Common Mime Types
The tradition of mime as an art form has been around since the days of ancient Greek plays. Mime artists would stand outside the theaters and give silent portrayals of actions and emotions. The Roman conquest brought mime to Rome, and through Rome to much of the western world. However, it was not until the early 1800s that Jean-Gaspard Deburau initiated the advent of modern mime art. Today there are different styles and types of mime art that can be found across the world.
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Whiteface Mimes
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The whiteface mime artist who pantomimes scenes and actions is one of the most common forms of miming today. When someone imagines a mime artist, it is usually the street actor who has a white-painted face and black outlines around his lips to help enhance the expression of emotions as he is trapped inside a box or trying to pull a rope. In the terminology of acting, the whiteface mime utilizes illusion pantomime, which portrays both emotions and actions through conventional gestures in order to create the illusion that the actor is interacting with an invisible object.
Corporeal Mimes
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Offering an alternative to the more familiar whiteface mimed style, corporeal mimes aim to convey abstract ideas and emotions that are largely universal to the experience of humanity. By using whole body movement, the corporeal mime seeks to convey her themes to an audience.
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Human Statues
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Human statues are professional street performers common in many large cities that have a flare for culture and diversity. Smaller cities with vibrant downtown areas combined with thriving artistic communities are also likely to have street performers as long as the city regulations allow for the street entertainment. Human statues usually are painted from head to toe and wear some type of flashy, ornate clothing in order to help draw attention to themselves. When someone puts a dollar--or more--into the tip jar, the human statue will come to life and perform some type of action, ranging from bows and curtseys to playing an instrument or a simple dance. While human statues do not fall into the traditional category of miming, they are considered a modern version of the art form.
Non-traditional Styles
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Since the 1980s, both whiteface and corporeal miming styles have expanded into new directions. Newer styles of miming have forsaken the traditional codified mime technique and silent expression of emotions and actions. They now include theatrical elements such as speaking self-authored texts, much as the ancient Greek mimes did. Newer styles also have included props, costumes, masks, lighting effects and music. Today there are many different genres of post-modern mime types including mime dance, mime clowning, mime puppetry and New Vaudeville.
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References
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