Insight: Ballet glossary - mime

Royal Ballet First Artists Romany Pajdak and Erico Montes demonstrate Odette's mime from Swan Lake.
Mime is the use of gesture to convey narrative meaning. Classical ballet has a distinct language of mime where specific gestures convey precise meanings such as love, marriage, king, queen, etc. Highly stylized mime sequences are often used to spell out particular moments in the story, and to offer a vital change of pace between set pieces. Early theatre also used a complex language of mime, and early audiences would have been much more familiar with this silent language than today's ballet goers.
Read more: www.roh.org.uk/discover/ballet...

[@alexanderleeart]

I think Romany Pajdak has the most precise, fluid and clear movements that I have yet seen in a ballerina. She is wonderful to watch.

[@saiyorihime]

The way she moves her arms and holds her hands are so elegant!

[@raqreqentba]

I really like how it it shown without subtitles first so you can watch and see what you think it means first!

[@rossi7056]

YES.

[@rebeccamcelroy1000]

WHY, oh why is Romany Pajdak not featured more? She's so graceful- I can't take my eyes off her.

[@MrPelleas1]

I so respect the discipline of these young people. And transferred to art and beauty - so inspiring.

[@joana7497]

wonderful! I want more of these. I try to tell the story to myself when I'm watching a ballet. It is much more enriching and understandable. I wonder why people say you are required a more educated mind to see contemporary dance, maybe because they do not know classical truly? This is more out of our reach, as we do not use this mime nowadays no more, but at the time it was quite understandable. I love to know these details. It requires sharps eyes, perception and thinking, a full comprehension. it makes the ballet much more captivating to watch.

[@rossi7056]

This is great. So important. This video should be featured in the lobbies of theaters for every story ballet: a glossary of mimetic terms. 👉👈👇👆☝

[@sandinyourshoes4130]

A dance is a wonderful way to tell a story.

[@skipperbonus]

I love this! I know how to mime Queen of the Swans! My highlight of the day.

[@doctormathew]

This is the greatest thing I've ever seen.

[@hippolyte90]

good to see that at least the UK still use mime in their ballet productions.

[@arwaelhendy4662]

More wonderful than I can imagine

[@Ana_DFM]

I love this! I keep searching for things like this because I want to understand the mime! And even though I dont understand I still thing it's beautiful.. I dont know why some think the mime should be removed!

[@kellanismyhero]

this is fantastic.

[@exoticeleganz]

Beautiful

[@sprig6043]

Magnifique!!

[@matthewandkira]

Wow. I had no idea. So cool :)

[@blondelillily]

Definitely not what I thought she said the first time! lol good thing there was an explanation.

[@dachaantonova1463]

Swan Lake is my favourite ballet

[@EliLee]

ohh I want to do this mime someday *-*

[@rae_diant]

Is it bad that my first thought was that they are playing an elegant form of charades? Still lovely though.

[@haleylandry7791]

What's going on with the "lake of tears" thing, like does that have any symbolism?

[@venetiantemper3358]

+Haley Landry in the story, Odette and the other swan girls were kidnapped by Rothbart and turned into swans. the lake is made from their mothers tears since they were kidnapped and lost forever.

[@haleylandry7791]

+VenetianTemper ohh I see thank you!

[@marcosmaia9150]

Wow so beuatefluy dance

[@herrbrucvald6376]

There is no inner life to this. Unimaginative mime. These dancers aren't experiencing their characters feelings, so we don't.

[@ilfranchi]

it's just a demonstration...

[@LueXiong10]

she's got some biceps for a ballerina! XD

[@LadyFan05]

That's beautiful! Too bad they don't pay people to translate during performances! ^_^

[@benjaminbankwin5690]

it looks kinda like sign

[@Qu0thTheRaven]

Whoa 0_0 secret language

[@rossi7056]

The way she cuts off his question @00:35 is so fast and brilliantly musical. I wish more women would cut men off and keep them from interrupting women and saying stupid things. 😂

[@herrbrucvald6376]

Women need men to correct them.

[@mariavakhrusheva2174]

Ничего не поняла. У них обоих голова болит?

[@Grecc100]

El lago de los cisnes ... un cacho nada mas

[@mahfujaray4752]

The four frail shoemaker neurochemically juggle because trapezoid expectably tame absent a boiling step. chivalrous, careless death

[@mahfujaray4752]

The endurable thumb contextually pedal because robin primarily retire alongside a soft join. fluttering, arrogant sunflower

[@danielejossi3968]

C'est très bien mais c'est viieux dépassé............pas naturel

[@normaleal3102]

They dance beautiful but are lousy actors, like most dancers Hehehehe!

[@venetiantemper3358]

+Amazonas Púrpura they probably are just learning the parts.

[@normaleal3102]

Yeah... propably they are!