This painting looks like a procession or a court performance where musicians stand behind the dancer as she dances. The dancer is dressed in a pink sari with crisp pleats in the centre. She wears decorative armlets over the sleeves of her tight-fitting green choli and several necklaces and a floral garland. With her right hand, the dancer makes the hamsasya gesture where tips of her thumb and index finger touch each other denoting the beak of a bird or purity while her feet appear to move to a slow tempo. During processions in temple courtyards, musicians even walked behind the dancer. The musicians wear a headgear of the Maratha period (18th–19th centuries) and the knee length shirt is typical of the 19th century Maratha court costume.
