[Photograph of Sitara Thobani backstage with a group of individuals at the James Cowan Theatre in Burnaby]

Photograph of Sitara Thobani backstage with a group of unidentified individuals at the James Cowan Theatre at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby, British Columbia (B.C.). Individuals had gathered at James Cowan Theatre for an Odissi dance rang pravesh, a solo debut performance by Sitara Thobani. Sunera Thobani can be seen among the group of individuals.

Sitara Thobani first began dancing at the age of 8 under the direction of Lata Pada in the Bharatanatyam tradition. She began her training in the Odissi tradition under Dr. Ratna Roy in 1997. She has undertaken intensive training in India at the esteemed Nrityagram dance school as well as in Bhubaneswar in Orissa, the heart of Odissi dance tradition. Thobani has performed at many cultural and art events in Canada and the United States, including at the International Odissi Conference in Washington, D.C. in August 2003. She has also performed at the Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar-es-Salaam, the Zanzibar International Film Festival in Tanzania, as well as in Calcutta and Delhi, India. Thobani has dedicated herself to continuing the Odissi dance tradition of Guru Pankaj Charan Das as transmitted to her by her Guru, Dr. Ratna Roy. Thobani has a PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oxford, an MA in Sociology and Equity Studies from the University of Toronto, and a BA in Anthropology and Asian Studies from the University of British Columbia. An Assistant Professor in Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, she is also affiliated with the Asian Studies Program and the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University.

Sunera Thobani is an activist and scholar. As an activist, Thobani has served as the former President of the National Action Committee on the Status of Woman, Canada's then largest feminist organization. During her tenure she sought to make anti-racism central to feminist struggles. As a scholar, Thobani has developed critical race theory to cast new light on the dynamics around globalization, violence against women, reproductive technologies, social programmes, immigration and nation-building, and colonialism and war. She is also a founding member of the Canada-wide alliance, Researchers and Academics of Colour for Equity. Thobani is a Professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She has been the recipient of multiple awards, including, the Hands Against Racism Community Award from Spice Radio, The Sarah Shorten Award from the Canadian Association of University Teachers, The Dean's Award for Academic Excellence from UBC, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Dr. Hari Sharma Foundation for the Advancement of South Asians.

Odissi is a classical Indian dance style which originates from the eastern state of Odisha, India. It is one of eight classical dance forms in India. Since the 12th century, odissi has been danced by maharis (people devoted to the dance) in temples. Odissi expresses traditional poetry and songs through movements. Many of the poems performed through Odissi come from the Sanskrit collection of romantic poetry, Gita Govinda, written by Jayadeva Goswami.

Rang Pravesh is the first full length on-stage solo recital by a student of Indian classical dance. It marks the graduation of a student onto the professional performance stage.

The Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (SCA) is an award-winning, multi-purpose facility located in Deer Lake Park in Burnaby, B.C. SCA was designed in 1995 by the international firm of Hotson Bakker Architects and received the prestigious Canadian Wood Council Award of Merit for the building's creative design in 1996. Owned and operated by the city of Burnaby, the building is named after internationally acclaimed painter Jack Shadbolt and his wife Doris Shadbolt, curator, author and art educator. SCA houses a recital hall, theatres, dance and poetry studios, music rehearsal rooms and more, including the James Cowan Theatre.