[Photograph of individuals at the James Cowan Theatre in Burnaby]

Photograph 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.

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.