Noun

Singular performance

Plural performances

performance (plural performances)

1. The act of performing; carrying into execution or action; execution; achievement; accomplishment; representation by action; as, the performance of an undertaking of a duty.
2. That which is performed or accomplished; a thing done or carried through; an achievement; a deed; an act; a feat; especially, an action of an elaborate or public character.
3. A live show or concert.
4. In Computer science: The amount of useful work accomplished by a computer system compared to the time and resources used. Better Performance means more work accomplished in shorter time and/or using less resources

Hyponyms

• play
• show
• movie
• concert

A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which one group of people (the performer or performers) behave in a particular way for another group of people (the audience). Sometimes the dividing line between performer and the audience may become blurred, as in the example of "participatory theatre" where audience members might get involved in the production. Singing choral music, and performing in a ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience members often clap, indicating appreciation. However, sometimes this rule is reversed. In Japan, the greatest compliment is complete silence.

Performances, for example in theatre, can take place daily, or at some other regular interval. Performances can take place at someone's house, in a subway, or even at a dollar store. Talent, on the other hand, is subjective.

Quotes about w:Performance.

Sourced

• "For me, the most important thing is the element of chance that is built into a live performance. The very great drawback of recorded sound is the fact that it is always the same. No matter how wonderful a recording is, I know that I couldn't live with it -- even of my own music -- with the same nuances forever."
  • Aaron Copland, quoted in Classic Essays on Twentieth-Century Music. ISBN 0028645812.

• "I hope my recordings of my own works won't inhibit other people's performances. The brutal fact is that one doesn't always get the exact tempo one wants, although one improves with experience."
  • Aaron Copland, quoted in Classic Essays on Twentieth-Century Music. ISBN 0028645812.

• "Performance has remained the ideal locus of rock authenticity long after it has ceased to be the real origin of rock music."
  • David R. Shumway (1999). "Performance". Key Terms in Popular Music and Culture. Malden, Massachusetts. ISBN 0631212639.