On Wednesday at Costa Mesa High School, Keith Berger waged a battle that teachers have been fighting for years: He tried to get a group of students to be quiet. In this case, really, really quiet.

For most high school students, the word "ballet" conjures up an image of a ballerina in a tutu leaping across a stage. "Mime" may have a similar effect -- a man in whiteface trying to escape from a ...