Usual performance quietly meets with approval (6)
I believe the answer is:
shtick
'approval' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I can't judge whether this works.
'usual performance quietly meets' is the wordplay.
'usual performance' becomes 'tick' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'quietly' becomes 'sh' (both are used to tell someone to be quiet).
'meets' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'tick' put after 'sh' is 'SHTICK'.
'with' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for shtick that I've seen before include "funny routine" , "comedy routine" , "Comedian's routine - kitsch (anag)" , "comic's routine" , "Performer's routine" .)