We've covered half of my mime life already and all the fun we've had with pantomime as kids and teenagers but things got real serious for a while after the end of our time in Studio of Pantomime Kasprzyk. If you are wondering what is Studio of Pantomime Kasprzyk don't worry and go read the previous mime blog.
When most of the group went to bigger cities to study at colleges and universities I was left with no mime collegues and a bit of a problem on what to do next. I'll maybe surprise you when I say I only knew one thing for certain and that was: "I definitely don't want to study mime or pantomime at the academy because it will ruin the fun." After some period of trying to get to some other universities, let's just say I went there and I was basically right but there are a lot of buts also.
When I came to the entry exams at The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague I was pleasantly surprised that the atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming and it felt like a workshop because we went through different disciplines with different teachers and as far as I was concerned, learning new stuff. Because there was actually no mime class. We've had contemporary dance, physical theatre, mime corporeal which is very different from contemporary mime I was used to and I was not excelling in any of that as I've never done any of it before in my life. I was only a mime you could say. So I was really looking forward to finally showing the pantomime etudes that we should have had prepeared at home because I knew that I'm no dancer as some others were and they were fantastic in those classes, but I do mime my whole life so this is my time.
After showing the jury my etude and getting to the next rounds of the entry exams there were fewer and fewer of us but the exercises got more and more creative which I loved even though there was a lot of abstract prompts that I was again not too much used to. But we've had a lot of fun in the group of friends and new aquaintances, actually sleeping in one flat with half of them in the nights and helping develop our ideas at the exams in the days. We worked well together and the jury was so undecisive about who not to take in that they made an exeption and took that year 2 extra people so there were 8 of us accepted in.
You actually have to wait a month or so until they let you know that you have succeded and let me just tell you that the waiting is very nerve wrecking. But when you get your acceptance mail and celebrate, there is the moment of horror because you suddenly realise not only that you are going to actually live in Prague for next years but most importantly you remember. You remember everything you experienced and learned from the entry exams.
And I've learned some scary things. Just to name a few so you can relate and feel better, I am not too flexible, I can't remember any choreography, I'm not too strong, I don't have experience with creating abstract physical pieces, I can't juggle and so on. Realising all of that I had to make a decision because I can do only so much in the half a year before going to Prague and I decided to work on my body strength and flexibility as it was the most logical move because you can then build on that.
I chose bouldering and swiming as the ultimate strength, flexibility and core building activities and if you don't know what bouldering is, it is basically rock climbing but close to ground so you don't need almost any equipment and it's less dangerous and more fun. Months went by quickly and I moved into the dormitory in Prague and started studying. All of my body was hurting nonstop and I was forced to do things I didn't ever think I would have to or be capable to do.
The luck was on my side and I chose a very good year to come to the academy. Not only I had the best possible classmates including my good buddy and a great mime Anton Elias but I came just in time to have the best workshops right in the beginning of the first year. We've had the workshop with James Donlon from the United States of America who is a mime with great exercises that I use at my workshops and I've learned a lot there. There was also a workshop with Corinne Soum from France teaching us the pantomime of Marcel Marceau and it was very inspiring too.
The rest of the year was very difficult for me because it was physically super challenging for all of us, especially acrobacy, as most of us didn't have any preparation in our previous school system. The first year was also very draining mentally because we've had a lot of classes from dawn to dusk but none of them were pantomime and that was super frustrating and dissapointing. So in the end of the firstyear of studying I was a slightly better dancer, I had more control over my body, I was more flexible and stronger, I could do stuff I never imagined and I had blocked neck and totally overused lower back. But that was actually the least amount of body damage from all my classmates so I was very proud even though in a lot of pain.
But that was still only the first year at the academy and the real fun was yet to begin.
So if you want to have fun and do something meaningful and touch people's hearts, start doing pantomime. If you want to have even more fun, bring your friends and make them join you on your journey of becoming a mime. If you think it's not for you, think again because mime is for everyone. And if you just want to understand pantomime, support mimes and have more fun watching mime as more informed audience, you are very welcome and I will happily teach you, guide you or entertain you.
Be sure to follow for the rest of my story.