MIME :
noun – the theatrical technique of suggesting action, character, or emotion without words, using only gesture, expression, and movement.
verb – use only gesture and movement to act out, a role or a play.
“Mime is Physical Poetry” – Drupad.
OVERVIEW:
The mimetic style of film acting was quintessential in early silent films, particularly in the german expressionist films, for example the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Charlies Chaplin among others may be the best documented mime in history. Jacques Tati too for instance, achieved his initial popularity working as a mime, and indeed his later films had only minimal dialogue, relying instead on many subtle expertly choreographed visual gags. In films of today as in the cacophony of the new media environment, there is a new relevance of the stoic action in silent articulation.
How to express oneself, moreover how to understand the other in unspoken terms, cutting out all the noise… The practice of MIME can help get a grip over non-verbal adjectives. The workshop will particularly aid artists, actors, directors and self-expression enthusiasts to convert Poems, Punctuations and Paradigms into full fledged Mime Acts.
Through various exercises like ‘Acting is Reacting’, ‘Making the Invisible Visible’, ‘Rhythm is to Run’, ‘Running into Body’ among newer practices like ‘From Near to Far’, ‘All is Stage’, ‘Movement Minus’ and so on, the workshop will enable the practice of silent performance, and the ability to ‘move’ and stir emotions nonverbally.
This month-long workshop will have 12 online sessions interspersed with practical exercises for written and visual comprehension; individual assignments, guided teamwork and one-on-one mentorship for performance production. Through the workshop tenure, each participant will be mentored to prepare his/her performance.
The workshop promises a novel approach to self-expression and storytelling that can be rich with character, humor and pathos; and of course with elements that are strictly physical, requiring practice and dexterity.
‘Learn how to Learn’ will be the approach throughout, where participants will not only learn how to mime, but also how to pursue it further as a matter of self-study.
PARTICIPANT PROFILE:
Self-expression enthusiasts, visual poets, performing artists, actors – aspiring and accomplished, dancers, directors and writers, storytellers and explorers of all kinds are welcome to join. Mime artists from all over, most welcome!
MODE OF TEACHING:
Online Teaching Sessions combined with Offline Study – Practical Exercises as Homework, Team Work and One-on-one Mentorship for preparation of performance preparation.
MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION:
English
METHOD OF INTERACTION:
Online via Google Meet. Details will be shared with selected participants in time.
SCHEDULE:
19th June to 18th July 2021
Tentative Framework of Sessions:
ONLINE SESSIONS: 15:00 to 17:30 IST (About 9 participants)
ONLINE_19-06-21: Session 1 – Introducing three principles that are integral to Acting, Miming, Dancing and Performing Arts.
ONLINE_20-06-21: Session 2 – Building blocks of Mime and Movement, Fix Point Exercises and From Near to Far.
ONLINE_23-06-21: Session 3 – Music | Art | Lighting | Makeup | Backstage and all the MIMES SPEAK about.
HOMEWORK_21-06-21 to 22-06-2: Self Study
ONLINE_ 25-06-21: Session 4 – Poems, Punctuation, Paradigms and the Body.
ONLINE_ 26-06-21: Session 5 – All is Stage v/s All is Body | Forms of Mime Worldwide (theory)
ONLINE_ 27-06-21: Session 6 – Teamwork Discussion and co creation of the second Teamwork and the first Assignment.
HOMEWORK_27-06-21 to 04-07-21: Teamwork 2 + Assignment 1
ONLINE_ 30-06-21: Session 7 – Continuation of Body Work (related exercises) | Platforms and Performing Arts with relation to Mime
ONLINE_ 02-07-21: Session 8 – Economy of Movement and Bodywork | Costume and Props
ONLINE_ 04-07-21: Session 9 – Teamwork and Assignment Discussion and co creation of the third Teamwork Assignment.
HOMEWORK_04-07-21 to 10-07-21: Teamwork 3 + Assignment 2
ONLINE_ 10-07-21: Session 10 – Discussion of Teamwork and Assignment. Introduction to Production. LEARN HOW TO LEARN
ONLINE_ 11-07-21: Session 11 – Continuation of Production and Introduction to Mime Exploration Currently ongoing worldwide.
ONLINE_ 14-07-21: Session 12 – Video Conferencing with 5 Professional Mime Artists who are currently part of the Mime Group IMIMEGINATION.
HOMEWORK_10-07-21 to 18-07-21: Preparation for Performance Production
ONLINE_ 18-07-21: Session – Finale – Future Perspectives of Mime, Production Review and Conclusion.
* The course director shall be available on call for any consultation during the homework time and for the preparation for the performance.
*For Teamwork, the participants can meet online among themselves at a mutually convenient time on a mutually convenient platform. Please note that group size for this workshop is considerably small, thus communication and coordination for teamwork will be simpler. The Course Director shall be available on-call for mentorship.
WORKSHOP DIRECTOR PROFILE:
DRUPAD GAONKAR
A Multi-performing Artist, two time World Record Holder and TedX Speaker Drupad a.k.a. BLIP has amalgamated his knowledge acquired in the fields of Performing Arts, Education, Information Technology, Advertising and Hospitality, of which he has more than two and half decades of experience, into the Silent Art-form of MIME.
Director of Mooladhvani Institute of Movement & Expression (M.I.M.E.); and Founding member of Bharatiya Mookadbhinaya Natya Maha Sangha (Indian Mime Federation) and the professional Mime groups IMIMEGINATION (all India) &; MAUNAM (Auroville), Drupad has worked on creating new methods of training not only Mime but also using Mime to train other forms of performing arts. Apart from having been credited to give a commercial angle to Mime he is known to coalesce various performing and visual arts to create new forms and expressions.
Drupad is renowned to perform various aspects of Sri Aurobindo’s Epic Savitri in Mime since 2008 in and out of India and is currently working on documenting the same.
The two world records to his credit are 50hrs Non- Stop Mime Marathon done by an Individual, on the occasion of Auroville’s 50th Birthday Celebrations and 12hrs 12mins Non-Stop Mime Living Statue depicting Dr. Abdul Kalam, on the 5th Death Anniversary of the 11th President of India.
His book titled “Non-Verbal Adjectives – A Silent Stroke” is expected to be released in December 2021.
As an artist, Drupad is experimenting now with Calligraphy with remarkable projects like “Non-Verbal Adjectives” and “Quotes on Silhouettes”, His artworks exhibited at festivals in Goa, Gallery Carpe Diem; he has to his credit a solo exhibition at Aurodhan Art Gallery in Pondicherry.
Drupad continues to work as a performing artist in traditional as well as new media environments; he continues to work as a trainer for students, professionals, teachers, corporate managers, leaders among others in the Field of Mime and related Artforms.
Originally from Goa, Drupad is now based in Auroville, in Her service.
FEES:
For Ex-Participants of Auroville Film Institute: INR 3000
Indian nationals: INR 3500
SAARC National: All Sessions : $55
International participant outside of SAARC : $200
Voluntary Contribution for Aurovilians / Newcomers
CERTIFICATES:
Digital certificates of participation will be issued jointly by Auroville Film Institute and Mooladhvani Institute of Movement & Expression.
QUERIES:
For queries, if any, please write to: filminstitute@auroville.org.in or call / message on +91 9969879319.
filminstitute.auroville.org 