Miming outside the box.

This week in class we learned all about mime. Not just placing your hands on imaginary walls, but creating an entire world using just your motions.

We began very simply with making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Except it wasn't simple at all. We had to go through the motions excruciatingly slow so that we could really pay attention to what we were doing. I mean how do you mime working a twist tie perfectly? How many turns to open a peanut butter jar vs. jelly jar? How do you hold the bread when you're spreading peanut butter, and then where do you put the bread when you're done? These things we do routinely, subconsciously even, so bringing them into consciousness for an audience is a very difficult process.

We then moved onto gibberish, which is part two of miming. Though we cannot actually use words, inflection of tone and rapidity of speech can greatly improve communication. We started gibberish work with a game called "definition". One person says a gibberish word and the person to their right has to define it immediately after. It helps with recognition and quick thinking.

The big game that we played to practice our skills was called Interview. One person was the moderator, and the two people on either side were for or against a topic. However, to make their point, they can only speak in gibberish. The moderator must figure out the point one of the people is trying to make, and explain it in a different type of gibberish to the other person. It really tests the communication skills of the players.

I host this weekend, so there will be shenanigans afoot! Until then...

Over and out!
-D