A few points to remember

By mime instructor Pilar Garcia

GKA Shakespeare group with Ms. Garcia

" Here are just a few points to remember for your mime (not in any particular order):  

Make eye contact with your fellow dancers.  Generally speaking, eye contact happens before any gesture to them.  (Of course, if you are playing a very shy character, or a moment when you are shy about something, you might avoid eye contact!)  

Any gesture should have a 'beginning, middle and end' or be definite... it should not just 'float' out in space somewhere.  Be sure if you are referring to someone else with a gesture that your arm/hand is definitely toward the person you are referring to, and not just our in space "kind of in the vicinity" of the person.  

Know what the gesture is saying.  Privately, in rehearsal, discover and verbalize or put into your own words out loud.... with a short phrase only... what the gesture is "saying"  Don't stop searching for the best words... the best thought... until you find a phrase that best captures both the intent of the moment, and the timing needed for the gesture.   

Never let your lips move... even silently... when you do mime.  After rehearsing and by performance time, the moments, thoughts and feelings are inside of you.  

A 'fixed point' in French illusionary mime is any point in space you can "fix" or place, release, and go back to.  

In the rehearsal period, work with any props you are going to use as soon as possible.  (However, you should first know your choreography and the music.)  If the prop is not yet ready by the Prop Department, ask if tey have something similar to what you will be using for rehearsal purposes.  You should do the same with any costume pieces that will affect your character and movement, i.e., hates, capes, special shoes, gloves, period dresses, masks, etc.  

The "fourth wall" in a story ballet is what your imagination sees that best completes the side of the set where the audience is located when you're on a proscenium stage.  Looking at the three sides of the set the set designer has created for any given scene, what would best complete the fourth side that no one sees?  Let it live in your imagination. 

Entrances are important.  You must know what your character is doing leading up to the moments before you come on the stage.  You must bring "life" on to the stage. In the rehearsal period, discover what your character is doing in those moments of "life" before your character enters; and in performance then prepare backstage before your entrance.  Never wait until you come on to a stage to start the story.  The story for the character starts before you're seen on the stage.  In this way, the entrance of your character will be more anchored in a living reality for yourself and the audience.  In this way, your will also keep a living mement by moment in the story as it progresses.  

Exits are important.  Always take whatever impels you off the stage way into the wings with you.  Don't drop character and the intention of the exit until you are way off the stage.  

Remember:  while you are standing in the wings, if you can see the audience, the audience can see you.  

Remember:  if you are genuinely connected in the actions of the story the audience will be interested.  

Never try to do or reply yesterday's performance, no matter how good you thought it was.  Every performance is new, alive to possibilities.  

Whether building your role in a story ballet, or just doing an improvisation, be sure to remember CROW!  C= character  R = relationship  O = objective  W = where you are.  "