Pooja hirwade is a Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi practitioner, performing artist, choreographer and educator. The disciple of Guru Smt. Ratnam Janardhanan, she started dancing at the tender age of four and completed her Arangetram in 2015.
Holding a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunications and Masters of Fine Arts with specialization in Bharatnatyam, Pooja has to her credit numerous awards at state and national level in the field of art and culture especially Bharatanatyam.
She has been a recipient of scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India under the Scholarship to Young Artists Scheme as well as CCRT Junior Scholarship. Pooja has travelled extensively all over India as a soloist and with her teacher's troupe and performed in prestigious dance festivals.
With a keen interest to spread Bharatanatyam, Pooja coaches dance aspirants at Pratibha Nritya Mandir as a senior teacher, at Department of Fine Arts, RTM Nagpur University as a lecturer and at Natraj Art and Culture Centre.
Pooja being an ardent lover of art, is also being trained in –
- Karanas and Natyashastra under Guru Smt Sujatha Mohan (Bangalore), a senior disciple of Guru Padma Subramanyam
- Kuchipudi dance form under Guru Smt A P Niveditha
- Carnatic vocal under Guru Shri Siva Prasad N N from Mumbai
- Flute under the tutelage of Guru Kumar Babu from Vijayawada
- Special training in Bharatanatyam from eminent gurus — National training camp by Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India at Shillong in March 2011
- Special training in Bihu dance from Shri. Bhavesh Kalita of Assam under South-Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur
- Attended Bharatanatyam workshops by Smt. Shobana Bhalchandra, Chennai
- Abhinaya workshops of Bragha Bessels
- Intensive Workshop series by Dr. Janaki Rangarajan
- Nattuvangam workshops by Tala Vidwan Gurus like Shri Kiran Subramanyam
- Contributory lecturer for Bhartanatyam and Fine Arts at Dept. of Fine Arts, Nagpur University
- Senior Bharatanatyam Instructor at Pratibha Nritya Mandir, Nagpur
- Lecturer for Bachelor of Performing Arts Course at Natraj Art and Culture Center, affiliated to Kavikulguru Ramtek Sanskrit University
- NET in Performing Arts – Dance
- Master of Fine Arts (Bharatanatyam) — RTM Nagpur University
- BE in Electronics & Telecommunication — YCCE, Nagpur
- Alankar Poorna in Bharatanatyam — Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Miraj
- 2nd Year Senior Diploma in Carnatic Music (Distinction) — Hindustan Art & Music Society
