The Art of Mime

Yass Hakoshima, Japanese-born mime artist-teacher, performs several mime pieces and explains some mime techniques. With Renata Vouet, mime's assistant. Performance pieces include an eagle which is shot but is determined to fly again, a dictator suppressing mass revolt, a man searching in vain for a woman, a parable of Buddhism told through the image of climbing on a spider web. In a demonstration of technique Hakoshima shows how to walk while standing still, how to create the illusion of walls by pretending to push against them, pulling a rope, isolating different body parts, etc. He also discusses how the Japanese culture and theater have influenced his own style of mime.