Day 9
Today I am a mime. Mimes are theatrical performers who suggest action or emotion with gestures, movements and expressions and don't use words or verbal.
The first documented pantomime actor is Telestes who performed in 467 B.C. During the 17th and 18th centuries, mythological, pageant-like ballet-pantomimes performed in courts and theatres in Europe. It was only in the 19th century, in the USA that mimes were incorporated into the circus.
Traditionally, pantomime performances involve an actor wearing tight black and white clothing with white facial makeup. Contemporary mimes often perform without the 'whiteface' and while traditional mime are completely silent, contemporary mimes, while not speaking, sometimes make vocal sounds when they perform. Mime acts are mostly comical but they can also be very serious and profound. Mime is also a popular street art form. At the V&A Waterfront for example, there are mimes who are painted completely bronze or silver. They either stand dead still as a sculpture or emulate by-passers' moves (Lust, A, 2003).
In terms of the male gaze, where 'men act and women appear', the art of mimicry has a bit of a bi-polar slot in society. I am specifically referring to the male pantomime, even though the female mime also started to appear later in the history of the performance. In their book, Media and Society, Michael O'Shaughnessy and Jane Stadler speak of the dominant and alternative ideals of masculinity where a man is strong, tough, attractive and heterosexual (O'Shaughnessy, M, Stadler, J, 2007). A mime, however, falls short of these characteristics. Although mimes were originally only male performers and literally 'act' in a very skilled manner, they are often 'hopeless' in character and struggle with the task at hand. This explains why the art of the pantomime isn't largely popular or a part of commercial entertainment.
Lust, A, The Origins and Development of the Art of Mime, The World of Mime and Theatre. 2003. Retrieved 12 October 2010 from
http://www.mime.info/history-lust.html
O'Shaughnessy, M & Stadler, J. 2007. Ideologies and Discourses of Masculinity. In: Media and Society. Oxford University Press. Pp 347- 372
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