It was believed that Hindu Gods and Goddesses especially the Gandharvas used to descent from heaven to watch the performance of the humans. They used to bless the performers and the people.Earlier it was mandatory for many Hindu communities to invite traditional dance performers, singers, musicians, artists and story tellers to perform at marriages, festivals and during auspicious occasions. It was believed that the family who invites the performers will be blessed by Gandharvas - artistic performers of heaven.
So in the past there was a great trend of inviting dancers to all kinds of functions who were meagrely paid in those times when compared to the dancers of our times.