Mime Spoken Here


Book Description

To Tony Montanaro, mime is "eloquent gesture", with or without words, with or without props. For 40 years, Tony has been a celebrated mime, at the top of his field, but his approach in this book is more than a lesson in theatre -- it's a lesson in communication. Actors, musicians, and performers of all types will benefit from Tony's techniques and insight.




Mime in Ballet


Book Description

With the ever-increasing emphasis on the more athletic aspects of ballet technique, students tend to underestimate the importance of detailed hand movements and small, intimate gestures. Studying the exercises in this book will help to guard against the loss of a precious part of our ballet heritage. Truthful motivation is the key to expressive gesture and these gestures need to be as carefully studied and as clearly controlled as a pirouette or entrechat.




Demons and Dancers


Book Description

Compared to the wealth of information available to us about classical tragedy and comedy, not much is known about the culture of pantomime, mime, and dance in late antiquity. Webb fills this gap in our knowledge and provides us with a detailed look at social life in the late antique period through an investigation of its performance culture.




From the Greek Mimes to Marcel Marceau and Beyond


Book Description

One of the few studies covering the historical flow of mime from its beginnings to postmodern movement theatre, this book explores the evolution of mime and pantomime from the Greeks to the 20th Century, depicting the role of mime in dance, clowning, the cinema, and verbal theatre throughout the centuries. With over sixty illustrations, this worldwide study is indispensable for the student, teacher, or fan of mime.




Kathakali, Dance-theatre


Book Description

Kathakali Dance-Theatre records the art of Kathakali comprehensively, right from the scenario that paved the way for Kathakali's origin and development to its present history. The book chronicles its various facets - the acting, music and costumes, crucial contributions of the masters, momentous incidences, evolution of styles, riveting anecdotes, and related socio-political issues affecting Kerala. The firsthand personal rendition of the author's experience and the detailed glossary make it immensely readable. Full of photographs depicting the masters of the art, green room activities and the vibrant theatre of Kathakali, this book will be a treasure trove of information for uninitiated readers, arts scholars, theater buffs, potential researchers and students keen about the art and its future. Contents: Foreword; Preface; Charts: Evolution and Transformation of the Art Part I: Introduction: The Land and its Vivid Culture; Part II: A Personal Journey of Discovery, Chapter 1: Poor Man's Rich Legacy; Part III: Perspectives on the Origins and Development of Kathakali, Chapter 2: Traditions in the Arts of Kerala before the Emergence of Kathakali; Chapter 3: Krishnanattam and the Metamorphosis of Ramanattam into Kathakali; Chapter 4: Emergence of Kathakali; Chapter 5: Evolution of Styles in Kathakali: Two Distinctive Traditions; Chapter 6: Three Regional Patrons of the Kaplingatan School as the Southern Style; Chapter 7: Two Legendary Masters; Kathakali and the Natyashastra; Chapter 8: Kathakali's Development and Changing Patronage: Kerala Kalamandalam; Part IV: The Artistic Form of Kathakali, Chapter 9: Abhinaya in Kathakali; Chapter 10: Physical Acting, the Aangika Abhinaya; Chapter 11: Kathakali Sangeetam, the Vaachika Abhinaya; Chapter 12: Costuming, the Aahaarya Abhinaya; Chapter 13: Subtle Acting, the Saatwika Abhinaya; Chapter 14: Percussion and its Role in Abhinaya; Chapter 15: Performance, Theatrical Language, Dramatisation and Variations in Interpolative Acting; Part V: Present Trends and Future Possibilities, Chapter 16: Kathakali: Post-Independence and Present Prospects; Appendices: Women in Kathakali; Kaliyogams.










Ballet 101


Book Description

Presents a look at the world of dance; an analysis of ballet movement, music, and history; a close-up look at popular ballets; and a host of performance tips.




The Mime Book


Book Description




Butoh


Book Description

Approaching the avant-garde Japanese performance art form of butoh from a cross-cultural, gender studies, and scientific perspective, award-winning artist and teacher Vangeline brings a fresh look at this postmodern dance form.Butoh, a performance art form that grew out of the Japanese avant-garde scene of the 1950s, has traveled from east to west over the last 60 years, growing in popularity as it evolves. With origins in modern dance, French mime, and the surrealist movement, this fascinating postmodern dance genre is often thought of as mysterious and is frequently misunderstood. Through twenty years of research, interviews with some of the world's top practitioners, historical documents, and rare photographs, Vangeline shines light on this "dance of darkness." New revelations include the under-represented role of women in the development of the form, the connection between butoh and neuroscience, and the cross-cultural perspective of international influences on the evolution of the dance. Butoh: Cradling Empty Space will appeal to dance students, teachers, performance art scholars, somatic healers, and anyone interested in choreography, theater, and Japanese history, culture and art.The book includes rare photographs, helpful graphics, a detailed bibliography and footnotes, and resources for additional information."[A] handbook for the butoh practitioner, the (art) historian, the dance critic, and the curious reader. Encompassing, and reconciling, problems of movement, gender, race and universality, Cradling Empty Space guides the reader through the many possibilities of butoh."-Alice Baldock, Faculty of History, University of Oxford, from the ForewordPraise for Vangeline's choreography and dance work:"Captivating." -New York Times "[She] moves with the clockwork deliberation of a practiced Japanese Butoh artist."-Los Angeles Times