Yalli is collective dance expression based exclusively on group performances in Azerbaijan. They are typically performed in a circle, chain, or line, and incorporate elements of games, pantomime (bird or animal imitations), and physical exercises.
Dating back to the Stone Age, Yalli is regarded as the most significant and oldest type of Azerbaijani culture. This history is apparent in the petroglyphs, resembling the ancient Azerbaijani Yalli round dance, which greets visitors at the entrance of the Gobustan State Historical-Artistic Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Originally Yalli was performed around a fire, which is a source of warmth, light, and hot food. At such events, a fire was deemed divine. In ancient times, people understood that they could only achieve success in the hunt, gain victory in battles, and solve critical life issues by working together.
Experts estimate that there are over a thousand different types of Yalli in Azerbaijan, including “Kochari”, “Uchayag,” “Tello,” “Tenzere” and “Galadangalaya”. All of these types of Yalli are performed as a cheerful circular dance, often accompanied by choral singing.
Dancers hold hands or shoulders with each other and make some movements as they raise and lower their arms rhythmically. The lead dancer determines the rhythm and the pace. Traditional Yalli dances usually involve elements of games, pantomime (imitations of birds and animals), and physical activities.
Certain versions of Yalli have a song-like character and are practiced by both men and women, while other variations are practiced only by men and imitate the practices of pastoralist games, and involve butting animals. In June 2015, one of the finest examples of Azerbaijani Yalli dancing was performed during the Opening Ceremony of the First European Games in Baku. This dance was presented at the opening ceremony by President Ilham Aliyev.
Yalli is considered to be the pearl of Azerbaijani culture. It takes a lot of effort to preserve this folklore heritage referred to as a symbol of antiquity, which is passed from generation to generation for thousands of years until today. Yalli was widely practiced until the mid-twentieth century, but several factors have impacted the transmission of the practice since then.
These change factors include, for example, loss of social functions for some types of Yalli, as well as a preference for staged performances. Other external factors, such as labor migration and economic crises in the late 1980s and early 1990s, resulted in a shift from informal to formal transmission, as well as a drastic simplification of the dances, resulting in a loss of diversity.