India: In India, they used to and still do today, dance as a sign of worship and expression of emotions to their millions of Hindu Gods. The Devadasis dancers were temple dancers where they learned routines and performed sacred dances in front of their fellow villagers to please specific Gods. These dance routines involved signs of praise and gratitude to Hindu Gods such as Yellamma. The Indians believed that their Gods would keep their families happy and help them have a good harvest for their crops. Sometimes these dances were peerformed in front of cows, which are sacred in Hinduism. Today these dances have been modernised and are performed as a form of entertainment.

http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/dances/dances.htm