PANTOMIME (Gr. ‘An imitation of everything
’). A kind of dramatic entertainment in which the performers express themselves by gestures to the accompaniment of music, and which may be called a prose ballet. It has been in use among Oriental nations from very ancient times. The Greeks introduced pantomime into their choruses, some of the performers gesticulating, accompanied by music, whilst others sang. The Romans had entire dramatic representations consisting of dancing and gesticulation only, and...
