Where, a question of space determination. Space is very important in mime art and pantomime but that will be the topic of another blog in future. First we need to figure out what you want to know about mime, when you start the question by "where".
If you have read any of the previous blogs from this series you will find out that some of the questions and also the answers are repeating but bear with me and learn something new about mime art and pantomime once again in another top 5 mimeblog starting with "where":
1. Where does mime come from?
2. Where did mime originate?
3. Where does mime originate from?
I can answer this question either philosophically, genetically or geographically as all are important.
Philosophical answer: As I mentioned in the previous "when" blog, philosophically speaking, mime comes from our urge to communicate and share our experiences with each other. It comes from the intensive need to express ourselves and be "heard" or maybe better in this connotation, be seen.
Genetical answer: All humans, or probably more accurate statement would be, most of humans have mirror neurons. And not only humans. Monkeys have them too and we know that because they have been discovered in monkeys first. And I believe, judging by watching some other animals, more of our friends in animal kingdom have it.
So, what does the mirror neuron do? That's simple. It fires up when you move your body and interestingly enough it fires up also when you see someone else move around. This means that our brain works similarly when we move ourselves and when we watch someone else moving and tries to imagine himself moving. Or if you are a mime you use this and try to replicate what you see using your tuned mirror neuron.
Geographical answer: Rome and Greece are the original home of pantomime and mime art, also getting the name from latin that sticks with this art form until this day with as small change as losing a Panto- in some languages.
4. Where mimes come from?
Again, just so you remember it well, it's ancient Rome and
Greece, the original cradle of pantomime as an actual form of theatre, dance, acting, performing and people having a title of Pantomime or Mime.
But let me not leave you just there and continue to answer this question a little bit closer to our time. So if you didn't know that they come from Rome, you would tell me mimes actually come from France probably. But only a fraction of mimes and styles of pantomime come from France because of Marcel Marceau or his predecessors Jean Luis Barrault, Etienne Decroux or even before that Jean-Gaspard Deburau.
Now let me answer this from yet another angle and tell you that mimes come from years of hard work in the rehearsal room, some from behind a mirror and from hours spent on stage and countless more hours spent by just watching everything and everyone around you and thinking about it all. But in my humble opinion, mimes come from the heart, from the emotions and stories we want to share and it is the hours of feeling that are more important than training techniques before the mirror. Because you can have the best technique in the world but if what you are trying to give me is a hollow form, I don't want it.
5. Where is mime most popular?
Well isn't this yet another hard to answer question but let's deep dive into this one as well.
Let me say first that there is no way to measure this correctly as pantomime is a truly underground art form and even in it's peak popularity wasn't on a scale of ballet or any other truly mainstream and codified art forms.
Talking about codified art forms. I believe it would be hard to find another performative art that is basically not codified or very well written down with only a handful of sources you can find and study but that is for another blog.
Chronologically, mime was most popular in ancient Greece and Rome, where I talked about their love / hate relationships with mime in a previous mimeblog but let's go with, they were really popular until they were banned for good.
Next there was huge popularity boom in christian churches in medieval times. Yet again, only until it was banned from all churches only to be performed on the streets but that probably only boosted it's popularity because more people saw it. But on the other hand it was far less sophisticated than what was performed in churches before that.
After this, there was another popularity spike with the coming of Commedia del Arte in Italy and transferring the popularity of pantomime over to France, where it really picked up with the brilliant Jean-Gaspard Deburau. Few centuries later, pantomime is most popular in France still with coming of Marcel Marceau who reimagined the form and brought the popularity across the world. So in the 20th century, mime was most popular in France but also in Germany, where Milan Sladek had his mime theatre and also traveled the world. And staying in 20th century, there was a major popularity spike in Czechoslovakia with many mimes performing all around but also in the mainstream tv show programs.
Today, mime is most popular in many countries around the world on all continents: Australia, Europe, Americas but also Asia and Africa, where pantomime is again used in christian churches as a religious tool.
I hope all your "WHERE" questions were answered here and you enjoyed the little bonuse exercise in the end of this mimeblog number 5.
If you have still more questions don't hesitate to drop by my website www.contemporarymime.com or contact me @contemporarymime on any social media and ask me more or get an online class of mime with a glass of wine.