T

he lower ground floor of the Menteng Park parking lot in Central Jakarta became a makeshift stage recently, as hundreds of people watched, fixated on a performance of 100 amateur mime artists.

After three months training under the guidance of internationally renowned French mime artist Philippe Bizot, 150 adults, teenagers, and children with hearing disabilities captivated the audience with 15 performances, using only their bodies and facial expression to tell stories.

The French Cultural Center (CCF) invited the mime maestro to conduct the workshop as a way of introducing the art of pantomime to the public of Jakarta. Bizot trained performers from the Jakarta Arts Institute, the Santi Rama School for Children with Special Needs (SLB), the University of Indonesia French Literature Department, the High School Community Theater, the Diakoneia Modern College Association for Street Children, the Lycee French International School and the East Jakarta Youth Hall Theater.

The performances varied from comedy and dance to a wayang orang (puppet show performed by actors) show. Three boys from the Diakoneia Modern College Association for Street Children performed a comedic play titled "The Strongest Man on Earth," in which they depicted a weight lifting competition where the strongest man was able to lift a 280 kilogram weight with his mouth. His downfall came however, when he received a cellular phone call.

Zulfa Sari from the High School Community Theatre said that she was amazed by the guidance Bizot have given her.

"He told us that pantomime is not just about movements, but about knowing ourselves more," she said.

Audience Samiyati, whose son was in the performance, said that she was proud of him. "The training was good for him because it taught him to control his emotions better. My son has a hearing disability and sometimes it makes it hard for him," she said.

The event ended with a melancholic solo mime performance set to Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares to You by Andrea Krings from the Lycee French International School.

Bizot said that it was incredible to see children and adults a like communicating so easily in silence.