At sundown, a group of girls, aged between 10 and 18, goes to the Sivalayam at Kuchipudi village in their resplendent dance costumes.
The chime of their anklets fills the air as they match steps with that of their guru Chinta Ravi Balakrishna as part of their rehearsal just before the start of a cultural event being held in connection with the village’s annual festival, Goddess Bala Tripura Sundari’s Kalyanotsavam. They are about to perform a solo repertoire.