默劇是一種非寫實形式的表演，它不是舞蹈，它要求的是真實的情感以及明確的動機。默劇關心的是演出者必須像是演員的演出，而非像是舞者的演出。在舞蹈裡，情節是架構在身體的姿態上，陳述故事的方式完全是技巧的展現。所以就敘述一個故事而言，舞者關注的問題是“我的下一個動作要移動到哪裡？”以及“我該如何移動到那個位置？”他會問“我應該從右上舞台移動到左下舞台嗎？”若是這樣，接下來就會思考“我該用快速移動的？還是該用跑的？也許用旋轉的？或是用彈跳的方式…等等的問題”。因為動作的姿態對他們來說是非常重要的。
觀眾喜歡看的是超大跳躍的動作、超乎常人的平衡感、超凡的優雅姿態；他們想要看見超乎自己極限的肢體展現，他們想要看見優美的肢體呈現；因此故事的敘述在舞蹈來說是其次的，也較為不重要的。
演員則比較注重情節的發展與角色的建構。他會問“我在做什麼？”以及“為什麼我要做這件事？”演員是找尋角色動機後，用一種對事件的意圖與行動，傳達故事的情節，演員就不像舞者，是用肢體的形式傳達。
默劇演員只會在課堂訓練時關注肢體的形式。我們會不斷地一直重複訓練肢體，讓默劇肢體動作完全內化，演出時，我們不會在思索身體的形式了，而是專注在“我正在做什麼？”以及“為什麼我正在做這件事？”當然，他在舞台上使用了所有訓練時的技巧，我們也不能忘記這一點：默劇單獨展現了用肢體溝通的極致方式與不用語言的溝通方式。但我們不可以忽視的事當默劇演員在表演的時候開始關注技術層面的事的時候，他的演出就會變成事表面的、膚淺的，他的演出將不會讓觀眾感動。所以默劇演員是會讓觀眾感動的，不是舞者的肢體展演。
默劇是一種非寫實的演出方式，比較接近“舞蹈劇場”的演出方式。
Mime, Acting and Dance
Mime is acting in stylized form. It is not a dance form. It demands real emotion, concentration, and motivation. The concern of the mime while performing is the same as that of the actor, not of the dancer. In dance the plot is the framework on which to hang the form. The story is the vehicle for the display of the technique. So, in terms of his story, the dancer is concerned with the questions “Where am I going?" and “How shall I get there?" He asks, “Shall I go from upstage right to downstage left?" and if so, “Shall I leap, run, twirl, skip, slide, roll, spin, etc.?" It is the form that is most important. The audience wants to see giant leaps, marvelous balance, extraordinary grace; they want to see the human figure go beyond itself, outdo itself, extend itself. They want to see beautiful form; the story is really of secondary importance. The actor is concerned with plot and character. His questions are, “What am I doing?" and “Why am I doing it?" He is primarily involved with his motivations, with con. veying the story, with the character’s intentions and actions, and not with physical form. The form, in this case, is the vehicle for the display of the plot, the framework on which to hang the story. The mime is concerned with physical form only while he is in the classroom. He practices his techniques over and over until they become second nature to him, and then, in performance, he is to disregard them and concentrate on the acting problem: “What am I doing?" and “Why am I doing it?" He will, of course, use all the techniques he has been practicing, since we must not forget that he is limited to physical communication alone, and cannot speak. But it he becomes concerned with technique while performing, his performance will be external, superficial, and will not move the audience. So the mime is an actor who moves, not a dancer who acts. Mime is a kind of stylized acting, rather than a kind of “theatre-dance."
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