Silence is loud

For French mime artist Philippe Bizot, exaggerated facial expressions and body movements are his second language. Photos by Jiang Dong / China Daily

According to French mime artist Philippe Bizot, 'The play is life, so you don't act.' Chen Yingqun finds out more about the universal language of saying nothing.

Philippe Bizot doesn't say a word on stage and yet, using exaggerated facial expressions and body movements, he expresses himself perfectly. "Silence is my language, my music, and my song," the 58-year-old French mime artist says. "The art of pantomime is a universal language, the language of emotion."

He has just completed his world tour with a series of shows at Penghao Theater, Beijing, including the performance Forty Years of Silence, a compilation of 13 short stories depicting life's highs and lows. In addition, he also performed Invisible Bridge, The Kid II, and You and Me, with Wang Xiaohuan and Zhang Jiahe, both students from the Central Academy of Drama in China.

"They are the very best performers in China," he says. "It's really nice working with them."

Bizot dreamed of performing in China when he was a child and first visited the country in 1984. "Chinese culture is very impressive. I have been fascinated by its painting, calligraphy and literature."

Since his first visit, Bizot has brought his mime act to the country every two or three years. In 2005 he combined the arts of mime and Kunqu Opera for a performance with Chinese artistes.

"Kunqu movement is really delicate, and the combination of the two arts was quite pleasant," he says.