This chapter examines the semah, a genre of music and movement integral to the ritual life of the Alevis, a major ethno-religious community comprising an estimated 10–30 percent of the population of the Turkish Republic. The semah incorporates patterned, rhythmic movement accompanied by music that outside observers often categorize as dance, despite such practices being generally excluded from orthodox Sunni and Shiʿi religious observances. The presence of music and movement in Alevi ritual, among other distinguishing features, has contributed to a long history of marginalisation and persecution, including episodes of mass violence. The chapter introduces the morphologies, semantics, and contemporary histories of the semah, situating it within its ritual contexts and briefly considering its performance beyond them. Engaging broader debates about dance in Islamic societies, it addresses several critical questions: What constitutes dance, and who has the authority to define and label embodied, rhythmic movement as such? How is dance understood and contested within Muslim communities, and what role do religion and marginality play in shaping “choreophobic” attitudes? Finally, do Alevis themselves conceptualise the movements performed in the semah as dance, or do they understand them through a different religious and cultural framework?