Performing arts are creative arts that are executed in front of a live audience by individuals or groups. The performing arts industry includes instrumental music, vocal music, dance, and theatre, and they are an integral part of cultures all over the world. The performing arts can be traced back to ancient Greece, when plays, comedies, dances, religious rites, and other forms of entertainment and education were staged in theatres and arenas in front of live audiences.
Music can be classical or popular, and it can derive from a culture’s history and rituals. It could be an orchestra performing classical pieces, a band with guitars, drums, and singers, or any combination of instruments and vocalists. Classical dance, including ballet, can also be modern. There are also religious dances, and dances celebrating hunting, warfare, harvests, and other aspects of life in the past. Acting, singing, dancing, music, puppetry, and pantomime are all examples of theatre performances. Costume designers, prop designers, theatre designers, choreographers, creative directors, and other artists all contribute to the performing arts. The performers in the performing arts are the focus of this article, actors, dancers, musicians, singers, and so on.
Some of the best-performing arts colleges in the world are The Juilliard School of Drama and Dance,
NYU Tisch School of the Arts—Drama, and Dance, Yale University—Drama (MFA), and Northwestern University—Drama.
