the officer matched Aaliyah Taylor's dancing and the contest continued for several minutes.

It finished after Aaliyah got tired and once the competitors hugged, everyone cleared the area.

The video attracted praise from Barack Obama who tweeted: "Who knew community policing could involve the Nae Nae? Great example of police having fun while keeping us safe".

Aaliyah later told TMZ: "It was a good experience. It shows there are good cops too".