Phenomenon of pantomime and the problem of transformation of a mime artist into a stage image

Abstract

The main task of the article is an attempt to actualize the issues that have arisen around pantomime. This type of stage art plays a special role in the history of the theater as pantomime is believed to be one of the most important factors in its creation and formation. The authors consider the question of terminology and semantic content of the following categories: “pantomime”, “stage image of a mime artist”, and “stylization”.

The specific properties of pantomime as a special type of today's spectacular culture and the peculiarities of its artistic language have been revealed. It is noted that the special, organic, and unique artistic language of this art form serves as a means of communication between the mime artist and the audience. The authors emphasize that the modern mime is a universal artist-performer, the one who can skilfully handle both casual comedy sketch shows, short variety mono-scenes with imaginary objects and a simple plot, and performances with complex intricate plots of dramatic content as part of a mime ensemble.

The main attention is paid to the specifics of the creative process and the creation of a mime artist's stage image. By the concept of the "stage image of a mime artist", the authors understand the generalized and specified external manifestation of the inner essence, the personality of the character, and his inner self, which are inextricably connected and communicate the artist’s ideas to the audience. It is emphasized that the pantomime artist reproduces the stage image through body plasticity, distinctive posture and movement, meaningful gestures, and emotional facial expressions by integrating the competencies of a dramatic and comedic actor, choreographic and improvisational skills following the genre and style characteristics of this art form. It is noted that modern pantomime festivals have become a platform for dialogue between different genres of stage art, and the variety of forms allows mime artists to experiment and master not only the traditional stage but also new, non-standard and unexpected venues, due to which pantomime is becoming more accessible and approachable for a wide audience and has extremely wide opportunities for development.