Chinese Bharatnatyam dancer makes history; performs 'Arangetram' in China

Beijing: Lei Muzi, a 13-year-old school student scripted history when she performed Bharatanatyam "Arangetram" in China, a landmark in the journey of the ancient Indian dance form that is gaining popularity in the neighbouring country.

Lei made her solo dance debut here on Sunday in front of the celebrated Bharatanatyam dancer Leela Samson, Indian diplomats and a large audience of Chinese fans.

For ardent Chinese fans of Indian classical art and dance forms who devoted their lives to learning and performing them for decades, her debut was a moment of history and a milestone as it was the first-ever “Arangetram” -- Bharatnatyam's graduation ceremony -- in China.

For the performers of the ancient dance from South India, Arangetram, as it is called in Tamil, is their debut performance on stage in front of teachers and experts besides the audience.

Only after Arangetram are the students allowed to perform on their own or train aspiring dancers.

“This is the first-ever Arangetram by a student fully trained in China and performed in China,” said T S Vivekanand, the First Secretary of the Indian Embassy in charge of culture who attended the event.

It was a properly done Arangetram in a very traditional way, he told PTI here.

“Lei’s Arangetram is the first time that Chinese students trained by a Chinese teacher have completed in China, which is a landmark in the history of Bharatanatyam inheritance,” noted Chinese Bharatanatyam dancer Jin Shan Shan, who trained Lei, said.

Shruti Rawat, the wife of Indian Ambassador Pradeep Rawat, was the chief guest at Lei's Arangetram.

The event was attended by a large crowd of fans who cheered her over the two-hour-long performance during which she danced to several classical numbers.

Besides Leela Sampson, a team of musicians who were flown in from Chennai sang the classical numbers for Lei to perform.

She is due to perform in Chennai later this month.

Lei was trained for over 10 years at the Bharatanatyam school run by Jin, who herself was the first accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer to have held her Arangetram in 1999 in New Delhi.

Jin was one of the numerous Chinese students who were trained by eminent Chinese dancer Zhang Jun.

Lei, also known as Dudu, says she fell in love with Bharatanatyam since she joined Jin’s school in 2014.

“I completely fell in love with it. I kept dancing till now. For me, Bharatanatyam is not only a beautiful art and dance form but also the embodiment of Indian culture,” she told PTI.

“This fascinates me greatly, as well as the gorgeous and graceful movements during a dance item. Overall, I extremely love Bharatanatyam. For me, it is already a daily activity to do, and I am truly interested in the culture of India,” she said.

Jin, who is widely known in China and India and has held numerous performances, said she is proud to see one of her students complete her Arangetram.

“Bharatanatyam has brought us close together. For ten years, Lei has come to my home every weekend to attend classes, which not only let me witness her growth but also made us family,” she said.

“It reminds me of how my guru, Leela Samson, taught me when I did my Arangetram,” she said.

Sunday’s Arangetram is a festival for us, Jin said.