In certain Indian dancestyles, the dancers carry pots on their heads while they dance or they have specific objects in their hands, for example flowers, that are a part of the story the dancer is telling. When I was still learning dance as a young girl, I used to make up dances in front of a mirror with any object I could find in my hand. Every once in a while I would dance with a fan in my hand. Of course my audience was limited to me or maybe my brother if I had sufficient blackmail over him, but it is the basis for the inspiration behind this painting of a Japanese dancer who is in the middle of a dance with a fan in each hand.