Where can I learn 'Performance Art'?

Circus schools teach a lot of non-traditional performance skills.  Improv schools / classes / programs teach skills that would be relevant to a performance artist. The traditional performance skills would certainly be useful.  After that, I'd look to an apprenticeship with someone working in the field.

As the name itself suggests, ‘Performance Art’ is a creative field and it can only be mastered only through constant and continuous practice. The institutes can only teach you how to showcase your art in a proper way, but in the end, it's all about your innate creative skills, and the ability to practice. A Lot.  Now, a college would surely help you get better, and, if we consider the rankings, here would be my top 3 recommendations: New York University, Northwestern University and University of South Carolina. [1] These colleges are ranked consistently high in performance arts program, and some of the most well-established dignitaries have graduated from here. But, again, those are just the tip of the iceberg. You still have over 1300 choices in this matter. So choose a college that best matches your interest, location preferences, fees and other important factors like social environment. All the best! :) Sources: [1]: http://performing-art-schools.com/

There are lot of opportunities and outcome of “performance art”. There was a time when people used to haunt for learning arts. The interest has been increased due to the professional field and there is no doubt that Dubai has become one of the major point of cultural tradition and the expert and experienced artists are teaching quite well. All these have placed Dubai in a better position in the field of art. So, if you are in search of a better cultural support, you should proceed with Dubai. In this concern I may add that only the assistance is not enough to perform arts. There are lots of things behind such practice. A complete devotion and hard effort is highly necessary. If all these can be compiled in a better way, the learning will be far easy.

Ana Mendieta - Sweating BloodSpeaking as a professional arts journalist, and someone who is active in the New York/Brooklyn (as well as Boston, Chicago, and London) performance art community, I would have to say that the best way to “learn” performance is to see a lot of work both from a historical and contemporary perspective, and to practice performance live. Some universities you can study performance include Pratt Institute, University of Iowa, New York University, School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the New School, the Art Institute of Chicago, among many others. Usually these courses are listed as “performance studies” rather than specifically performance art. Many of these places have graduate MFA programs as well.Performance art or live art is such an umbrella term as it can encompass many different methods, practices and aesthetics to performance. It can range from the abstract, to more body-based work, to installation, to process-based work, to more ritual-based work. I don’t know your level of exposure to live performance art, but after a while you do begin to see and understand common elements that are unique to performance, and which other art forms cannot reproduce.The most important thing to learn in performance is to understand that both the artist and spectator are active in creating the work, as well as understanding that your body is both the subject and the object of the work, meaning, your body is both image and metaphor in the work.Recommended Reading: Performance Art From Futurism to the Present - RoseLee Goldberg The Artist’s Body - Tracey Warr Out of Actions: Between Performance and the Object, 1949-1979 - Paul Schimmel The Triumph of Anti-Art - Thomas McEville I also feature essays on performance here: http://incidentmag.com. You can send me a private message if you are interested in names of contemporary artists making great work, prominent gallery spaces, contacts etc…