Low Down Articles
Artist Profiles - Christiane Claude
Article 4 of 73
From the book Artists of the Gatineau Hill by Catherine Joyce. This article first appeared in the "Artist Profiles" column in the November 29, 2006 issue of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.
Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.
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Miming, Singing and Dancing
Mime artist, Christiane Claude mimes the classic scenario of being locked inside a box, her hands feeling their way up the walls until suddenly they find the invisible door. "It's like life," she says. "You're locked into stress -money worries, kids, no time. You hold on and on. But you have to open up inside this space. You have to let go and fly free!"
In a world where so many of us have forgotten how to play; Christiane Claude is a gift. She has followed her passion for creative expression since the age of four when she began ballet and theatre classes in Montreal. By six she was performing. "1 come from a family of entrepreneurs. My father was a story-teller. My mother would dress up to play the piano and sing opera. I was brought up to create my own work as a way of life."
In high school Christiane's English teacher advised her, "Just close your eyes and dance to music, think of wonderful things and begin to write." Instead Christiane created her first pantomime. The teacher responded. "You! You are a dancer, a mime, that's you!"
In high school Christiane's English teacher advised her, "Just close your eyes and dance to music, think of wonderful things and begin to write." Instead Christiane created her first pantomime. The teacher responded. "You! You are a dancer, a mime, that's you!"
At 17, Christiane was walking through old Montreal when a drama teacher from England, Victor Knight, stopped her in the street. "You come to my theatre. I can see it, just the way you walk!" Christiane took him up on his offer and studied with him for two years. Then she went on to hone her skills at the National Theatre of Mime, the University of Quebec and the Ottawa U where she received her BA in theatre.
Over 35 years as a mime artist, dancer, singer and teacher of everything she loves, she has entertained audiences from kindergarden up to the Governor General. Whether a clown in a circus in Baja, California or Pierrot "Le Mime" skating on the Rideau Canal or Edith Piaf offering her impressions of Paris, Christiane creates imaginary worlds.
"You might have seen me at a party weaving through clusters of partygoers, smiling, teasing and flirting while drinking invisible drinks and finding all kinds of invisible creatures in your ears, mouth or behind your head. Suddenly balls are being thrown and juggled, then mischievously eaten in one gulp!"
The gift of inspiring laughter, of drawing forth intense feeling through body language and facial expression has made Christiane a unique figure both in her community and in the creative realm. It is this childlike, spontaneous and exuberant spirit that guides her life. Supporting her art as a massage therapist, aerobic instructor, French teacher, weaver - whatever she can imagine, she does - Christiane pours her heart into every moment.
And in return the love comes back to her, as witnessed in her recent bout with endometrial cancer. "I was amazed. After the operation I had so many visitors bringing gifts of talk and touch, holding my hand and sharing giggles. It was like a continuous tea party. I was so grateful."
In the self-generating process of her creative life, Christiane has turned her brief but very fortunate journey through cancer into a book about healing. "Everything depends on how you see life. For me, cancer has been a gift, a chance to slow down and write about my beliefs - that we must live life to the fullest and celebrate what we have now. Then we must let go and fly into the future, renewed."