The ICTMD Study Group on the Performing Arts of Southeast Asia (PASEA) began organizational meetings in 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and was formally established under the rules of the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance (ICTMD) in 2009. From discussions that began in 2007-2008 among scholars on music and dance of Southeast Asia, it was clear that better communication and interaction was needed among all scholars, and that emerging scholars in the field needed greater encouragement and more opportunities.

This Study Group is open to all ICTMD members who are involved in research and documentation on the performing arts (including music, dance and theatre) of Southeast Asia. Current members have initiated three sub-study groups, i.e. Sub-Study Group on Performing Arts of Muslim Communities in Southeast Asia; Sub-Study Group on Performing Arts in Royal Contexts; and Sub-Study Group on Popular Performing Arts Industries of Southeast Asia.

The ICTMD Study Group on PASEA holds a symposium every two years at different locations in Southeast Asia. In 2010, the 1st Symposium was held and hosted by the Republic Polytechnic in Singapore; In 2012, the 2nd Symposium was held at the National Commission for Culture and Arts at Intramuros, Manila, The Philippines; In 2014, the 3rd Symposium was held at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia; In 2016, the 4th Symposium was held and hosted by the Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang, Malaysia; and in 2018, the 5th Symposium was held at the Sabah Museum in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

The ICTMD Performing Arts of Southeast Asia Study Group is dedicated to the study and research on music, dance and theatre as found throughout Southeast Asia, and also includes Southeast Asian performing arts elsewhere around the world. The Study Group intends to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, new approaches and current research among established as well as young ICTMD scholars around the world. The Study Group also strives to increase communications and interaction among scholars working in Southeast Asian performing arts, and to promote future research initiatives in areas of Southeast Asia where there has been little or no research.