Ballet Mime

Crossed arms mean love - but be careful -
make those hands into fists and you may
be saying something completely different!

My students and I had a conversation about ballet miming this week:  Did you know dancers are storytellers as well as actors and actresses too?

Ballerinas and ballet dancers even have their own special hand gestures to tell stories - sort of like ballet sign language!

You may already know some common gestures:
- Both hands to the heart for "love"
- Hand cupped by ear for "hear"
- Bowing or curtseying to show loyalty
- Strong motions with fists to show anger

There are some others you might not be as familiar with:
- Tapping the forehead twice for "princess" and three times for "king" or "queen"
- Crossed hands with fists for "death"
- And "dance" is said by circling your arms overhead in 5th position

Here are some links for more ballet mime:

• Ballet Mime Vocab by The Ballet Bag

• Mime Meanings in Ballet by iSport

Learn the conversation between the Swan Queen and the prince from Swan Lake with this fun video from The Royal Ballet: