Defining the nature of performances is at the root of all difficulties regarding their representation. This paper presents the work of AHDS Performing Arts, a UK national
organisation for research into, advice on, and curation of digital content related to the performing arts disciplines. Recent research has concentrated on digital representations of performance and how they can be curated for lasting value, investigating the challenges of creating and curating representations of a complex and ephemeral art form and the need for subject-specific expertise. This paper presents an overview of the work of AHDS Performing Arts and introduces the issues relevant to research and practice of digital curation of performance materials.