What do Olympic ice dancers who train in Michigan have to do with Michael Lee?
He's a professional mime and physical acting coach. Lee has worked with 10 of the 24 figure skating ice dance teams at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. That includes Michigan natives Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who won a gold medal this year. Lee also works with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada, who won silver.
“These are professional skaters," said Lee. "They move beautifully, but at the beginning they don’t move as if they are performing, and that’s what I’m about."
Lee helps the skaters become performers by teaching them how to animate their bodies. He himself learned miming from the late Marcel Marceau, an acclaimed French mime.
To learn more about Lee click here.
Watch as Lee explains the physical acting techniques he shows the ice dancers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59kk8O26f-U&feature=youtu.be
