How to Be a Mime

If you want to learn how to be a mime, you'll need to stop talking and start paying attention.

Do you want to learn how to be a mime? Like most performance art forms, being a mime takes practice. But if you learn the basics, you can impress your friends and family quickly. Practice these moves in front of a mirror or video camera.

Manipulate Imaginary Objects
Many mime artists begin by pretending to work with imaginary objects. You could pretend to climb a rope or ladder, play catch with a ball, eat a slice of pizza, smell a flower, pet a dog or perform any number of actions that involve an object. The trick is to think about how the object might feel. Is it soft or hard? Is it hot or cold? Imagine what it would be like to interact with the real thing.

Work With Your Space 
Think about where you are-not where you are physically, but what's around you in your imaginary mime world. When you learn how to be a mime, you should be able to show your audience what's in your world. Pretend to be inside an invisible box, showing the audience with your hands. Or pretend to lean against an imaginary telephone pole. If you've got strong leg muscles, you could even pretend to sit in a chair or on a park bench.

Weather
As a mime, you can work with the weather-the imaginary weather, that is. Pretend that it's raining, you need an umbrella and you are forced to skip over puddles. Or, if it's very windy, you can pretend that you're struggling to walk against it.

Learn More
If you've practiced all the basic moves on your own but still want to learn more, look for mime videos. Whether you buy one or watch a few online, examine the movements and techniques of other mimes can give you ideas and inspiration for how you should move when miming.