Performing arts plays a crucial role in mass communications and storytelling. In almost every society, there is evidence of different types of performances using hand gestures, facial expressions, sound, music, etc. with or without oral narrations which fulfills the roles of both entertainment and storytelling. Mime theatre or theatrical min=me is one such type of performing art that has made its presence felt in popular culture also. Its origin can be traced back to ancient Greek civilization, where the term mime has its root in the Greek word ‘mimos’ meaning an imitator or an actor.
As a genre of performing art, mime is an actor-centered type, where the actor uses his body as the primary means of expression. It is usually performed as a non-verbal type, but even if speech is utilized, it is only in addition to the movements of the body. As a silent mode of storytelling, it explores themes in different genres such as mimicry, comedy, dark humor, tragedy, etc. Throughout the course of history, especially after its encounter with popular culture and popular media, mime has traversed through various transformations. However, the key elements such as facial expressions, hand gestures, physical movements, use of a prop, etc. have remained the same.
Mime was introduced for the first time in Assam in 1970 through which stories about Lachit Barphukan, Sita Haran, etc. were told symbolically. Through this paper, an attempt will be made to discuss mime performance in Assam by using a mix of visual anthropological methods and traditional ethnographic methods to navigate the elements of mime as a performing art and how it plays a part in communication and storytelling using gestures and body language.
