BY SURYA BALAJI, Middleton High

I was nervous. It was my first time dancing, other than at a school dance, which doesn’t count.
I’m not a big fan of dancing, and the fact that 50 people (which may not sound like a lot) were going to be watching us in the middle of International Plaza in Tampa was less than comforting.

But it was a Bollywood flash mob. How could that not be fun? It incorporated film music from India along with some pop, like Gangnam Style, the only song I knew how to dance to.

The event last weekend promoted the 25th annual India Festival, which takes place at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Friday and Saturday. The festival promises more than 150 booths and 900 entertainers, ethnic folk dancing competitions, Indian food items, a concert, fashion show, youth education sessions and a health forum. A two-day ticket costs $15; Saturday only is $8.
(For more information, go to indiafestivaltampa.com.)

Niti Shah, flash mob organizer and choreographer, chose numbers she thought showcased the best music of the India film industry. “I picked songs that moved through the eras of Bollywood music, while also depicting the high energy, festive colors and celebratory entertainment value of Bollywood dances,” she said, including music from new films to Gangnam Style to traditional old-school bhangra.

My first practice session was really tough. I decided to join the mob halfway through the dance, when the moves got a little less difficult. I jumped. I swayed. I waved my arms.
In the end, I was happy with whatever random and out of sync movements I made. At least now I could say I was a dancer.

To listen to some of the flash mob music from Indian films, click here.