Bhubaneswar, Nov. 24: Nandanik, a youth-run theatre group based in Koraput, has organised a week-long mime workshop in the district. Eminent artiste from Calcutta, Ranen Chakraborty, is imparting miming skills to the participants.

The workshop aims at developing the acting skills of the participants in terms of body language such as postures, movements and gestures. The young artistes will also learn how to stimulate imagination and encourage physical control.

Mime has a rich tradition and heritage worldwide and its origin can be traced to ancient India, Rome, Greece and France. Last year, the group had organised a theatre festival where Chakraborty had come to showcase a mime act.

"The show was attended by a number of young artistes from the district and they were quite enthralled. So, we thought of inviting him again to conduct a workshop here," said Saumendra Swain from Nandanik.

Workshops are being held at various schools and colleges across the district such as Vikas Vidyalaya, DAV College and Government College. In the evenings, members of the group are themselves taking lessons from the artiste.

Chakraborty is showcasing the ways to establish a character without using props.

"He is explaining situations such as someone is holding a butterfly and how the person would feel sad after it flies away, climbing stairs, riding a horse and we are miming them. We are also learning to portray different character such as young girl, an old woman, the rich lady, beggar and clown. The process is fun," said a participant at the workshop, Manoj Das who is also the joint secretary of Nandanik.

Chakraborty appreciating the enthusiasm among the participants said: "The youngsters here are quite eager to learn the art form. Miming helps to build confidence."

The workshop, which began on November 19, concludes tomorrow. The mime production by the Nandanik group will be staged during their upcoming show.

Nandanik was incepted in 2014 by Sourav Gupta, a professor at the department of journalism and mass communication at the Central University, Koraput. The group has organised a number of street plays and theatre shows to promote the culture of theatre among the youths in the district.