"Like a fairy tale" - The 30th International Pantomime Festival  Dresden Summary   The   30 th    International   Pantomime   Festival   Dresden has   ended   with   a   wonderful   closing   ceremony   on November   18.   During   the   ten   days   the   participants and   audience   experienced   an   unprecedented   range of   styles   of   pantomime.   But   also   the   artists,   invited from     all     around     the     world,     were     excited     and overwhelmed      about      this      festival.      "Like      in      a fairytale,"    they    felt    as    the    organizing    team    met every imaginable desire. Highlights   of   the   festival   were   e.g.   the   performance "Pantomix"    by    Csaba    Mehes    from    Hungary,    that were    running    in    cabaret    Breschke    and    Schuch, brought   the   audience   to   laugh,   but   also   repented contemplative    and    thoughtful    moments.    Or    "The Dustfall"   in   the   laboratory   theater   in   the   Dresden University    of    Fine    Arts.    The    excellent    technical equipment    and    remarkable    commitment    of    the laboratory   theater   director   and   his   team   allowed   a performance    in    which    the    audience    enthusiastic about    MI    MInor .    The    combination    of    fine    body work   and   deep   soul   with   a   good   sense   of   humor made   this   presentation   to   a   big   party.   A   festival like     this     is     not     just     a     collection     of     different performances,        but        an        event        of        artistic development.      Therefore,      the      organizers      were daring some experiments. For    example    the    gala    evening    that    replaced    the traditional      festival      opening      by      the      in-house ensemble.   Here   the   old   familiar   Ralf   Herzog ,   Rainer König   and   Alf   Mahlo   performed   the   event,   which was   under   the   festival   theme   "The   blossom   of   art" and    presented    to    the    audience    all    facets    of    the pantomime.   It   contained   the   magician   Vito   Lupo, kabuki   performer   Yass   Hakoshima,   the   group   Beat Fanatics   and   Alexey   Mironov ,   who   each   showed   the connection   of   pantomime   to   magic,   to   traditional Japanese   theater,   to   break   dance   and   to   clowning. With     Gregg     Goldston ,     Bodecker     and     Neander , Shinya    Murayama     four    more    Star    pantomimes were   performing   and   enriched   the   gala   with   their own,   powerful   handwriting.   Among   the   more   than 300   spectators,   many   who   knew   the   festival   from the    times    in    which    it    filled    the    largest    halls    in Dresden,     but     it     also     gave     many     people     an impressive first contact to the pantomime. Another   experiment   was   the   integration   of   lecture demonstration   on   Marcel   Marceau.   It   was   clearly observed    that    the    public    was    interested    to    get    a demonstration    of    the    operation,    the    history    and background of the pantomime. With      " Anders "      (different)      and      "Ansichtssache” (matter   of   opinion)   two   complete   new   and   fresh productions   were   in   the   program,   which   were   to   be seized   upon   an   experimental   approach,   and   made the audience interested. The    many    friendships    and    future    collaborations that    were    establishd    during    the    festival    make    us happy.   We   thank   our   many   supporters   who   have made all this possible.

At   the   beginning   of   the   '80s   Rainer   Petrovsky,   at that    time    the    head    of    the    "Volkskunstpodium"    in Dresden,   and   the   mime   Ralf   Herzog   had   the   idea   to raise    a    kind    of    pantomime    workshop    to    support the   pantomime   scene   of   Dresden.   Whereas   the   first workshop    was    city    internal    the    second    and    the third   already   had   guests   from   the   district   and   the region        Eastern        Germany.        The        pantomime workshop   of   Dresden   created   an   image   for   itself   in conscripting   the   national   mime   scene   with   some international   participation.   Next   to   Berlin   and   Jena Dresden became a mime centre of the GDR.

The "Walk of Fame" of Dresden Mime festival     1993    /    mime-cabaret    Finke/Faltz    from    Germany with   "Mime   Time",   Leen   Teatro   from   Prague,   Clown Dimitri from Swiss with "Porteur"   1994   /   Gardi   Hutter   from   Swiss   with   "So   ein   Käse", Compagnie Cotillard from France   1995   /   Peter   Mim   from   Bulgaria,   Csaba   Mehes   from Hungaria,   Yanci   Group   from   Kanada,   Paul   Lorenger from USA, Leen Teatro from Prague   1996   /   Licedei   minus   4   from   Russia,   Bernd   Lafrenz with    "Macbeth"    from    Freiburg,    Csaba    Mehes    from Ungaria with "pantomis"   1997   /   Teatr   Zhest   from   Minsk   with   "Die   traditionelle Küche     der     Gewürzinsel"     and     "Geheimes     Treffen", Mimenstudio    Dresden    und    Ralf    Herzog    mit    "Mime Time"   1999   /   Bodecker   +   Neander   mit   "Silencel",   ANASAGES -      Theater      from      Chemnitz      with      "Das      Pendel", Mimeallerlei by Mimenstudio Dresden   2000   /   Bernd   Stahr   "Der   Amtsschimmel",   "Cut"   with Modern Mimes Show   2001   /   Kinder   Studio   Dresden   "Blattsalat",   Peter   Mim with   "Komik   und   Poesie",   "Betrachtung   zu   Tieren   und Menschen" with Harald Seime   2002   /   Die   Etage   Berlin   with   "Die   Sprache   der   Stille", Valeri   and   Gleb   with   "Der   Mensch   an   sich   ist   auch nur ein Mensch"   2005     /     "Strom     im     Blut"     -     the     Theatershow     of Pantrolectris   2006   /   Bodecker   +   Neander,   Germany,   "Out   of   the Blue"   2007   /   Jelena   Bolsuna   &   Stanislav   Bogdanov   with "Krakelspektakel" from Russia   -------------------------------------------------------  2009 ?   DOX   Maskentheater    from   Germany   with   "Rolli   -   Der Alte"   Gregg Goldston  from USA, with "Louder than words"   Teatro    Pantomissimo    from    Tschech    Republic    with "On The Dark Road"  

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