Pantomime

In dance we talk with our bodies instead of our mouths.

In Ancient Roman dramatic performances, a solo dancer and narrative chorus members wore masks and expressed their characters through body movements. The vocabulary of pantomime was absorbed into ballet and used to express the intricacies of plot when the traveling Italian Commedia dell’artes traveled through France. Pantomime is still used in many popular Romantic and Classical Ballets such as Coppelia, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. When executing pantomime, stand at an angle so the audience and the character you’re communicating with on stage can see you. Face the audience directly when you are making an important statement. A personal space of three feet should be kept between the people communicating to each other in order for the audience to see what is being said. Mimed expressions used in ballet include –

YOU: Point to a person with an open hand (pointed finger when angry).

BEAUTIFUL: Circle the face gently with the back of the hand.

PRINCESS: Place hands overhead as if you are enclosing a crown.

DANCE: Circle the hands around each other overhead.

KISS: Touch lips with finger.

LOVE: Hold both hands over the heart.

MARRY: Point to the wedding-ring finger of the left hand with index finger of right hand.

ME: Point towards self with middle finger of the right hand.

KING: With a flourishing gesture, raise the right hand above the head, indicating

the feather commonly worn in the hats of nobility.

QUEEN: Let the index finger of the right hand touch the top of forehead at

points where the crown touches.

STOP: Hold up hand with palm out.

ANGRY: Raise arms overhead, elbows front and shake fists.

SAD: Let fingers trace tears as they fall down the face.

WEEP: Hide face in both hands, or rub eyes with clenched fists.

BEG MERCY: Hold arms out, palms together as if praying.

NO: Cross hands in front of the body and gesture out to the sides as the head shakes.

OBEY: Point to the floor.

FORGET: Hold out hands loosely, palms up, and shake head slightly.

REMEMBER: Touch the temple with the index finger.

SLEEP: Incline the head against the back of the hands.

FRIENDS: Clasp hands together on a level with the waist.

BLESS: With the hands, touch the head of the person being blessed.