Art of "throwing" one's voice in such a way that the sound seems to come from a source other than the speaker.
A dummy or doll is commonly used to assist in the deception, with the ventriloquist moving the dummy's mouth while speaking through closed lips. Ventriloquists date from ancient times and include Eurycles of Athens. Such peoples as the Maoris, Zulus, and Eskimos are adept ventriloquists. The art was long a feature of puppet shows as well as of variety entertainment such as vaudeville . Notable ventriloquists included Edgar Bergen in the U.S. and Robert Lamouret in France.