Theatre

Theatre (or theater if you'd like) goes back even before the days of Bill Shakespeare and his breathren.

Although people usually think of theater as live performance art form where actors portray characters in a scripted play, improv theater is incredible, too.

And, for a modern audience, it can be more fun, too, since it relies on the presence and interaction of the audience.

Not everything is Othello or Les Misérables even with its renowned music and powerful storytelling.

Music

Though you might not think of music as a performing "art" when you're watching a music video on YouTube or listening to the radio in the car, it still is!

Fundamentally: Music is the art of sound.

Whether it's expressed through instruments, voices, or electronic means, when it's played, it's performance art.

From Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro an opera that showcases the harmonious fusion of vocal and instrumental music to Metallica's Enter Sandman or even you in the shower in the morning: music is performance art.

Dance

Dance! Dance! Dance!

If you've ever been moved to dance by happiness with or without music, dance is that oh-so-human physical expression of rhythm, movement, and emotion.

Its diverse styles from classical ballet to contemporary dance are as unique as we as people and as a people.

Even if you think you're "not a fan" of ballet, have a look at a few minutes of The Nutcracker ballet and its graceful dance sequences choreographed by Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa, and you'll probably see why it's a timeless classic.

Opera

There's a scene in the movie Pretty Woman where Julia Robert's character is moved to tears by the opera, her first experience with the art form.

Richard Gere's warning to her before the performance begins is:

People's reactions to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic; they either love it or they hate it.

If they love it, they'll always love it.

If they don't, they may learn to appreciate it, but it will never become part of their soul.

The combination of live vocal performances with orchestral music and dramatic storytelling is unlike any other performance art.

Comedy

Richard Pryor. Dave Chapelle. Steve Martin. Carol Burnett.

There are too many comedy "greats" to name even a top 10, but one thing's for sure: it's central to us as a species and to our society.

Even most dramas have "comedic relief" moments that bring humor and laughter into the performance's central elements.

Circus Arts

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

A circus today is far removed from circuses of ye olden days.

Sure, there are still circuses in the traditional sense with all the "circus-y" elements like a clown on a unicycle, but go to something like Cirque du Soleil's "Varekai", and you'll be mesmerized by its fusion of acrobatics, storytelling, and visual effects.

Magic

David Blaine's contemporary, mind-bending street magic performances are at the extreme end of the art form, but really all magic boils down to one thing: delivering delight through the unexpected... even when you expect it.

Magic is the art of creating illusions and mysterious effects through sleight of hand, misdirection, and theatrical presentation.

Performance Art

Performance art is a genre that uses the artist's body and actions as a medium of expression.

It often challenges conventions and engages viewers in unconventional ways.

Take Marina Abramović's "The Artist is Present" for example.

In it, she sits in silence and makes eye contact with visitors at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Puppetry

The most famous example of puppetry is Sesame Street.

Renowned the world over, it has helped teach millions things like how to count and the English alphabet... all through puppetry.

While Sesame Street is one kind of puppetry, puppetry techniques vary from hand puppets to marionettes and shadow puppets.

Another example? "The Lion King".

That musical features reaaaally intricate puppetry including life-sized animal puppets to bring the story to life on stage.