prayers and processions - a dance to ganesh

another from the prayers and procession series:

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A shiver of light falls over Sangeeta Sharma's face. She fidgets with her necklace and her eyes cast upward through the backstage curtain.

“I'm kind of afraid I'm going to mess up - there's a lot of people out there,” the 11-year-old Virginia Beach resident says. “I'm really nervous right now.”

Her friends (l-r) Ritika Kaloji, 11, Sonia Deshmukh, 10, and Avni Malik, 12, huddle around and wait for their turn to take the stage with her.

They girls are part of the Dances of India, a non-profit dance school based in Norfolk. They are performing at the Taste of India festival at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Their performance is a classical Indian form of dance called Bharata Natyam.

Subhadya Desaraju, an India native who was in attendance, explains the significance of their dance. “They're basically praying to the Lord Ganesh. You pray to Ganesh whenever you start anything.”

The act they’re following comes to a close and the girls become more nervous. Their bracelets jangle as they move about. “Come on people!” Malik exclaims. “We're next, people! We're next!”

Strobes from parents' cameras sparkle in the distance as they step onto stage into a wash of light.