performing arts

American  

plural noun

1. arts or skills that require public performance, as acting, singing, or dancing.

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performing arts British  

plural noun

1. the arts that are primarily performed before an audience, such as dance and drama

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Etymology

Origin of performing arts

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

performing arts

The requirements were built into UC’s rules in the 1930s, reached 15 courses by the early 1960s and added visual and performing arts as a category in 1999, the UC report said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Many of the 1,500 unique job titles represent specialist roles, like a lighting technician for performing arts who may also tune the pianos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

The Welsh performing arts community is poorer for his loss, and we can only imagine the many more stories he would have gone on to tell.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

He packed oversight commissions with appointees who would rubber-stamp his delusions of grandeur and did the same with the Kennedy Center, whose new board promptly renamed the performing arts venue for him.

From Slate ● May 18, 2026

On the first day we talked, he had just returned home from six weeks at a summer performing arts camp in upstate Pennsylvania.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove