Discuss the changes that have come about in the lives of folk artists during the last 50 years.

The life of folk artists has changed a lot in the last 50 years. After the revival of Bharatanatyam, this dance form has increased to the extent that the infrastructure required to support this art and maintain its standards is far behind. People are now focusing on learning this art rather than growing its audience. This dance form is taught by the nattuvanars. These nattuvanars are not just teachers but also have the responsibility of educating the next generation. The role of these nattuvanars is taken by dancers or musicians with special training during performances. Many of them are forced to use recorded music in dance performance due to the low budget. Dancers today are unable to earn a good income only by performing.

Bharatanatyam is a second career for people with family support. Although a few dancers devote their entire life to training and developing as dancers, they have to start teaching early in their careers to earn money. With more dancers becoming teachers the integrity of the dance form is lost. There are many innovations in this dance form because it is now being taught by many dancers. Other dance forms such as Kathakali, Yakshagana, Odissi, Manipuri, and Kathak have also faced similar struggles.