Archive for May, 2008:
3 Reasons Why You Should Do Street Magic
Before you’ll fill your pockets with magic stuff I want you to understand WHY it is so important to perform magic in the streets and for your friends.
I think it is the fastest way of becoming an awesome magician. Because it is so easy to find an audience. There are literally millions of places you can do magic. Go to a park, a café or take a night ride on the metro. Use your imagination
You have an endless list of unique opportunities to perform your tricks again and again.You’ll have a lot of fun, but you are doing it for 3 reasons
Reason # 1
Learn to Perform anywhere under any condition
This is by far the best way to learn magic tricks at high speed and it
builds up your self-confidence. Just perform your street tricks and
perform them often.
Reason # 2
Learning about people
You are learning about people. Start performing for all kinds of people. Learn how to talk to strangers. Just do it. Ask them something. Make contact with people you never ever would have been talking to, if you weren’t doing magic for them.
We usually only mix with people who remind us of ourselves. So start enjoying mingling around.
Reason #3
Study the inside of you
You are studying what is happening inside of you. Learn how to be ready and trustful on the spot. You only learn this by being calm and trustful yourself. And by trying. And never giving up.
It starts from the inside of you. If you want your spectator to get a feeling, then feel it yourself. There is no shortcut here. If you have any problems, then fake it until you make it. Look calm on the outside - even if your inside is shaking.
And a last piece of advice…..
You’ll know you’ve got it, when people you meet start asking “Can you come to my party and perform?”
Cardini
I believe this is one of the 10 best magic acts ever created.
Watch The Great Cardini from his appearance on English television in 1957. He was at that time 62 years old and still going strong. Very strong;-)
So you might ask yourself what’s so good about an old blurry video?
Is there anything I can learn from this?
Yes my friend. There is a reason the magic world has honored him as one of the top Magicians of the 20th Century.
First of all the timing, the misdirection and the magic is brilliant. The sleight of hand, appearance and disappearance of objects, the gestures and the choreography of movements are superb.
This 9 minutes act contains so many subtle details that you cannot notice the first times you watch this video clip. But after you have watched it for the 7th time you may suddenly notice the way he uses his monocle as a time-misdirection. How brilliantly he repeats an innocent movement of dropping the monocle and uses it to deceive our minds. Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful.
Besides his skills and the context of his act I think what we really can learn from Cardini today is his attitude and mindset towards magic.
As you probably know most magicians have a very offensive nature when it comes to performing. They have this very direct way of showing magic tricks. You can see it on their attitudes, behaviour, and way of talking. It is as if they scream to the spectators: “Watch Me I’m So Awesome…!”
It is certainly not the best strategy if you want to be liked by an audience. (I come back to this in another essay)
Cardini on the other hand performs in a very indirect way. He is NOT showing off and bragging about his amazing skills. We, as the audience, are watching an English gentleman in his private home and the MAGIC is happening around him. He is not causing the magic to happen - it happens by itself and he just reacts.
Like when he throw the cigarette in the dustbin and to his surprise it returns in his mouth or when Cardini strikes a match under his shoe and the match appears in the other hand. Not to mention his long exit. He can’t leave the room because of all the magic that happens around him.
One might think, from a philosophical point of view, that it is because we live in a magical world and that is why we can relate to his magic. That is one way of looking at it.
I’m more of a down to earth kind of guy and believe people can relate to it from their daily life when things are out of control. And somehow the magician is in control and has the magic power to fix it all. A very simple story line.
So if you really want to learn something from watching this video you must ask yourself some very simple questions.
- Are you performing magic in a direct or indirect way?
- How do you as a magician react in a world with things and situations that are out of control?
- How do you react without showing off?
Remember when things go wrong a real magician can fix it them in a magical way. That is our job.
7 easy steps to become a Magician
1. Keep it secret.
Often, the secret of a magic trick is very simple. Telling how it is done will only take away the mystery and excitement of magic. And, the audience will only get disappointed. So, remember never reveal the
secret. It’s yours - you paid for it either with your money or your efforts.
2. Practice
Take your time and practice. Be patient. It’s important you know what to do before doing it! Start learning only one or two stunts or magic tricks. Practice thoroughly. It’s a good idea to practice in front of
a mirror or a video camera. Know what to say and how to do the trick. When you surprise yourself - you are ready to perform.
3. Choose your battlefield
Whenever you are ready to perform, choose the right moment. As soon as you feel comfortable and are having a good time with your friends, try out the tricks. Be prepared. Be sure you have all the props ready
and do your secret preparations without your friends knowing it.
4. Create attention.
Start off by getting attention. Create some curiosity. Think of it as the moment just before telling a joke - you make them want to listen. The same goes for doing magic tricks. When you have their full attention, do your thing.
5. Have fun.
Performing magic is all about being together and having fun. The tricks and stunts are meant to make your friends wonder and laugh and for you to be the center of their attention. So enjoy being with people.
Notice their reactions and how magic can create a magical atmosphere.
6. Just show it once.
Generally if you show a magic trick twice, the audience will be watching the second time to discover the secret. So make them wonder, just show it once.
7. Evaluate.
After the performance, remember the experience and evaluate. What was working and what wasn’t? Practice on what needs to be changed. Next time do the same tricks for a new audience. Meanwhile, of course, you
practice new tricks. In this way you’ll slowly but surely develop your performing skills. Sooner than you know, you will become a magician.
And a last advice…
If you want to develop fast, then hold on to the same magic tricks and perform them for different audiences.
Better to change spectators than magic tricks.
Raymond Crowe: Hand shadows
This is probably the best hand shadow artist who has ever existed…
If you look in old magic books you very often find a section with hand shadow figures. Because in the old days hand shadowing was a standard part of a magician’s repertoire.
You know a magician’s task have always been to give the audience a magical experience. So in the old days a magician had a lot of other components in their shows like hand shadowing, hypnosis and memory skills; and in the end of the 19th century moving pictures, but that is another story.
What you see here is the one and only hand shadow artist Raymond Crowe. He is absolutely fantastic. I saw him for the first time in a live performance during the World Championship of Magic in Den Haag 2003.
He received a greater applause than some of the best magicians in the world. That is because Raymond Crowe’s act is truly magical, elegant, beautiful, artistic and most of all everyone can relate to ONE man and the play and joy of his hands. Simplicity, my friends:-)
You can buy his book here if you want to learn how to do hand shadows, too
Fred Kaps: In Black and White
Fred Kaps with his act. I think this version is from 1961. The version with the the burning candle as the running gag. Enjoy it.
Fred Kaps was the winner of The World Championship Grand prix 3 times. The only one ever to win 3 times…1950(Barcelona), 1955(Amsterdam) and 1961 (Liège) and for the fun of it winner of Close-up Card in Amsterdam 1955. Freds Kaps was truly an all-round magician who until his dead in 1980 inspired magicians all over the world.