The art of Mime has been around for centuries upon centuries. It is considered one of the earliest mediums of self-expression. It turned and developed into a true theatrical form in ancient Greece, where performers enacted everyday scenes with the help of elaborate gestures.
The Romans, with their love of spectacle, soon took over the existing theaters in Greece and began renovating and rebuilding them for their own spectacles, which included everything from pantomime to mock naval battles. Mime enjoyed much success and growth under Emperor Augustus of Rome.
Mime continued to entertain through the Middle Ages, and reached its height in sixteenth century Italy, in the form of Commedia dell’Arte. Commedia dell’ Arte originated in the market places of the Italian streets in the early 1500’s. Street performers began wearing masks with exaggerated comical features to draw attention to themselves and to complement their acrobatic skills.
With mime, language was no barrier, and with that fact, the art form continued to reach out even further. Eventually, Skillful mime antics reached and conveyed the stories and comedy to audiences throughout America in the streets and on stage. Mime in America is eccentric and blends many styles: a melting pot with much experimentation. Today, There are two major types of mime. Literal and abstract or a combination of both. literal mime is mostly used for story theater and comedy.
Abstract mime is used to generate feelings, thoughts and images as a more intuitive experience to a topic or issue. When you book a mime with About Faces, you’ll find all of the worlds of mime collide into one wonderful spectacle that you’re sure to enjoy at your event!
