The major complaint Fitzkee shares in the first chapter is the lack of preparation that goes on when amateurs and hobbyists decide to perform for the public. I personally believe some hobbyists get the impression that if you know how to do a few pocket tricks, all of a sudden you will have personality and be an interesting person. Fitzkee as well as I disagree.
“Magic, as exhibited by the majority is the indulgence in a hobby which rarely instructs, seldom amuses and almost never entertains.”
The effects performed by the too enthusiastic and poorly rehearsed hobbyist never entertain anybody but the performer themselves. In addition, if the individual is not performing in most cases they themselves are bores.
Most audience don’t really care how clever YOU think you are. And the ads lie when it says “Everyone Likes to be Fooled.” Because of this it has to be our search to make sure someone watching our performances get something more out of it than just a little puzzle to be solved. People don’t like watching individuals stroke their own egos. And in most cases whether it is watching a movie, listening to a sales pitch or a watching a magic performance people want to feel like they are getting something out of the experience.
Magic is not magic if not performed in the presence of spectators. Because in any other form it becomes research, exercise, recreation, hobby or even a particularly exotic form of narcissism. There are magic hobbyists who know their place in the world. They collect their books, they collect their tricks, and they practice their sleights.
Even if one starts to get into magic as a fan, a collector or hobbyist, sooner or later they will want to perform.
It is at this point “the damage starts.”
And out of the thousands of tricksters out there very few take anytime for the thought and rehearsal of showmanship which is the lifeblood of entertainment.
Fitzkee believes a performer has no right to perform without intelligent preparation in selling entertainment to an audience big or small.
For it hurts not just the bungler, but all magicians as entertainers and it injures all magic as entertainment.
When a majority of the performances are poor than all of it is classed this way.
When Fitzkee talks about this I have to selfishly agree. He isn’t too gentle in the way he puts it but I think he writes with the passion of his beliefs.
I think most people who perform in front of people don’t understand their responsibility to their art form whatever it may be. An actor of a cast in a play has the responsibility to rehearse, memorize lines, hit their marks and give a believable performance not only to make themselves look good, but to support the rest of the cast and to suspend the belief of the audience watching. Now there are plenty of different ways for people to be exposed to the musical and theatre arts. All you have to do is turn on TV.
Magic on the other hand is rare. It’s rare to see good magic on TV and it’s even rarer for an individual to see a magical performance live in person. Because of how special of a moment it is, it amplifies the importance and the responsibility of the individual who is about to give the magical performance. Because people have few opportunities to witness magic in real life they do not have anything or very little to compare it to. So if the spectator as nothing else to relate the magical performance to and the performance was poor or at best amateur, then that is how the person is going to class all magical performances. It that fair? Not in the least, but this is how the human brain works.
The performing hobbyist don’t understand this responsibility for their goal is a selfish one. They perform magic to put themselves on a pedestal, to make themselves look good and sometimes just to get attention.
Since their intentions and worries are only focused on themselves as individuals, they have no concern for if the audiences are enjoying the performance, they are not concerned about the impression they are leaving on the audience, and they don’t care how the audience perceives magical performances afterwards. As a performer they must be good because they are in front of a crowd. They must be good because they are doing a magic trick that got great reviews in the latest magic journal. They must be good because they assume the people they are performing for are witnessing what the performer has dreamed up in their head, not what is actually taking place.
Most people don’t care to see magic when it is performed as nothing more than a quiz. Most people like to be leisurely entertained. That is why magazines are filed with narratives not puzzles. They also don’t talk about things, but instead people.
The only people who care for magic when presented as a puzzle is the child, an adult with a juvenile mentality, or the magic hobbyist.
Magicians are the only ones to blame. The Thurston Show was the most valuable property in show business at its time. No magic show comes close to that anymore.
It attained this distinction when its method of presentation was geared and attuned to the times.
“If your principal can so present a magic show that it once more appeals to the masses, he will be greater that Thurston, Herrman, or Houdini.” “And he’ll make a fortune.”
I think the words, “appeals to the masses” are key here. Not appeals to just magicians. Not appeals to just the performer. Not just appeals to a certain demographic. But appeals to the masses.
The information is sound not only for the large scale, two hour, one man show, but it is also important to the individual doing a single packet trick for an individual.
The person who does only a mediocre performance doing a close-up effect does just as much damage to the art of magic as a mediocre stage show.
This can be the most important reading a magician ever did, even if the only thing the reader gets from it is an urge to look upon his magic performance objectively, as his spectators see it.
I think the most important thing when looking at your own material is not whether you are proficient enough to keep the sleight or gimmick a secret. True, it is sometimes the first thing magicians worry about, but in most cases once the trick can be done without revealing the secret, the rehearsal stops there. But there is much, much more. Before we can even decided to do the effect much less perform it in front of others is to ask ourselves, “what does the audience get out of this?”
“A small bit of entertainment,” is not the answer
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Showmanship for Magicians
A Chapter by Chapter Review and Discussion on Showmanship for Magicians by Dariel Fitzkee.
I started reading the book “Showmanship for Magicians” by Dariel Fitzkee and felt that more study should be taken place. I have decided to go back and reread the chapters one at a time and take notes and write down my thoughts and ideas on how the topics mentioned in the book fit into what is going on today. Though the book was written in the 1940's, I believe the observations and ideas are still useful for today's working magician.
This is truly an exercise of being thorough in my study of this book and the other two that follow it.
I’m writing this and sharing it with others, not only so they can possibly enjoy the opinions I have, not only become informed by the words of Fitzkee, but for the selfish reason of starting a discussion on the material itself and to learn from others.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
I started reading the book “Showmanship for Magicians” by Dariel Fitzkee and felt that more study should be taken place. I have decided to go back and reread the chapters one at a time and take notes and write down my thoughts and ideas on how the topics mentioned in the book fit into what is going on today. Though the book was written in the 1940's, I believe the observations and ideas are still useful for today's working magician.
This is truly an exercise of being thorough in my study of this book and the other two that follow it.
I’m writing this and sharing it with others, not only so they can possibly enjoy the opinions I have, not only become informed by the words of Fitzkee, but for the selfish reason of starting a discussion on the material itself and to learn from others.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Friday, October 10, 2008
Twisting the...
I’m not going to give away secrets to effects on this open media. I think it’s unnecessary. I don’t have a problem giving some quick tips on how to present different magic effects though.
One of the first packet tricks I learned was Vernon’s Twisting the Aces. It interestingly utilizes a secret move and when presented correctly can be a miracle. I’m not going to discuss which “twisting” effect is the best. Hollingworth’s and Asher’s are both worth looking into.
Instead, I’m going to discuss a presentation idea I came up on my own a few years ago and later on found out a brilliant magician, Brother John Hamman, came up with the same idea long before I was even interested in magic.
When I first started doing Twisting the Aces, I always felt the trick was more for magicians than it was for the lay audience. The reason is the spectator’s view four aces one at a time turning face up in a packet of four cards. The problem with this is most people when viewing playing cards are not in the mindset to eliminate and keep track of suits. Making the audience have to remember which suit is left or what suits have already turned over is confusing for them and an exercise not practiced enough to really make the demonstration effective.
The idea is to make the presentation easier to follow. Since we have been 5 years old we have been learning and relearning numbers in sequence so in most cases, we can recite them very quickly and effortlessly. At the same time we have been learning to eliminate numbers, or keep track of what numbers have been used and keeping it to short term memory to use in the near future.
My tip for you when doing Twisting the Aces is not to use the four aces. Instead use the sequence Ace, Two, Three, Four. Then have the cards turn over in the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4 or in reverse, like a countdown 4, 3, 2, 1.
How do we do this?
The set up really is easy and it will take you only the length to read this to learn and less time to memorize.
Have the cards in the following order: 4, 3, 2, Ace Have the ace at the face of the packet. Then cut the cards perfectly in half and complete the cut. So the sequence will now be 2, ace, 4, 3. The three should be on the face of the packet. It is at this point that you start in with the Twisting the Aces routine and the outcome will be the Ace will turn over with the 2 being next, followed by the 3 and finally the 4 being the final card to turn face up.
This makes the sequence much easier for the audience to follow making it much more enjoyable to watch. Remember, confusion is not magic.
I have tested this at my walk around magic events and have found when I use a sequence of numbers instead of just a four of a kind I have gotten a much greater response from the spectators.
Of course, do not take my word for it and instead go try it out yourself.
I’m going to leave it up to you to figure out the order of the cards if you want the sequence to count down 4, 3, 2, 1.
You can find more interesting presentations for this effect in a wonderful book by Robert E. Neale titled “Life, Death, and Other Card Tricks.” This book really is a fun read and should get your creative juices flowing when developing different presentations for your magic.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
One of the first packet tricks I learned was Vernon’s Twisting the Aces. It interestingly utilizes a secret move and when presented correctly can be a miracle. I’m not going to discuss which “twisting” effect is the best. Hollingworth’s and Asher’s are both worth looking into.
Instead, I’m going to discuss a presentation idea I came up on my own a few years ago and later on found out a brilliant magician, Brother John Hamman, came up with the same idea long before I was even interested in magic.
When I first started doing Twisting the Aces, I always felt the trick was more for magicians than it was for the lay audience. The reason is the spectator’s view four aces one at a time turning face up in a packet of four cards. The problem with this is most people when viewing playing cards are not in the mindset to eliminate and keep track of suits. Making the audience have to remember which suit is left or what suits have already turned over is confusing for them and an exercise not practiced enough to really make the demonstration effective.
The idea is to make the presentation easier to follow. Since we have been 5 years old we have been learning and relearning numbers in sequence so in most cases, we can recite them very quickly and effortlessly. At the same time we have been learning to eliminate numbers, or keep track of what numbers have been used and keeping it to short term memory to use in the near future.
My tip for you when doing Twisting the Aces is not to use the four aces. Instead use the sequence Ace, Two, Three, Four. Then have the cards turn over in the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4 or in reverse, like a countdown 4, 3, 2, 1.
How do we do this?
The set up really is easy and it will take you only the length to read this to learn and less time to memorize.
Have the cards in the following order: 4, 3, 2, Ace Have the ace at the face of the packet. Then cut the cards perfectly in half and complete the cut. So the sequence will now be 2, ace, 4, 3. The three should be on the face of the packet. It is at this point that you start in with the Twisting the Aces routine and the outcome will be the Ace will turn over with the 2 being next, followed by the 3 and finally the 4 being the final card to turn face up.
This makes the sequence much easier for the audience to follow making it much more enjoyable to watch. Remember, confusion is not magic.
I have tested this at my walk around magic events and have found when I use a sequence of numbers instead of just a four of a kind I have gotten a much greater response from the spectators.
Of course, do not take my word for it and instead go try it out yourself.
I’m going to leave it up to you to figure out the order of the cards if you want the sequence to count down 4, 3, 2, 1.
You can find more interesting presentations for this effect in a wonderful book by Robert E. Neale titled “Life, Death, and Other Card Tricks.” This book really is a fun read and should get your creative juices flowing when developing different presentations for your magic.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Friday, October 3, 2008
A Misdirection Story
There is a definite difference between magic for magicians and magic for laymen. The most obvious is sometimes a fellow magician will not give you the same sort of reaction you would get from a laymen when performing a magic trick. Meaning the magician may not be as impressed as someone who is not in the know. At the same time there are some magic tricks out there that magicians love to watch and get enthusiastic to watch a sleight or a psychological technique being used when an audience member won’t think it’s that big of a deal.
Over the years there are effects I have developed which I believe only magicians would appreciate. These effects most of the time show off a great skill such as being able to do realistic blind shuffles, which are shuffles that leave the deck in the exact order it was in before you started the shuffle. It might also be a fancy and skillful way of revealing a card. In the end of the day though for a lay audience, it’s still just a card trick and using a multiple packet cut which took hours of practice to find a card is no different to them then if you used an easier or even gimmicked way of revealing a card.
There are also tricks I perform which are wonderful when played to someone on a one on one situation. On these moments I like to perform this sort of magic for one lay person and the rest of the audience being made up of magicians. In most cases the methods I’m using for such a trick are incredibly bold. So while the person who is not in the know witnesses a miracle, the magicians can’t believe the boldness utilized in performing the magic effect.
I asked a fellow magic fan to write the following passage:
I recall the first time I met Adam. It was when I attended my first meeting of the Lincoln Magical Society. Adam and the rest of the guys and gals in the LMS, welcomed me into the fold, and I was immediately impressed with Adam's talent after watching him do a few card tricks. After the meeting Adam and Dave Carr invited me to go with them to a bar to have a drink and talk magic. Even though I didn't have enough money to go, Adam insisted, saying that he would cover me and I could pay him back later.
While at the bar we tossed back a few, and began to trade chops. I don't remember everything that happened that night, but one incident is forever burned into my brain. Adam, Dave and I were sitting at a table talking, and a young woman noticed that we were performing card tricks for each other. We noticed her watching us and asked to join us and we offered to show her a few tricks.
Adam offered to do a card trick, and had the young woman pick a card. She looked at the card and Adam placed it face down on the table. The next few moments seemed to move in slow motion just like in the movies. Here is what happened from everyone else's point of view. Adam asked the woman about her ring, then he looked into her eyes and he named her card. Both Dave and I were shocked, but for entirely different reasons, because we saw two completely different things. I am sure Dave saw everything just I stated previously. I, on the other hand, saw a moment of pure magic that haunts me to this day. It was at the moment that Adam asked the woman about her ring, for whatever reason, perhaps I was taking a drink of my beer; this clever bit of misdirection did not take me in. I sat in disbelief while two things happened at once. The woman looked at her ring explaining that it was a gift or something to that effect, and I watched in bewildered awe as Adam looked down at the table and peeked at the tabled card. Even though I know that Adam just peeked at the pip, I swear to me it looks as if he flipped the card completely over, stared at it for a good minute. Like I said it was like slow motion. After his peek at the card, he just looked back at the woman and asked her to look into his eyes. He then named the card. It was perfect, the woman was just floored and so were Dave and I. Once the woman left, I just looked at Adam and asked him, "Is it hard to walk, with balls that big?" I told Adam that was the boldest move I had ever seen. Dave was completely clueless about what I was talking about and Adam just sat back in his chair, and smiled.
I need to clear up a couple of things just for completeness. It’s funny I still remember the girl’s name of that night. (Felecia) This isn’t really a trick I go out of my way to perform, but when it hits it’s a miracle for both laymen and magicians and later I’ll tell you what happens when I miss.
Anyway, after the other two magicians showed a couple of cards tricks she asked if I could do anything. Here’s what actually happened. I spread the cards out on the table and asked her if there were any funny marks on the back of the cards. She stated no. I then asked her to slide a card towards her on the table. Now before she could look at it, I noticed she was wearing an exotic ring. It was one of those rings girls wanted you to notice. How I look at it, if they didn’t want you to notice they wouldn’t wear it. I acknowledged the ring and asked her if it was a gift from a relative.
Exactly at that moment, she looked down at the ring and held it up to the light so she could admire it while she told me where she had gotten it from. While she was doing that, I moved in without drawing attention to the movement and looked at the pip of the card by merely placing my hand on top of the card and bending the corner up using my thumb. This gave me the glimpsing opportunity. At the time she didn’t catch me, so I drew her attention back to the card trick and asked her if she had a free selection.
She said yes.
I asked her if there was anyway for her to know what the card was.
She said no.
I told if there was no way for her to know what the card was and she was the one to pick it then there would be no way for me to know what the card was, correct?
It made sense to her at the time, so she agreed.
I told her to look at the card while I looked away.
After she noted the card and with some more mysterious by play I plucked the card from her thoughts and revealed what the card was.
I had two magicians there with me. Felecia, the spectator was seated on my right. One magician was seated at my left and missed the peek. The other magician was sitting right across from me and witnessed the peek.
Now what I was thinking during this time is a lot more important then the motions and movements used to perform this miracle. When performing these tricks there is a chance you will get caught. If my direction of Felecia’s attention wasn’t strong enough, then she could have easily caught me looking at her card. Luckily, most people in general are vain and when they’re not out to catch you then they’re more than happy to tell you about themselves. When people go inside their minds to remember something most of the time they look away for just a split second, which gives you plenty of time to do whatever secret move you want to perform.
Also in the rhythm of the trick and the environment I was in, Felecia didn’t think the trick had even started yet.
Keep in mind that I did have a back up plan if I got caught. If by chance she caught me peeking at her car and you can tell when you get caught I would have changed the trick and done something else such as Paul Harris’s Ultimate Rip-off. Again at the time she didn’t know what trick I was going to perform and she didn’t even know the trick had already started.
The number one advantage a magician has over his audience is the magician knows what’s going to happen.
That is the main reason someone always asks to see something again. It’s so that the next time around they’re ready for it and know what to look for.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Over the years there are effects I have developed which I believe only magicians would appreciate. These effects most of the time show off a great skill such as being able to do realistic blind shuffles, which are shuffles that leave the deck in the exact order it was in before you started the shuffle. It might also be a fancy and skillful way of revealing a card. In the end of the day though for a lay audience, it’s still just a card trick and using a multiple packet cut which took hours of practice to find a card is no different to them then if you used an easier or even gimmicked way of revealing a card.
There are also tricks I perform which are wonderful when played to someone on a one on one situation. On these moments I like to perform this sort of magic for one lay person and the rest of the audience being made up of magicians. In most cases the methods I’m using for such a trick are incredibly bold. So while the person who is not in the know witnesses a miracle, the magicians can’t believe the boldness utilized in performing the magic effect.
I asked a fellow magic fan to write the following passage:
I recall the first time I met Adam. It was when I attended my first meeting of the Lincoln Magical Society. Adam and the rest of the guys and gals in the LMS, welcomed me into the fold, and I was immediately impressed with Adam's talent after watching him do a few card tricks. After the meeting Adam and Dave Carr invited me to go with them to a bar to have a drink and talk magic. Even though I didn't have enough money to go, Adam insisted, saying that he would cover me and I could pay him back later.
While at the bar we tossed back a few, and began to trade chops. I don't remember everything that happened that night, but one incident is forever burned into my brain. Adam, Dave and I were sitting at a table talking, and a young woman noticed that we were performing card tricks for each other. We noticed her watching us and asked to join us and we offered to show her a few tricks.
Adam offered to do a card trick, and had the young woman pick a card. She looked at the card and Adam placed it face down on the table. The next few moments seemed to move in slow motion just like in the movies. Here is what happened from everyone else's point of view. Adam asked the woman about her ring, then he looked into her eyes and he named her card. Both Dave and I were shocked, but for entirely different reasons, because we saw two completely different things. I am sure Dave saw everything just I stated previously. I, on the other hand, saw a moment of pure magic that haunts me to this day. It was at the moment that Adam asked the woman about her ring, for whatever reason, perhaps I was taking a drink of my beer; this clever bit of misdirection did not take me in. I sat in disbelief while two things happened at once. The woman looked at her ring explaining that it was a gift or something to that effect, and I watched in bewildered awe as Adam looked down at the table and peeked at the tabled card. Even though I know that Adam just peeked at the pip, I swear to me it looks as if he flipped the card completely over, stared at it for a good minute. Like I said it was like slow motion. After his peek at the card, he just looked back at the woman and asked her to look into his eyes. He then named the card. It was perfect, the woman was just floored and so were Dave and I. Once the woman left, I just looked at Adam and asked him, "Is it hard to walk, with balls that big?" I told Adam that was the boldest move I had ever seen. Dave was completely clueless about what I was talking about and Adam just sat back in his chair, and smiled.
I need to clear up a couple of things just for completeness. It’s funny I still remember the girl’s name of that night. (Felecia) This isn’t really a trick I go out of my way to perform, but when it hits it’s a miracle for both laymen and magicians and later I’ll tell you what happens when I miss.
Anyway, after the other two magicians showed a couple of cards tricks she asked if I could do anything. Here’s what actually happened. I spread the cards out on the table and asked her if there were any funny marks on the back of the cards. She stated no. I then asked her to slide a card towards her on the table. Now before she could look at it, I noticed she was wearing an exotic ring. It was one of those rings girls wanted you to notice. How I look at it, if they didn’t want you to notice they wouldn’t wear it. I acknowledged the ring and asked her if it was a gift from a relative.
Exactly at that moment, she looked down at the ring and held it up to the light so she could admire it while she told me where she had gotten it from. While she was doing that, I moved in without drawing attention to the movement and looked at the pip of the card by merely placing my hand on top of the card and bending the corner up using my thumb. This gave me the glimpsing opportunity. At the time she didn’t catch me, so I drew her attention back to the card trick and asked her if she had a free selection.
She said yes.
I asked her if there was anyway for her to know what the card was.
She said no.
I told if there was no way for her to know what the card was and she was the one to pick it then there would be no way for me to know what the card was, correct?
It made sense to her at the time, so she agreed.
I told her to look at the card while I looked away.
After she noted the card and with some more mysterious by play I plucked the card from her thoughts and revealed what the card was.
I had two magicians there with me. Felecia, the spectator was seated on my right. One magician was seated at my left and missed the peek. The other magician was sitting right across from me and witnessed the peek.
Now what I was thinking during this time is a lot more important then the motions and movements used to perform this miracle. When performing these tricks there is a chance you will get caught. If my direction of Felecia’s attention wasn’t strong enough, then she could have easily caught me looking at her card. Luckily, most people in general are vain and when they’re not out to catch you then they’re more than happy to tell you about themselves. When people go inside their minds to remember something most of the time they look away for just a split second, which gives you plenty of time to do whatever secret move you want to perform.
Also in the rhythm of the trick and the environment I was in, Felecia didn’t think the trick had even started yet.
Keep in mind that I did have a back up plan if I got caught. If by chance she caught me peeking at her car and you can tell when you get caught I would have changed the trick and done something else such as Paul Harris’s Ultimate Rip-off. Again at the time she didn’t know what trick I was going to perform and she didn’t even know the trick had already started.
The number one advantage a magician has over his audience is the magician knows what’s going to happen.
That is the main reason someone always asks to see something again. It’s so that the next time around they’re ready for it and know what to look for.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Confidence
Stage fright… Some people have a problem with their hands shaking as they perform close up magic in front of people. Now that you have practiced the moves and rehearsed, how do we over come the nerves?
We know how to handle cards, but now we need to learn how to handle people.
Confidence comes with experience and experience comes from the opportunities we build for ourselves. When we sit around and don’t take action then there is nothing to attract our opportunities to us.
I suggest the exercise of an evening or a weekend and without cards or magic tricks on you, meet 20 knew people. I suggest going up, introducing yourself and then asking the person you just met about themselves.
When my grandmother was around 40, she had to give a speech to a large group of people. She rehearsed and worried, worried and rehearsed. She then talked to my grandfather about really being scared to give this speech.
My grandfather’s eyes got big as he looked at her and said in a sarcastic scared voice, “what do you think they’ll do to you if you make a mistake?”
For my grandmother, it put things in perspective. People aren’t going to beat you up if you make a mistake, especially if it is a card trick. Is it embarrassing? Only if you let it be.
I think some people, (not necessarily you) get into magic thinking that after they know a couple of tricks, they can impress people and people will like them. The truth of the matter is after the magic tricks, what is left?
Sorry for my long winded-ness, but in conclusion:
Instead of practicing moves while watching TV by yourself. Get out of the house, go to a pub, a café, a park and just start looking people in the eye, smile and give a warm “hello.” Will you feel silly at first, maybe? But isn’t that a small price to pay to gain a new friend?
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
We know how to handle cards, but now we need to learn how to handle people.
Confidence comes with experience and experience comes from the opportunities we build for ourselves. When we sit around and don’t take action then there is nothing to attract our opportunities to us.
I suggest the exercise of an evening or a weekend and without cards or magic tricks on you, meet 20 knew people. I suggest going up, introducing yourself and then asking the person you just met about themselves.
When my grandmother was around 40, she had to give a speech to a large group of people. She rehearsed and worried, worried and rehearsed. She then talked to my grandfather about really being scared to give this speech.
My grandfather’s eyes got big as he looked at her and said in a sarcastic scared voice, “what do you think they’ll do to you if you make a mistake?”
For my grandmother, it put things in perspective. People aren’t going to beat you up if you make a mistake, especially if it is a card trick. Is it embarrassing? Only if you let it be.
I think some people, (not necessarily you) get into magic thinking that after they know a couple of tricks, they can impress people and people will like them. The truth of the matter is after the magic tricks, what is left?
Sorry for my long winded-ness, but in conclusion:
Instead of practicing moves while watching TV by yourself. Get out of the house, go to a pub, a café, a park and just start looking people in the eye, smile and give a warm “hello.” Will you feel silly at first, maybe? But isn’t that a small price to pay to gain a new friend?
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Friday, September 26, 2008
Performing for the Deaf
I have been cruising The Magic Café and someone was talking about performing magic for a deaf audience.
One person’s concern was would they be able to misdirect them since they would lose the power of sound and their voice to direct the audience’s gaze at their hands. And to be honest, deaf people are the easiest to misdirect since most of the time, in order to understand what you have to say they can do one of two things; read lips or watch the person off to the side signing what you are saying.
I personally have had a blast performing for the deaf. Many moons ago I was asked to perform for a group of children years ago and really had a good time.
Throughout the show I would make fun of the situation, being concerned if the person signing what I had to say was really signing what I was saying.
I told the kids, “I could really be saying everyone here looks happy and smart today, and what they could be signing is ‘Hello, everyone! Don’t I look like a monkey?”
Of course the kids smiled and laughed and had a good time.
One thing I’m not particularly proud of, but it was still a lot of fun for the kids is I would say words just to be curious on what the sign for it would be.
I called the translator a cheater when she used sign language to spell out the word “booger.” I then showed the kids what I though the sign for “booger” should be. I’ll leave that to your imagination. Needless to say the children had a great time.
I guess the lesson here is to know your material so well that you can pay attention to your audience and your environment so you and your crowd can have a lot of fun together.
And a more important lesson is kids are kids, no matter what their situation is.
I was doing walk around magic at a restaurant and there was a family. I approach the table and asked if could perform magic for them. The couple mentioned their child was deaf. I thought nothing of it and told them it wasn't a problem.
I didn't really change my act, just did some fun sleight of hand stuff. Afterwards the parents came up to me and told me thanks and that it meant a lot to them that I did something for their little girl. They explained to me they felt she misses out on a lot because people don't know how to handle the fact she was deaf.
I just laughed and told them it was the other people missing out, not their little girl.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
One person’s concern was would they be able to misdirect them since they would lose the power of sound and their voice to direct the audience’s gaze at their hands. And to be honest, deaf people are the easiest to misdirect since most of the time, in order to understand what you have to say they can do one of two things; read lips or watch the person off to the side signing what you are saying.
I personally have had a blast performing for the deaf. Many moons ago I was asked to perform for a group of children years ago and really had a good time.
Throughout the show I would make fun of the situation, being concerned if the person signing what I had to say was really signing what I was saying.
I told the kids, “I could really be saying everyone here looks happy and smart today, and what they could be signing is ‘Hello, everyone! Don’t I look like a monkey?”
Of course the kids smiled and laughed and had a good time.
One thing I’m not particularly proud of, but it was still a lot of fun for the kids is I would say words just to be curious on what the sign for it would be.
I called the translator a cheater when she used sign language to spell out the word “booger.” I then showed the kids what I though the sign for “booger” should be. I’ll leave that to your imagination. Needless to say the children had a great time.
I guess the lesson here is to know your material so well that you can pay attention to your audience and your environment so you and your crowd can have a lot of fun together.
And a more important lesson is kids are kids, no matter what their situation is.
I was doing walk around magic at a restaurant and there was a family. I approach the table and asked if could perform magic for them. The couple mentioned their child was deaf. I thought nothing of it and told them it wasn't a problem.
I didn't really change my act, just did some fun sleight of hand stuff. Afterwards the parents came up to me and told me thanks and that it meant a lot to them that I did something for their little girl. They explained to me they felt she misses out on a lot because people don't know how to handle the fact she was deaf.
I just laughed and told them it was the other people missing out, not their little girl.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Productive Practicing
Practicing moves while watching television is a wonderful way of getting the moves down, which is very important to our art form. At the same time it can only improve only about 20% of the actual performance. The other 80% of the performance is made up of presentation, patter, and order of operation for the trick to be perfected.
When rehearsing for a magic trick it is important to practice the trick from the very beginning (how do I get into the effect?) to the very end (how do I get out of the effect?) It is more effective when rehearsing to not stop and start the trick over if an error occurs and instead continue on to the end of the trick. The reason for this is because you will get more of the trick practiced at the same time. This way you will not just be a master of the beginning of the trick, but you are also mastering the middle and end of the trick as well.
At the same time, instead of swearing and cursing because you missed your cue, sit back, analyze what went wrong and more importantly come up with a solution to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Some magicians like to categorize these as “outs.”
After you have mastered the trick from beginning to end, make up mistakes and come up with solutions to fix them.
This rehearsal time is crucial. This is the time to make your mistakes and come up with ways to trudge through the trick without being embarrassed in front of an audience.
The point is: When rehearsing, practice the trick all the way to the end. If an error occurs continue on and constructively analyze the problem so a solution can be found.
Also remember, “There is no failure, there is only feedback.”
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
When rehearsing for a magic trick it is important to practice the trick from the very beginning (how do I get into the effect?) to the very end (how do I get out of the effect?) It is more effective when rehearsing to not stop and start the trick over if an error occurs and instead continue on to the end of the trick. The reason for this is because you will get more of the trick practiced at the same time. This way you will not just be a master of the beginning of the trick, but you are also mastering the middle and end of the trick as well.
At the same time, instead of swearing and cursing because you missed your cue, sit back, analyze what went wrong and more importantly come up with a solution to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Some magicians like to categorize these as “outs.”
After you have mastered the trick from beginning to end, make up mistakes and come up with solutions to fix them.
This rehearsal time is crucial. This is the time to make your mistakes and come up with ways to trudge through the trick without being embarrassed in front of an audience.
The point is: When rehearsing, practice the trick all the way to the end. If an error occurs continue on and constructively analyze the problem so a solution can be found.
Also remember, “There is no failure, there is only feedback.”
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
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