A Chinese-built humanoid dances the halay at TEKNOFEST — with software made in Türkiye

A humanoid robot became an unlikely crowd favorite at TEKNOFEST Southeast, performing the traditional Turkish folk dance halay to local music in Şanlıurfa.

A humanoid robot has become one of the surprise stars of TEKNOFEST Southeast, drawing crowds — young visitors in particular — with a programmed performance of halay, the traditional Turkish folk dance, set to music from Şanlıurfa. The robot performed Saturday at Şanlıurfa GAP Airport as festival-goers gathered to watch and film.

The hardware was manufactured in China, according to Fatih Baran Aslan, an engineer involved in the robot's development; the software that drives its dance moves was developed by his company in Türkiye. The team programmed specialized movements and routines onto the base hardware so the robot could keep time with traditional Turkish songs.

Halay is only the beginning of the repertoire: Aslan says the robot has been programmed with about 13 dances, plus interactive gestures for mingling with visitors — waving, clapping, even blowing kisses.

It is a neat encapsulation of the festival's pitch: centuries-old folk culture performed by imported hardware running local code — and a reminder that a well-choreographed robot can steal a show from the drones overhead.