Master of mime performs at Ooty

Internationally renowned mime artist Markus Schmidt gave two splendid performances at the Queen of Hills this February.

Schmidt, who won the Grand Prix at the International Festival for mime in France in 2003, performed at St.Hilda’s School for various school children from The Nilgiris on February 1 and also gave a public performance at Sterling Resorts, Elk Hill, Ooty, on February 2. Both the performances were very well received.

Markus presented ‘Enki-the Water Singer’, a dreamlike tale about the environment that invited its audience to discover the importance of the water and of respect for nature.

“We have been striving to bring resource people associated with education and arts to increase the exposure for students and educators in The Nilgiris,” said Anitha Sekhar, franchisee of the Helen O Grady International, The Nilgiris, which had organised the event.

Marcus also conducted a workshop on creative use of body language and expressions for teachers from St. Hildas, some interested members of the public and the trainers of Helen O’Grady.

Markus, whose conceptualised shows go beyond the conventional mime and use acrobatics and shadows, has travelled across the world for two years (2012-2014), along with his family, addressing the issues of environment using the universal medium of mime and dramatics. This was Marcus’ second visit to Ooty. Helen O’Grady’s programme was launched in Ooty in 2014 with Marcus’ shows at various schools.