For the last 13 years or so, Kalpana Dance Theatre (KDT) has not just been entertaining local audiences with various Odissi performances, these productions have also been a platform for local students and teachers to engage with and learn from dancers from abroad.

Leena Mohanty, an acclaimed Indian classical dancer who is also the artistic director of Bansi Bilas in Bhubanewswar in Odisha, India, is devoted to training young and upcoming dancers in the field of Odissi and doubles up as the head of the Odissi department of KDT here in Malaysia.