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
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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
Friday, September 19, 2008
Hecklers
When I was a teenager, I was a restaurant magician. Back then I was obsessed with practicing sleights and moves. Though I was making pretty good money, I was still addicted to learning new sleights and taking the time to practice them.
One of the habits I got into was I felt the faster I did the moves and got through the tricks, the more amazing the magic was going to be. This was an error in my young thinking. I would go through routines so fast my audiences weren’t really entertained, they were more shell shocked.
During these times, every once in a while I would get in my audience what I considered at the time a heckler. They would interrupt my break neck speed of going through the routine to make some kind of comment. Back then I was too young, too cocky, too arrogant and had too big of ego to see the problem wasn’t that my audiences were jerks, but instead, I was just a poor performer.
When I was a kid, I performed to show people how skilled, clever and witty I was. I really could care less about pleasing the audience because I believed if they were watching me, than they had to be enjoying my show.
But as time went by, I realized I was performing slower. I was starting to find out how to make my show better. I started to become concerned about the audience. When that happened, it became clear to my audience I was performing for their entertainment instead of boosting my ego.
Honestly, I don’t know which part of me, the performer part or the man, matured enough to make the change happen and it really doesn’t matter. The important thing is that the change took place.
What I found when I didn’t bring the wrong attitude was the hecklers seemed to disappear. But I don’t think that is a true statement because I don’t really believe they disappeared. I think what truly happened was I stopped labeling the people who would make a funny comment or ask a question I’ve heard a million times before right in the middle of a routine, hecklers. Instead, they were just people wanting to be a part of the show and were showing they were having a good time.
Sometimes you get more rapport with people than you may want. But they are enjoying you so much, they feel like they can joke around with you and have a good time.
Now don’t get me wrong. There are people out there who are insecure and the only way for them to have a good time is at other people’s expense. They are there to ruin the show. Sometimes alcohol is involved and there really is nothing you can do about it. But in my experience, I have found these occurrences are incredibly rare.
My show is so tight with lines and with jokes and with action, there really isn’t a chance for people to get a word in when they are not suppose to. They are being entertained. This has happened because of the years of listening to the crowd, getting the material, so now I say things the audience is thinking and sometimes before they even think of it. In a way, maybe I’m heckling myself.
In conclusion, the best way to handle hecklers is to examine how you are handling yourself as an entertainer, and handling your audience before the hecklers even decide to strike.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
One of the habits I got into was I felt the faster I did the moves and got through the tricks, the more amazing the magic was going to be. This was an error in my young thinking. I would go through routines so fast my audiences weren’t really entertained, they were more shell shocked.
During these times, every once in a while I would get in my audience what I considered at the time a heckler. They would interrupt my break neck speed of going through the routine to make some kind of comment. Back then I was too young, too cocky, too arrogant and had too big of ego to see the problem wasn’t that my audiences were jerks, but instead, I was just a poor performer.
When I was a kid, I performed to show people how skilled, clever and witty I was. I really could care less about pleasing the audience because I believed if they were watching me, than they had to be enjoying my show.
But as time went by, I realized I was performing slower. I was starting to find out how to make my show better. I started to become concerned about the audience. When that happened, it became clear to my audience I was performing for their entertainment instead of boosting my ego.
Honestly, I don’t know which part of me, the performer part or the man, matured enough to make the change happen and it really doesn’t matter. The important thing is that the change took place.
What I found when I didn’t bring the wrong attitude was the hecklers seemed to disappear. But I don’t think that is a true statement because I don’t really believe they disappeared. I think what truly happened was I stopped labeling the people who would make a funny comment or ask a question I’ve heard a million times before right in the middle of a routine, hecklers. Instead, they were just people wanting to be a part of the show and were showing they were having a good time.
Sometimes you get more rapport with people than you may want. But they are enjoying you so much, they feel like they can joke around with you and have a good time.
Now don’t get me wrong. There are people out there who are insecure and the only way for them to have a good time is at other people’s expense. They are there to ruin the show. Sometimes alcohol is involved and there really is nothing you can do about it. But in my experience, I have found these occurrences are incredibly rare.
My show is so tight with lines and with jokes and with action, there really isn’t a chance for people to get a word in when they are not suppose to. They are being entertained. This has happened because of the years of listening to the crowd, getting the material, so now I say things the audience is thinking and sometimes before they even think of it. In a way, maybe I’m heckling myself.
In conclusion, the best way to handle hecklers is to examine how you are handling yourself as an entertainer, and handling your audience before the hecklers even decide to strike.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Too far?
One of the topics I really like discussing, especially with minds like Dale Hildebrandt’s, is how far is too far when it comes to magic.
Is it ethical to announce you have magical powers and have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it ethical to announce you do not have magical powers and have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it ethical to remain silent and to have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it OK to let people come to their own conclusions or is it our responsibility as a magical performer to take the spectator by the hand and lead them back to reality?
If a hand full of the public actually believes a magician actually has magical powers, does it make the magician better than the parlor showmen?
Some magicians have very strong feelings about this.
I don’t necessarily agree with someone telling me they can contact a lost relative and my relative can talk back to them, but then again, maybe they are being sincere and I’m being cynical.
I don’t necessarily agree with magical experts telling clients in order for a spell to work they must sacrifice a large sum of money, but then again, everyone needs to make a living.
Do magicians break their own code of secrecy, by saying magic is not real in the first place?
I personally feel, the one secret the “true” magicians are keeping, is that magic truly is real and they are very comfortable choosing not to let anyone know about it.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook,
Is it ethical to announce you have magical powers and have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it ethical to announce you do not have magical powers and have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it ethical to remain silent and to have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it OK to let people come to their own conclusions or is it our responsibility as a magical performer to take the spectator by the hand and lead them back to reality?
If a hand full of the public actually believes a magician actually has magical powers, does it make the magician better than the parlor showmen?
Some magicians have very strong feelings about this.
I don’t necessarily agree with someone telling me they can contact a lost relative and my relative can talk back to them, but then again, maybe they are being sincere and I’m being cynical.
I don’t necessarily agree with magical experts telling clients in order for a spell to work they must sacrifice a large sum of money, but then again, everyone needs to make a living.
Do magicians break their own code of secrecy, by saying magic is not real in the first place?
I personally feel, the one secret the “true” magicians are keeping, is that magic truly is real and they are very comfortable choosing not to let anyone know about it.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook,
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Get a Life
In December of 1986, William Shatner was guest host of Saturday Night Live. It was then he gave his “Get a Life” skit telling all his “Trekker” fans to go out into the world and to quit wrapping yourself up in a television show.
I think to a certain extent there are some magicians who really need to take this advice with magic. Some people just get too involved and wrap their whole life around magic.
It could be some magicians get into magic thinking it will make them interesting. Of course, this is a false way of thinking. In the end of any performance, it is the performer who is found interesting, not the effects.
There is a great big wonderful world outside of magic. There are different live stage shows going on besides a magic show like dramatic plays, lectures at universities, or musicals. There are television specials besides the ones that have a magician on them discussing behaviors in insects, the aftermath of certain World War II battles, and more biographies of other people besides magicians.
There are books on topics outside of magic. Public Speaking, staging, business, fashion, art, theatre, which are all topics that can help magic performances even though magic is never mentioned in them.
The challenge for the month… Attempt to break the ice with a group of people without using any magic. If it’s close-up don’t ask them if they would like to see some magic or if they have lost a pocket knife. If it is a larger platform show, don’t open with a silent act with music.
Some say within thirty seconds, establish yourself as a magician. I think after four or five tricks, some magicians are nothing more than a dog who can sit, stay and roll over because they still have no relationship with the audience.
Learn about life. Learn about the world. Don’t worry, there will still be time to work on your pass.
Magic doesn’t make a magician interesting. It is the magician who makes magic interesting.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Go HERE to order my ebook.
I think to a certain extent there are some magicians who really need to take this advice with magic. Some people just get too involved and wrap their whole life around magic.
It could be some magicians get into magic thinking it will make them interesting. Of course, this is a false way of thinking. In the end of any performance, it is the performer who is found interesting, not the effects.
There is a great big wonderful world outside of magic. There are different live stage shows going on besides a magic show like dramatic plays, lectures at universities, or musicals. There are television specials besides the ones that have a magician on them discussing behaviors in insects, the aftermath of certain World War II battles, and more biographies of other people besides magicians.
There are books on topics outside of magic. Public Speaking, staging, business, fashion, art, theatre, which are all topics that can help magic performances even though magic is never mentioned in them.
The challenge for the month… Attempt to break the ice with a group of people without using any magic. If it’s close-up don’t ask them if they would like to see some magic or if they have lost a pocket knife. If it is a larger platform show, don’t open with a silent act with music.
Some say within thirty seconds, establish yourself as a magician. I think after four or five tricks, some magicians are nothing more than a dog who can sit, stay and roll over because they still have no relationship with the audience.
Learn about life. Learn about the world. Don’t worry, there will still be time to work on your pass.
Magic doesn’t make a magician interesting. It is the magician who makes magic interesting.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Go HERE to order my ebook.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
All the girls want...
It’s funny how men come up to me after I have performed and mention how I must be getting all the girls since I have a load of magic as my arsenal. And the truth was, I never used magic to impress girls. What is the point? Girls don’t fall in love with a card trick. Girls don’t go ga ga over a retention vanish.
There are people who sell these books on how to seduce woman. Most of the time, the end goal is nothing more than physical satisfaction. But after you have “had them,” where do you go from there? Now that you have given the lines and the patterns and got her… where do you go from there?
Sure the physical contact is fun, but is that truly what the man wants. Maybe he wants more confidence, companionship, a true relationship, or just to have a sense of being attractive. End result is you have a bunch of guys using the same techniques on girls, having their way with them and then being lost on what to do next. They end up in the exact same spot where they started because their true goal wasn’t just to get in bed with someone, but rather to have a loving relationship. So sure they’ve met a lot of women, had relationships with them and yet, they are still lonely because they aren’t actually going for the true goal they want.
Maybe some people who call themselves magicians should ask what they want out of magic. Do they want attention? Do they want to appear smart? Do they want to gain friends? Appear attractive? Are they just a fan of the art and really don’t want anything from it at all?
Sometimes people don’t understand what they are truly after. I was with a client and she made the statement she wanted to find time to workout more. I ask her if you had time to workout more what would you get out of that. She told me she would have more energy. I asked her if she had more energy what would she get out of that. She mentioned she wouldn’t be so tired in class. I asked her what she would get out of not being so tired in class and she told me it was to better her grades. Her end goal wasn’t to find more time to workout, but what she really wanted was to get better grades. Don’t you think there is a more efficient way of getting better grades then jogging a few miles every morning?
Don’t get me wrong. Magic is a wonderful way to get people’s attention if you are selling a product or service at a trade show or illustrating a lesson. But, after you perform the trick, there is only you.
The exercise is real simple. Whether it be about magic, a new job, dying your hair, etc. just ask, “What would I get out of this?” three times like the example above and you may be surprised on what you find out about yourself and what your TRUE desires actually are. Then once you know your true desires, you may find you’ll have to get them through other ways besides magic.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
https://dalemagic.com/Other_Artists.html
There are people who sell these books on how to seduce woman. Most of the time, the end goal is nothing more than physical satisfaction. But after you have “had them,” where do you go from there? Now that you have given the lines and the patterns and got her… where do you go from there?
Sure the physical contact is fun, but is that truly what the man wants. Maybe he wants more confidence, companionship, a true relationship, or just to have a sense of being attractive. End result is you have a bunch of guys using the same techniques on girls, having their way with them and then being lost on what to do next. They end up in the exact same spot where they started because their true goal wasn’t just to get in bed with someone, but rather to have a loving relationship. So sure they’ve met a lot of women, had relationships with them and yet, they are still lonely because they aren’t actually going for the true goal they want.
Maybe some people who call themselves magicians should ask what they want out of magic. Do they want attention? Do they want to appear smart? Do they want to gain friends? Appear attractive? Are they just a fan of the art and really don’t want anything from it at all?
Sometimes people don’t understand what they are truly after. I was with a client and she made the statement she wanted to find time to workout more. I ask her if you had time to workout more what would you get out of that. She told me she would have more energy. I asked her if she had more energy what would she get out of that. She mentioned she wouldn’t be so tired in class. I asked her what she would get out of not being so tired in class and she told me it was to better her grades. Her end goal wasn’t to find more time to workout, but what she really wanted was to get better grades. Don’t you think there is a more efficient way of getting better grades then jogging a few miles every morning?
Don’t get me wrong. Magic is a wonderful way to get people’s attention if you are selling a product or service at a trade show or illustrating a lesson. But, after you perform the trick, there is only you.
The exercise is real simple. Whether it be about magic, a new job, dying your hair, etc. just ask, “What would I get out of this?” three times like the example above and you may be surprised on what you find out about yourself and what your TRUE desires actually are. Then once you know your true desires, you may find you’ll have to get them through other ways besides magic.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
https://dalemagic.com/Other_Artists.html
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