Indian dance troupe's performance enlivens Panchsheel meet

India's prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi's dance troupe gave a scintillating performance here at a reception marking the 60th anniversary of Panchsheel which was attended by Vice President Hamid Ansari, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Myanmar counterpart Thein Sein.
The troupe performed dance drama called Saptakam, a Septet of Indian dance, which united seven different forms of Indian dance at the event hosted by Xi to commemorate the five principles of coexistence formulated by India and China in 1954 last evening.
Dance troupes from China and Myanmar too performed on the occasion.
Besides Ansari, his wife Salma Ansari, Minister of Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, Ambassador Ashok K Kantha and other officials were also present on the occasion. From the Myanmar side, President Sein and his delegation attended the event.

The three leaders also greeted the artists.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi troupe is visiting China as part of the year long 'Glimpses of India Festival'.

The troupe performed twice at a theatre in Beijing which were attended by a large number of Chinese.
These performances will be followed by an Indian Food Festival in Qingdao and Yoga festival in Beijing.
The 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 is aimed at showcasing a wide range of events including Indian art, visual and photographic exhibitions, Indian modern art, food festival, film festival as well as events involving eminent Indian, Chinese scholars and writers to present a slice of India's cultural heritage.