Twin sisters from Sammamish are scheduled to perform an ancient Indian classical dance during in the Washington State Governor’s Inaugural Ball on Jan. 16 in Olympia.

Karishma Mandyam, a sophomore at Skyline, and her twin sister, Aishwarya, will perform the Bharatanatyam dance in the Rotunda during the celebration.

The dance is set to Carnatic music, the traditional music of South India. Most Bharatanatyam items depict bhakti or devotion as the main theme. The five major styles of Indian classical dance signify the five elements of nature.

Bharatanatyam is considered to be a fire-dance – the mystic manifestation of the metaphysical element of fire in the human body. The movements of a Bharatanatyam dancer resemble the movements of a dancing flame.