Chinese twins captivate audience with Bharatanatyam Arangetram in Beijing

Chinese twins, Jin Yanshu and Jin Yanai, performed Arangetram -- a traditional Bharatanatyam graduation ceremony -- captivating audiences in Beijing with their graceful rendition of the ancient Indian classical dance form. The 16-year-old high school-going Jin sisters learnt the complex art form from the age of three under the noted Chinese Bharatanatyam exponent and teacher, Jin Shan Shan, who runs a dance school called Sangeetham Indian Arts School in Beijing. Shan learnt dance from the famous dance school Kalakshetra in Chennai. Several hundred children from across China learnt the Indian art form at the school established in 2006, according to Shan.

Twin sisters Jin Yanshu and Jin Yanai delivered a superb Bharatanatyam Arangetram in Beijing on 22 August, marking their graduation after 12 years' training under their Guru, Jin Shanshan, herself a student of Guru Leela Samson.

Ambassador @VDoraiswami congratulated the young… pic.twitter.com/tgj39f59ue

— India in China (@EOIBeijing) August 23, 2026

The twins performed their Arangetram on Saturday at a well-attended ceremony presided over by the Indian Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami and his wife Sangeetha Doraiswami. “What is truly commendable is that we see two young Chinese dancers throwing themselves into classical Indian dance with full enthusiasm,” Doraiswami said, praising the devotion of the Jin sisters.The Jin twins have already performed in various shows, including in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited Tianjin in 2015 to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and took part in the dance drama Ramayana staged in Beijing last year.