DH sign +pantomime horse

[bboyminn]

--- "zanooda2" <zanooda2 at ...> wrote:
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> ---  "geoff_bannister" <gbannister10@> wrote:
> 
> 
> > This I think would be in line with other suggestions made today.
> 
> 
> zanooda:
> 
> OK, thanks :-). I don't want to start a new topic for a very small question, so here it goes: "pantomime horse" doesn't have any hidden figurative meanings, does it :-)? It is just that, a costume of a horse, nothing more, right? Just checking :-).
>

bboyminn:

Off on a side note. While both stem from the tradition of 'Pantomime', 'Panto' and 'Mime' have each gone their distinct directions. 

Pantomime is actually musical comedy theater. The French school of 'mime' broke off into the white-face street performers.

Though it caught me by surprise, it is the British Panto that sticks closest to the original history of Pantomime, and indeed the French 'Mime' that broke with tradition. 

I suspect the 'mime' tradition occurred by accident. Some original artist somewhere got the idea that he could preform a theater piece and tell a complete story and convey emotions using nothing but body language and movement accompanied by music. This was just another way of telling a story. Likely people liked it and more performer tried it. Eventually, the 'Mime' performance became a style all its own.

I suspect we are all more familiar with Mimes because they broke with the standard tradition of Pantomime, though not really by much. We don't recognize or associate the classic British tradition of Pantomime as being that distinct or notable because it is not. It is just classic comedy musical theater for kids, with a bit of sexual innuendo for the adults. 

Dating back to ancient Greece, Pantomime has never been silent. It was often preformed poetry accompanied by music, usually flute. (see Wikipedia for history and details)

What we would now call Mime, is just another unique way to tell a story, and is a subset of the larger and greater Pantomime tradition.

Steve/bboyminn