Iranian theatre and mime artist, Yaser Khaseb is participating in the 5th MIMESIS Biennale of Mime and Gesture Arts underway in France.
A member of the ‘Crazy Body’ Theatre Group, Khaseb will stage two performances of his acclaimed work ‘Mysterious Gifts’ at the event, in solo improvisation style, ISNA reported.
Contemporary pantomime contest is another part of the festival that will be attended by mime groups from different countries. Contestants are free in the choice of the subject and the jury will evaluate their work based on the performance method and style, said Khaseb.
The MIMESIS Biennale, organized by France’s society of dramatic authors and composers, (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques) at Paris City Hall will run through November 15.
Yaser Khaseb, 34, comes from an artistic family and studied acting and mime at the University of Tonkabon in northern Iran. His work is a mix of dance, mime, theater and puppetry. ‘Mysterious Gifts’ has won various awards in Iran.
He has performed regularly at the International Fajr Theatre Festival (IFTF) and has won prizes in the Bushehr Mime Festival (BMF) and the Student International Puppetry Festival in Tehran. Since participating in the 2007 ‘Dancing on the Edge’ Festival he has been invited to several international events.
His piece ‘Birth to Death,’ was awarded for the best solo performance at BMF (2005) and his ‘Mysterious Gifts,’ won the audience prize at the Student International Puppetry Festival in 2006. Furthermore, his ‘Mud,’ was shown at the IFTF (2007).
Khaseb has also performed at the 2006 Mobarak International Puppet Theatre Festival in Tehran where he won a special prize for his performance in ‘Mysterious Gifts.’
The US Seattle Children’s Theatre (SCT) Artistic Director Linda Hartzell described Khaseb after a performance in 2009, as more than “a performance artist; he is a kinesthetic storyteller, blending theatricality and movement to enliven universal stories of the human condition. Moreover, he brings a distinctly Persian perspective and aesthetic, allowing our children not only to see a different cultural viewpoint, but also how similar all of humanity truly is.”
Khaseb has crafted a show devised of several movement-based pieces, “making the language barrier inconsequential, that give us entry into his world,” Hartzell said.
