<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Pooja Sengupta, artistic director of Turongomi Repertory Dance Theatre, has been honored with the “Friendship Medal” from the President of Socialist Republic of Vietnam.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“I’m delighted to inform you that the President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam has awarded you the Friendship Medal for your contribution to promoting the traditional friendship relations between Vietnam and Bangladesh,” said Vietnamese Ambassador in Bangladesh Phan Viet Chien in a letter to Pooja Sengupta.</div><div><br></div><div>The President of Viet Nam has authorized the Ambassador to hand over the friendship medal to Pooja and expressed high appreciation for her art work “Ho Chi Minh- A journey to explore the light within."</div><div><br></div><div>The Embassy of Vietnam in Bangladesh is going to host an award giving ceremony on Wednesday at the Embassy Chancery.</div><div><br></div><div>Young dance artist and cultural entrepreneur Pooja Sengupta is the only Bangladeshi to receive this prestigious award from the government of Vietnam this year, said a media release.</div><div><br></div><div>Turongomi received the official letter from the Vietnam Embassy in Bangladesh to produce and stage a dance theatre on the life of President Ho Chi Minh in 2019.</div><div><br></div><div>In September 5-6, 2019 the production premiered in Dhaka at the National Theatre of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.</div><div><br></div><div>The production received huge appreciation from the audience, critics, media, bureaucrats, diplomats and eminent artists of all genres.</div><div><br></div><div>It is the first Bangladeshi production to be cited at the panorama of International Dance Council UNESCO, being mentioned as the first ever Biography Dance Theatre in the world.</div><div><br></div><div>The 40 minutes Dance Theatre is a creative work conceptualized, scripted, designed, choreographed and directed by Pooja sengupta.</div><div><br></div><div>In 2017, Turongomi was nominated and awarded at the very prestigious “International Dance Festival 2017” hosted by the government of Vietnam.</div><div><br></div><div>Turongomi was selected for their popular production Anamika Sagorkonna.</div><div><br></div><div>A team of 10 members attended the festival under the leadership of Pooja Sengupta.</div><div><br></div><div>Since its inception in 2014, Turongomi has been working with the motto of establishing the signature style of Bangladeshi dance in the international arena and for achieving professionalism in the dance scenario of Bangladesh. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>