Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who entertains an audience by presenting a dramatic, musical, or other artistic work: A performing artist is someone whose professional work involves live or recorded performance before spectators or listeners. This includes actors, musicians, dancers, singers, and other entertainers whose primary medium is performance.

Usage

• The term is used to describe a professional whose craft is presented directly to an audience.
• It distinguishes those who create art through performance from those who create visual or literary art.
• It can be used in both formal contexts (e.g., grant applications, biographies) and general descriptions.

Examples

• Noun:
  • She is a talented performing artist, known for her powerful stage presence.
  • The festival features a diverse group of performing artists from around the world.
  • Funding for performing artists has increased this year.

Advanced Usage

• "Performing artist" vs. "artist": While all performing artists are artists, not all artists are performing artists. The term "performing artist" specifically highlights the act of performance as the primary artistic output.
• Collective use: The term can refer to a category or community.
  • Policies affecting the livelihood of the performing artist were debated.

Variants and Related Words

• Performer (n): A more general term for someone who performs, which can include non-artistic contexts (e.g., a performer of duties). However, it is often used interchangeably with "performing artist" in entertainment.
• Performance artist (n): A specific type of performing artist whose work is avant-garde, often combining visual art with live action to convey a concept or experience.
• Performing arts (n pl): The collective fields of art that are performed, such as theatre, dance, and music.

Synonyms

• Entertainer: A broad term for someone who provides amusement or enjoyment to an audience.
• Player: Often used for actors or musicians (e.g., a trumpet player).
• Thespian: A formal term for an actor, specifically in the theatre.

Related Phrases

• Working as a performing artist: Describing someone's profession.
  • He has been working as a performing artist for over a decade.
• Community of performing artists: Referring to the professional group.
  • The grant aims to support the local community of performing artists.

Related Idioms

• "To tread the boards": An idiom meaning to work as an actor in the theatre, applicable to a performing artist in drama.
  • After years of training, she finally began to tread the boards as a professional performing artist.

Noun

1. an entertainer who performs a dramatic or musical work for an audience