BAKU, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Yalli, traditional group dances of Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan, were included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding on Wednesday, according to a joint statement by Azerbaijan's foreign ministry and cultural ministry.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) made the decision in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius where it is holding the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, said the statement.

Yalli are "collective performances typically danced in a circle, chain or line," according to an introduction published on UNESCO's website. They were originally performed for celebrating fire, which was source of heat, light and warm food. "Free participation" is one of the key principles for Yalli.

The UNESCO says that the art needs protection because "a shift from informal to formal transmission, a preference for staged performances, labor migration, and drastic simplification of the dances" are threatening its transmission.

After the latest addition, Azerbaijan now has 13 elements listed as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.