Processional dances of the world
Danced on the move, along a street or round a village or temple.
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreFolk dance
Traditional group dances rooted in local life and passed down through generationsFolk dance · Group · Circle
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreEgungunEgúngún
A Yoruba ancestor masquerade where robed dancers embody the spirits of the dead.Ritual dance · Group · Procession
🇧🇸 Bahamas and 2 moreJunkanoo
A costumed street parade with drumming, dance and masquerade, held at Christmas and other timesFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇺🇸 United States and 1 morePowwow
A gathering of Indigenous communities with dance, song, and ceremonyFolk dance · Circle · Group
🇧🇧 BarbadosBarbados Land-ship
A parade and dance tradition in Barbados, mimicking naval maneuvers on landFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇮🇱 IsraelHakafotהַקָּפוֹת
A joyful circling procession with Torah scrolls in synagogue on Simchat Torah and SukkotRitual dance · Procession · Circle
🇮🇳 IndiaRamlilaरामलीला
A folk drama of the Ramayana, staged outdoors during Navaratri and DussehraFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇳🇵 Nepal and 3 moreDeusi-Bhailoदेउसी-भैलो
A house-to-house singing and dancing tradition during Tihar in NepalFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 moreZaffaزفـّـة
A wedding procession with music and dance across the Arab worldFolk dance · Procession · Group
🇯🇵 JapanAwa Dance Festival阿波踊り
A street dance festival held during Obon in Tokushima, JapanFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇵🇭 PhilippinesDinagyang Festival
A street dance festival in Iloilo City honoring the Santo Niño and Ati historyFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇧🇷 BrazilMaracatu
A parade of drums, song and royal court figures from Pernambuco, BrazilFolk dance · Procession · Group
🇧🇷 BrazilSamba-reggae
A Carnival street dance from Bahia, led by drummers and rooted in Afro-Brazilian prideFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 5 moreMocko jumbie
Tall stilt dancers in masks, leading Carnival parades across the CaribbeanFolk dance · Solo · Group
🇹🇭 ThailandThai danceนาฏศิลป์
Classical and folk dances shaped by many cultures across Thailand’s regionsClassical dance · Solo · Group
🇻🇪 VenezuelaDancing devils of Corpus ChristiDiablos danzantes de Corpus Christi
Masked dancers in red parade and perform on Corpus Christi in Venezuelan townsRitual dance · Procession · Group
🇧🇪 Belgium and 5 moreProcessional giant
Huge costumed figures carried and danced in European street processionsFolk dance · Solo · Procession
🇵🇱 Poland and 3 morePolonaisePolonez, chodzony
A stately walking dance in triple time, opening Polish celebrations and ballsFolk dance · Couple · Procession
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreLion dance舞獅
A costumed dance that mimics a lion to bring luck and drive away evilFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇨🇳 ChinaDragon dance舞龙 / 舞龍
A team dance with a giant dragon puppet, seen at Chinese New Year and festivalsFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇮🇹 Italy and 3 morePavanepavana
A slow, processional couple dance of the European Renaissance.Court dance · Procession · Couple
🇸🇿 Eswatini and 1 moreUmhlanga
An annual gathering where young women carry reeds and dance before royaltyRitual dance · Procession · Group
🇧🇴 Bolivia and 2 moreDiablada
A masked devil dance from the Andes, led by Saint Michael at CarnivalFolk dance · Procession · Group
🇯🇵 JapanKagura神楽
A Shinto ritual dance where performers channel deities through slow circling and energetic leaping.Ritual dance · Group · Procession
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreMorris dance
A group folk dance from England, with bells, sticks or handkerchiefsFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇺🇸 United StatesCakewalk
A partnered dance contest where couples strut for a cake prize, born in the Southern United States.Folk dance · Couple · Procession
🇰🇷 South Korea and 2 morePungmul풍물
A Korean folk performance with drumming, dance, and song, rooted in farming lifeFolk dance · Group · Solo
🇧🇴 Bolivia and 3 moreCaporales
A lively Bolivian folk dance inspired by the overseer figure of the Yungas regionFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreEisaエイサー
A drumming and dance procession for Obon, led by Okinawan youth in lines or circlesFolk dance · Line or chain · Circle
🇮🇩 IndonesiaBarong danceᬩᬅᬭᬑᬂ
A Balinese dance-drama of Barong and Rangda, showing the struggle of good and evilFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇨🇳 ChinaYangge秧歌
A lively folk dance in lines or circles, often with ribbons, drums, and fansFolk dance · Line or chain · Circle
🇮🇳 IndiaHulivesha
A street dance in Karnataka where men painted as tigers perform during festivalsFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇮🇳 IndiaKummattikali
A colourful mask dance performed door to door during Onam in KeralaFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇮🇩 IndonesiaRejang danceᬋᬚᬂ
A sacred Balinese dance offering performed by girls at temple ceremoniesRitual dance · Procession · Group
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreConcheros
A ceremonial group dance blending indigenous and Catholic traditions in MexicoFolk dance · Group · Circle
🇬🇧 United KingdomFurry Dance
A springtime procession through Helston, marked by music and flowersFolk dance · Procession · Group
🇺🇸 United StatesSecond line
A New Orleans parade tradition where community members follow brass bands in free-form dance.Folk dance · Procession
🇮🇳 IndiaPulikaliപുലിക്കളി
A tiger-painted folk dance performed during the Onam harvest festival in Kerala.Folk dance · Procession · Group
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreKavadi Aattamகாவடி ஆட்டம்
A Tamil devotional dance where devotees carry heavy burdens and pierce their skin as offerings to Murugan.Ritual dance · Procession
🇺🇾 Uruguay and 3 moreCandombe
A drum-driven street dance of African descent in Uruguay and ArgentinaFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇮🇳 IndiaVelakali
A Kerala temple martial dance enacting the clash of the MahabharataWar or martial dance · Line or chain · Group
🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreRenaissance dance
Courtly spectacles and social dances of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century EuropeHistorical dance · Couple · Circle
🇮🇳 IndiaPadayani
A masked ritual dance of central Kerala honoring the goddess BhadrakaliFolk dance · Procession · Group
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreDodola
A rainmaking procession in Southeast Europe where children dance through villages to call for summer showers.Ritual dance · Procession · Group
🇨🇳 ChinaLoyalty dance忠字舞
A mass political dance of devotion to Chairman Mao during the Cultural RevolutionHistorical dance · Group · Procession
🇮🇳 IndiaOnapottan
A silent ritual performance visiting Kerala homes during the festival of OnamFolk dance · Solo · Procession
🇮🇳 IndiaAlamikkali
A shared Muharram ritual dance of house visits and fire rolling in south IndiaFolk dance · Group · Procession
🇺🇬 UgandaBigwala
A ceremonial trumpet dance of the Busoga Kingdom in Uganda, featuring gourd instruments and processional movement.Ritual dance · Circle · Procession
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Polonaise: Korneli Szlegel, Public domain, source
- Morris dance: Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pavane: Edwin Austin Abbey, Public domain, source
- Candombe: Jimmy Baikovicius, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bigwala: Kateregga1, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Awa Dance Festival: Rosino, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dinagyang Festival: Bernardo 'Berniemack' Arellano III, CC BY 3.0, source
- Maracatu: Prefeitura de Olinda, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mocko jumbie: COD Newsroom, CC BY 2.0, source
- Thai dance: Berlin Phonogramm-Archiv, Public domain, source
- Dancing devils of Corpus Christi: Wilfredor, CC0, source
- Processional giant: Jesús Serna, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Powwow: Smithsonian Institution, No restrictions, source
- Barbados Land-ship: Ronaldwalcott, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hakafot: Meir624, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ramlila: Ankit Gupta, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Deusi-Bhailo: Enepal Khabar Official, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Junkanoo: WikiPedant, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eisa: HaeB, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lion dance: Alfresco24, CC BY 3.0, source
- Concheros: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Furry Dance: Steve G, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dragon dance: Caseman, Public domain, source
- Diablada: Elemaki, CC BY 3.0, source
- Hulivesha: Premnath Kudva, CC BY 3.0, source
- Folk dance: Francisco Pajares, Jr., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pungmul: Vero Villa, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Caporales: Diego argento, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rejang dance: EGimaging, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Barong dance: Zsolt67 at Hungarian Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Umhlanga: Amada44, Public domain, source
- Yangge: 01Raina, Public domain, source
- Kummattikali: Aruna at ml.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kagura: Elstner Hilton, Public domain, source
- Egungun: Ìṣẹ̀ṣeAssembly, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cakewalk: Leo Rauth, Public domain, source
- Second line: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pulikali: Felix Francis, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kavadi Aattam: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
- Padayani: Anandsankarsworld, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Renaissance dance: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
- Velakali: Original uploaded by: Praveenp, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Alamikkali: Vijayanrajapuram, CC BY-SA 4.0, source