Adult dancers shall be considered if they are full-time dancers. All dancers, including teenage dancers, must have participated in some major Bharatanatyam festivals, large dance competitions, etc.

The Bharatanatyam awards must have been given by eligible organizations, i.e. the awards given by financial institutions, military establishment, industrial associations, political parties, religious sects, etc. shall not be considered as relevant.

As the absolute majority of the professional Bharatanatyam dancers do not have any formal academic qualifications in Bharatanatyam, these shall not be considered as a significant factor in determining the dancer's eligibility to be listed in the category.

A dancer will not be listed if he/she does not satisfy the basic standards and criteria. So, a professional danceuse (patra), according to Abhinayadarpanam (one of the two most autoritative texts on

Bharatanatyam), must possess the following qualities. She has to be (1) youthful, (2) slender, (3) beautiful, (4) with large eyes, (5) with round breasts, (6) self-confident, (7) witty, (8) pleasing, (9) well-aware of when to dance and when to stop (able to follow the flow of songs and music, and to dance in tact (thalam)) (10) with splendid costumes and (11) of a happy disposition.

The danseuse must be beautiful, for according to Sangitaratnakara the true dance relates to a beautiful body, and any dance other than this is caricature (VII.1246).

You can easily find out if a particular dancer is authentic or not by reading about the criteria of a real dancer (patra) in the Natya shastra (XXVII.97-98).

The ten disqualifying criteria according to Abhinayadarpanam: (1) women with white specks in the apple of their eye, or (2) women who have scanty hair, or (3) have thick lips, or (4) pendant breasts, or (5) who are either very fat or (6) very thin, or are either (7) very tall or (8) very short, or (9) hunch-backed, or (10) voiceless.

more information (editors only)