David Ellzey isn't the silent, powder-faced, "Where's Waldo" look-alike that typically pops into your head when you think of mimes. In fact, sometimes he's not silent at all.
At 8 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 9, Ellzey, award-winning mime artist and transformational speaker, performed at Yeager Recital Hall. His performance included classic mime tricks such as the invisible box, creative improvisation and plenty of audience interaction.
While he refrained from speaking for most of the show, Ellzey accompanied his performance with some self-made sound effects and recorded music. Occasionally, Ellzey would put his "voice box" back in his throat and speak in order to engage the audience.
Most of the show consisted of interaction with the audience. From short improvisations to pulling people up onstage, Ellzey says he likes to shape his performances around the people who come to his shows.
"I could do that for a majority of the show," Ellzey said. "Sometimes I open up a brain and I pull out what I see in the person. I become people and they usually chuckle at that."
Senior Dana Hedman was one student who was pulled into Ellzey's show. Ellzey invited Hedman from the audience, and she said it was a 'unexpected treat'.
"I'm not in the acting or performing arts at Elon, so it was a change from what I was used to. But it was funny," she said.
Ellzey is also a guest teacher and taught a miming master class to Elon theater students in addition to his performance. Through his performances and classes, Ellzey hopes students can learn more about theater through movement.
"My goal is to teach them that the human body is actually a place for a whole universe of expression," Ellzey said.