Almost all the world's cultures practice some form of body painting and/or ornamentation. Uses of bodily decoration and painting are numerous, ranging from ancient priests painting themselves before spiritual ceremonies, to warriors painting themselves with magical (and fearsome) designs before battle (think Mel Gibson in Braveheart), to the elaborate face-and-body paintings practiced by modern sports fans. The use of elaborate masks as well as face and body painting has been used in theatre since the dawn of the art form. Modern usages abound in everything from traditional Japanese Kabuki theatre, the contemporary art of clowning from old school circus clowns to post-modern clowns like the Blue Man Group.
