Asia
9 countries🇨🇳ChinaDragon & Lion DancePerformed at festivals to bring good fortune, with dancers animating dragon or lion puppets to live drumming.🇮🇳IndiaBharatanatyamOne of India's oldest classical dance forms, combining precise gesture (mudra), rhythm, and storytelling rooted in Tamil temple tradition.🇮🇩IndonesiaLegongA refined Balinese court dance traditionally performed by young dancers, accompanied by a gamelan orchestra.🇮🇷Iran6 dancesA folk dance from the Lorestan province, danced with synchronized, percussive footwork — typically performed in a group, hand-in-hand, at celebrations.🇯🇵JapanBon OdoriA community circle dance performed during Obon to welcome and honor ancestral spirits.🇵🇭PhilippinesTiniklingThe Philippines' national dance — dancers step between clapping bamboo poles in escalating rhythm.🇰🇷South KoreaTalchumA masked dance-drama that uses satire and comic characters to critique social class, listed as UNESCO heritage.🇹🇭ThailandKhonMasked dance-drama depicting the Ramakien epic, historically performed for the Thai royal court.🇹🇷TurkeySemaThe turning ceremony of the Mevlevi Sufi order — a meditative devotional practice more than a performance dance.