In garba, be-thali (pronounced “beh-tahlee”) is the basic step used to travel around the circle counterclockwise and clockwise. Be-thali translates to “two clap.” (The phrase in its entirety is a daudiyu, which loosely translates to “running step.”It includes multiple steps, like two-clap, three-clap, pivots and turns that are linked as the dancer travels around the circle.) “It’s a fun dance, but it’s also a communal experience, and you kind of lose yourself in it once you do it for a long time,” says Parijat Desai.

Rohan Sheth is a Bollywood fitness teacher and choreographer in New York City.