Staff Reporter Dhaka : Pooja Sengupta, Artistic Director of Turongomi Repertory Dance Theatre, has been awarded the “Friendship Medal” from the Honorable President of The SR of Vietnam, which is one of the most prestigious and highest order awards for foreigners by the Government of Vietnam. In a letter to Ms Pooja Sengupta, The Vietnamese Ambassador in Bangladesh HE Phan Viet Chien has mentioned that ‘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 Viet Nam and Bangladesh, and expressed high appreciation for your art work “Ho Chi Minh- A journey to explore the light within. The president of Viet Nam has authorized me to hand over the friendship medal to you. Therefore, the Embassy of Vietnam in Bangladesh is going to organize an awards ceremony on Wednesday, 28 December 2022, at 11:00 hours, at the Embassy Chancery.” Young dance artist and cultural entrepreneur Ms. Pooja Sengupta is the only Bangladeshi to receive this prestigious award from the Government of Vietnam this year.

Turongomi received the official letter from Vietnam Embassy in Bangladesh to produce and stage a dance theatre on the life on President Ho Chi Minh in 2019. In September 5-6, 2019 the production was premiered in Dhaka at the National Theatre of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The production received huge appreciation from the audience, critics, media, bureaucrats, diplomats and eminent artists of all genres. It is the first Bangladeshi production to be sited at the panorama of International Dance Council UNESCO, being mentioned as the first ever Biography Dance Theatre in the world. The 40 min Dance Theatre is a creative work conceptualized, scripted, designed, choreographed and directed by Pooja sengupta. In 2017, Turongomi was nominated and awarded at the very prestigious “International Dance Festival 2017” hosted by the Government of Vietnam. Turongomi was selected for their popular production Anamika Sagorkonna. A team of 10 members attended the festival under the leadership of Pooja Sengupta.

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. Till now, the 2014 Bangkok IF Festival, 2017 Vietnam International Dance Festival, The Delhi International Arts Festival DIAF 2017, The Philippine International Dance Xchange 2018-22, The Silk Road Expo: Dunhuang Conference China 2018 by Beijing Dance Academy, The 2018 St Petersburg State University conference on dance education in Russia, Pooja Sengupta’s speech at the grand general assembly of International Dance Council at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France (The first Bangladeshi Artist to deliver speech at the UNESCO), The SDG Resili-Art by UNESCO in Manila 2022, Daegu colorful festival 2022 in South Korea, Indonesia International Culture Festival 2022 and the prestigious Bandung Arts Festival 2022 are significant amongst the mainstream festivals and programs attended by Turongomi. Turongomi School of dance, a sister concern of Turongomi Repertory Dance Theatre became a member of the International Dance Council of UNESCO along with Pooja Sengupta herself, in 2019. Pooja Sengupta received the Noorul Quader Entrepreneur award in 2018 for establishing Turongomi.