Renuka pursued her passion for dance despite having no family history in the art. With her determination and commitment, she has made her mark in the Kathak field.

Renuka Tikare is a Kathak dancer. She has been dancing to the beats of Kathak for the past fifteen years.

Renuka completed her Master's in Kathak from Lalit Kala Kendra at Pune University. She started doing Kathak in her childhood with Dr. Pandita Sujata Natu. Now, she is pursuing a Master's Degree course in Kathak under the guidance of her guru, Dr. Rujuta Soman.

Talking about her career, Renuka says that she had always loved to dance since an early age. She used to participate in folk dances at her school and later decided to pursue Kathak. She was good in her academics but as she had a flair for dance,  she decided to pursue a dance career.

Renuka shares that she regularly participated in folk dance competitions and hence also received continuous guidance for her path. She used to enjoy dancing, but after some time, she figured out that she also should look at the financial aspect of how she could make a career from it. She thought that, like an IT professional who works for nine hours every day, a dancer must follow the same passion and seriousness to gain something good out of her art. Hence, pursuing a master's degree course was not the end but the start of a new chapter for her.

According to Renuka, people have this mentality that art is just for fun and it is not looked at as a serious career. She wants to change this mentality and is slowly working towards it by portraying art as a blend of passion as well as a financially good career option.

Talking about her guru, Dr. Pandita Sujata Natu, Renuka mentions that since childhood she had had an appropriate idea of classical dance, unlike the children of today. Her guru was a strict teacher who always followed the principle of leaving one’s anger, ego, and other thoughts behind before entering the class. Renuka has learned from her that no matter how tough the situation is, you should always smile while dancing. Talking about her other guru, Dr. Rujuta Soman, Renuka shares that learning under her was a more liberal experience where she had the liberty to talk freely to her guru and share a stage with her too. Renuka mentions that she feels fortunate to have a blend of such different gurus and how they gave her ample opportunities to perform on stage.

Renuka feels that whatever we say is bound to happen, and hence we should be aligned with positive thoughts only. She believes in always appreciating oneself and feeling gratitude for whatever we have rather than what we don't have.

Sharing her thoughts as a teacher, Renuka says that there are times when her students find it difficult to do certain steps, but it is extremely important to keep trying and never give up. She believes that a teacher should never have a give-up attitude, be it in any field, and always strive to do things in the best possible manner. Renuka feels that we must accept mistakes with open arms and work to make things better.

Renuka believes that we should try to forgive ourselves for the mistakes we make and take learnings from them while moving forward, as we are all still learning every day. She adds that learning from gurus automatically creates a feeling of positivity and builds a positive aura around you.

Sharing an incident, Renuka says that she once donated Rs 20,000 to a social cause by saving every penny. Through this, she gives a message that in times when inflation is at an all-time high, it is still possible for artists to do social service if they try to.

In her spare time, Renuka likes to teach drawing to her students. Since childhood, she has always seen drawing as a supportive art field. Drawing is a platform that provides her peace in her low times. She likes taking long walks in stressful times and is a great nature lover. With the perspective of becoming a music composer someday, she listens to songs and musical instruments to understand the dynamics.