Breaking into a sweat through the medium of mime

by Barry de Silva

I wouldn’t say I’m the most co-ordinated individual on the planet, nor had I attempted mime before, but it turns out that you don’t have to be a dancing fanatic or remotely arts-orientated to enjoy the mime experience. Mime is all about keeping fit and having fun.

Upon arrival at the International School of Corporeal Mime I was warmly greeted by Kentaro Suyama. Ken is the principle actor and one of three teachers at the mime school.

As we began, Ken told me it was important to stretch one’s spine before proceeding with anything else as the spine’s flexibility is the foundations for upper body movement.

Ken taught me to balance a large amount of weight on the balls of my feet. It sounds fairly straightforward, but did cause more intense pain in my thighs and feet than I ever thought possible (this was solely down to my own appalling fitness).

The basis for all mime is to make your body “speak”, but unlike the age-old myth, Ken told me mime artists do talk during performances.

In just 90 minutes it was incredible how one could make a multitude of different expressions and meanings through simply tilting the head or holding one’s posture.
Even when I was attempting to push an imaginary wall and fell almost flat on my face, I got a great deal of enjoyment from this enriching experience. Actions certainly do speak louder than words.

Drop-in classes at the International School of Corporeal Mime cost £10 and are on Tuesday and Thursdays from 6.30-8pm.