Press Release: Sangeet Natak Akademi performance at the reception marking the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence at the Great Hall of People
06/28/2014
As part of “Glimpses of India Festival’ in China, Sangeet Natak Akademi is visiting Beijing from 27th June to 30th June 2014. The Sangeet Natak Akademi today performed at the Reception Marking the 60th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence at the Great Hall of People. The reception which was hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping was attended from the Indian side by Hon’ble Vice President Mr. M. Hamid Ansari and Mrs. Ansari, Minister of Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman, four Members of Parliament, Foreign Secretary Ms. Sujatha Singh, Ambassador Ashok K. Kantha, Secretary to Vice President and other officials of the Embassy. From the Myanmar side the President of Myanmar Mr. Thein Sein and other officials graced the occasion. Sangeet Natak Akademi gave a mesmerizing performance after which the three leaders greeted the artists.
The troupe performed dance drama called Saptakam: A Septet of Indian Dance, a choreography which unites seven different forms of Indian dance, which has grown out of a hymn in the Atharva Veda, one of the four ancient Indian texts encompassing the life of man on earth, enunciating the philosophy of collective living. This philosophy is based on an appreciation of the complementarity of all living beings and the need for mutual understanding and regard in the conduct of our lives. It brings together dances evolved in various parts of the Indian subcontinent, Saptakam also plays upon the relation between forms and the formless dealt with in Indian aesthetics. Through a subtle and dynamic interplay of forms which dissolve into one another, it brings before the viewer the Bharatanatyam of southern India, a dance nurtured in temples and royal courts.
Sangeet Natak Akademi is India's premier national academy for music, dance and drama established in 1952. The Akademi establishes and looks after institutions and projects of national importance in the field of the performing arts. The Akademi also carries a part of the responsibilities of the state for fostering cultural contacts between various regions in India, and between India and the world.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi performed at the Meilanfang Theater on 27th June and will be performing again on 29th June at the Meilanfang theater and then on 30th at the Beijing Bayi High School.
These performances will be followed by an Indian Food Festival in Qingdao and Yoga festival in Beijing. The year round Glimpses of India Festival is a cultural extravaganza organised by the Embassy of India,to mark 2014 as the Year of India-China Friendly Exchanges it will showcase a wide range of events including Indian performing art, visual and photographic exhibitions, Indian modern art, food festival, film festival as well as events involving eminent Indian &Chinese scholars & writers. This is done with a view to present the people of China a slice of India’s immense cultural heritage.
Date: 28th June 2014
