Ventriloquism is the art of speaking without moving your mouth. It is a dying art and barely anyone does it anymore. Ventriloquism also requires having a puppet or ventriloquist dummy or figure. Some people can be scared of puppets. It’s called pupaphobia. 

I have been doing ventriloquism for about 4-5 years now and have done shows for preschoolers all the way to fifth graders. My puppet friends and I can do shows for birthdays, school parties, and even weddings as well as game spectres for almost every sport except rugby. We are diehard Michigan fans and even bigger Swifties. We can do shows at schools, day-cares, senior centers. We had even been spotted in Target and Walmart but we’re not welcomed at Costco.

My love for ventriloquism came when I was only 8 years old. I met a puppeteer and her ventriloquist friend in Vancouver, Canada. They are Jeny and Kellie. Jeny brought me a book to see the puppets she had made. Some of them were full body and some were just top half. She educated me on the history of puppeteers and how at different times and different cultures this “dying art” has played an important role in sending messages to their communities. Kellie and her furry friend Magrau the bird were so much fun to meet and become friends with.

Some famous ventriloquists are: Paul Zerdin, Terry Fater, and my personal favorite Darcy Lynne Farmer. She won America’s Got Talent when she was twelve. What inspired me about Darcy Lynne was that she was around my age when she did something extraordinary on stage. She and I both know how easy it is to make people smile because we both smile with our eyes. If one can smile through their eyes, then they can use their sealed lips to articulate for them. 

That is what ventriloquism is, thanks for reading.