Audio By Carbonatix
While strolling along the 16th Street Mall, you might have noticed a female mime making balloon animals or playing the violin, eye-catching in monochromatic black-and-white outfits and theatrical makeup. She’s Mikki Von Weber — aka Mikki the Mime. Born and raised in Denver, Von Weber is a whiz at pantomime, magic, juggling, balloon art, face and canvas painting, and playing instruments ranging from the trumpet and violin to piano, guitar, and mandolin; she also does voice acting and modeling. Before the cold front moved in, we caught up with Von Weber to talk about her personal style and what inspires her as a performer.
Style inspirations and icons: “As far as pantomime goes, I really like Marcel Marceau, because a lot of his skits are unique. Then, of course, you have Charlie Chaplin. I kind of like to look at Liza Minnelli for lots of moves and gestures and stuff. In terms of fashion, I like to put my own outfits together. I just sort of go into thrift shops and see what I can find. I make my own little creations.”
Style mantra: “Go out there and try your hardest. Entertain everybody, don’t expect too much, and always smile. A line I like to tell myself is, ‘I was born to make people smile.'”
Favorite color: “I like white.”
Favorite film: “Cabaret is a really good film. I like old clips and performances of Marcel Marceau that you can find online.”
Favorite accessory: “I like my hat a lot. Scarves, too.”
Favorite song: “‘Nights in White Satin’ by the Moody Blues.”
Shops at: “I shop everywhere. Ross and H&M, of course. I’m a sucker for vintage shops. Rosey’s has some fun little styles.”
How her on-stage and off-stage personas differ: “If you are performing off-stage in a social setting, I think that it may be a little too high-energy for people. Coming up with your own character is an expression of yourself. Mikki the Mime is my character, but she’s me — she’s always changing and evolving. I love mime because I can incorporate many of my talents into my act. I have been developing this character for four years.”
Like Von Weber and Mikki the Mime, always demonstrate the best character you can, Denver.
