How to Mime

Mime is an art form that is said to have originated in France. It showcases the grace of the body in motion and pays close attention to the mechanics of expression, or how the body shows emotion, moods and thought. You can tell a new story or do an interpretation of an old story. And what about the white make-up and black tights? They are a good addition, but not necessary.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Know that a mime is conveying a message without speaking. Don’t talk!

2. Choose an action to start your routine. For example, opening a door.

3. Ask yourself what objects you would interact with and how you would interact with them. If you were opening a door, you would reach out for the knob, grasp it in your hand and turn. After that, you would push the door open.

4. Try out your chosen action for real, if possible. Open a door a few times. Pay attention to every detail of your body as you reach for the knob and turn, then step over the threshold.

5. Recreate the position and motion of your body but without using the door. Practice this until you are comfortable.

6. Give your action a context. Choose something with a strong emotional component. For example, opening a door to discover your lover with someone else.

7. Examine the emotions inspired by the context. Watch what your face and body does to show emotion.

8. Reproduce the emotional “tell” of your body.

9. Combine the action and emotional response to create your first short pantomime performance.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice makes perfect.
• Exaggeration is a good tool in mime.
• Make short performance pieces at first, then link them together to make more complex stories.
• Your hands and face are the most expressive parts of your body, but do not ignore the messages that posture can send.
• Some people suffer from a incapacitating fear of clowns and mimes (coulrophobia) which you may trigger with your performance.