Pooja Sathe Kulkarni

Pooja Sathe Kulkarni is the Founder and Artistic Director of Mudra School of Dance, one of the GTA’s leading Kathak institutions. With over 25 years of training and performance experience, she has dedicated her career to the preservation, education, and promotion of Kathak in Canada.

Pooja began her training under Guru Smt Shilpa Kantak and further enriched her learning through workshops with the legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj. She later pursued advanced training under renowned Kathak and Odissi artist Saveeta Sharma and the late Guru Sandhya Desai, and continues to train under Eshani Sathe

A recipient of the Nritya Alankar (Master’s in Kathak), Pooja has performed extensively across Canada at cultural festivals, community events, and prestigious artistic presentations. Her performance credits include the 80th birthday celebrations of Pandit Birju Maharaj, Vishwa Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, Kathak Mahotsav, Horions Series By Sampradaya Dance Creations and numerous collaborations with local artists and organizations.

As an educator, Pooja has been teaching Kathak for over 15 years and has mentored hundreds of students through Mudra School of Dance. Since 2013, she has also served as a visiting faculty member at the India School of Dance in Winnipeg. Through her teaching, choreography, and community engagement, she strives to uphold the rich traditions of Kathak while nurturing the next generation of artists.