A 13-year-old school student scripted history by performing Bharatanatyam Arangetram in China, a landmark in the journey of the ancient Indian dance form. Lei Muzi made her solo dance debut in Beijing on Sunday in front of the celebrated Bharatanatyam dancer Leela Samson, several Indian diplomats and a large audience of Chinese fans. A team of musicians also flew in from Chennai and sang the classical numbers for Lei to perform.
The Indian classical dance form is reportedly gaining popularity in neighbouring China. For ardent Chinese fans of Bharatanatyam, who devoted their lives to learning and performing it for decades, Muzi's debut was 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. A video of Muzi's debut performance has gone viral on social media, where she can be seen dancing to classical Indian beats. VIDEO | 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.
pic.twitter.com/OaOlc9EEhh — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 13, 2024 As per a report by new.