MagicShow.Tips – Page 4 – A daily blog about magic by Louie Foxx

Ambient Busking…

Recently I took my street organ out to do some busking at the Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Performing an ambient set, versus doing an show is very different and something that’s new to me. It’s a very different mindset than trying to build a crowd. It’s shorter interactions with people than when doing a show. What I would do is spot people about half a block away and try to pick a song that would get them dancing as they approached me.

@vintageorgan Dancing Queen on the Street Organ! #abba #dancingqueen #pikeplacemarket #streetorgan #coverband #louiefoxx #barrelorgan #busker @pikeplacemarket_official #streetperformer ♬ original sound – vintageorgan

While I was there I ran into puppeteer Rob D’Arc! He also runs a flea circus and we’ve working together a few times over the years.

In an hour of street performing I made exactly $40

What I learned it that doing ambient street performing you have a lot less control of your “hat” than you do when doing a street show. With a show you can pitch your hat, with ambient, you don’t have a lot of time to catch people.

-Louie

Economy Of Motion

When I was at Tokyo Disneyland at the magic shop, one of the things that stood out to me was how the demonstrator moved his hands. There was no wasted motion, it was very efficient.

One of the things with sleight of hand is Economy of Motion. You don’t want more motion than is necessary to do the sleight of hand, or you want to try to reduce motion. However that is with hidden motion, and it doesn’t necessarily apply to the visible motions that are made openly. Sometimes doing something like taking a card and putting it into the deck doesn’t need to look efficient or slick. It can look sloppy and that sloppiness can hide the sleight of hand, or enhance the effect.

A good example of where I try to be less efficient is when I do card to wallet. I used to be soo efficient with removing the card from the wallet that some of the effect was lost. Now I take my time opening the wallet and fumble while pulling out the card. That reinforces that the card doesn’t fit easily into the wallet, so I couldn’t have easily snuck it into it!

Take a peek at what you do and figure out when to have as few motions as possible and when you need more!

-Louie

The Moisture Festival Podcast – Avery Cluff

In this captivating episode of the Moisture Festival Podcast, we embark on a riveting conversation with the multifaceted Avery Cluff. Sharing her journey into aerial performance and the interconnectedness with her passion for rock climbing, Avery gracefully guides us through the intricacies of her daily life as a circus performer, unveiling the enchanting world behind the scenes. Our exploration extends to Avery’s academic endeavors, particularly her engagement in outdoor education.

Avery also divulges the fascinating dimensions of her research and the intriguing outcomes of her laboratory experiments. This interview offers a compelling glimpse into the diverse facets of Avery Cluff’s life, that has made her a well-rounded individual with a rich tapestry of experiences.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Tokyo Disneyland Magic Shop!

I just got back from Tokyo and one of the places I visited was the Magic Shop at Tokyo Disneyland.

One of the cool things about the magic shop at Tokyo Disneyland is that it has a custom Disney branded magic tricks made by Tenyo and a couple of items exclusive to that magic shop.

The one that caught my eye was The Magic Churro!

The Magic Churro is basically the Silver Scepter but with a churro!

The magic shops at the different Disney properties always have a couple of things that feel out of place and Tokyo was no exception.

The Larry Jennings book probably doesn’t sell a lot of copies as these shops are primarily pitch shops, versus shops for someone like me. The guy demoing stuff was great!

If you’re ever at a Disney property that has a magic shop, definitely swing by!

-Louie

Beast’s Transformation!

When I was at Tokyo Disneyland one of their new attractions is the Beauty and the Beast ride. At one point in it the Beast turns into a human and it was one of the most magical things that I’ve seen in person with my eyes!

It’s super cool, however something like this would be unrealistic in 99.99999% of any magic shows as the staging/lighting it would take to do it wouldn’t travel well…or handle being moved very well. That said, I think the bar of what magic tricks can be is being raised by things that aren’t presented in magic shows. There’s soo much amazing stuff that’s just out there for the general public that it proves Arthur Clarke’s third law.

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”

We’re leaving the days of having a bad trick with a good presentation being acceptable, and entering a world where you need a good trick with a good presentation. Honestly, I would argue that we’ve been in that world for at least a decade and most magicians have just been unwilling to accept it!

-Louie

Travelling With Audio

A few months ago I put a strip of elastic on the back of my audio box, so that it could ride on the handle of my show case. This frees up a hand to pull my suitcase through airports.

After using it for a few months, I’m happy to report that it’s holding up and working great! Finding little ways to make travelling with your show easier add up to a HUGE difference!

-Louie

New Vanishing Birdcage

It’s always fun to get to test a magic product. I recently got a chance to play with a birdcage that someone is taking to market…or planning to.

This one has a nice action and I gave some notes to the maker. Hopefully it will fill the gap between what’s currently available. Right now for a new cage your options are basically the $40 India cage or $1,500-$2,000 for the cages made by Daniel Summers. There’s really no mid range cage, just cheap or super nice.

-Louie

Der Kleine Zauberer Magic Set

I’m always hunting out unusual things and recently came across a magic kit without a box. I immediately recognized the style of the props as Der Kleine Zauberer magic set from Germany. This set is from around 1900, so it’s 125 years old!

It has most of the instructions which are written in German, French and English.

This set is almost complete, it’s missing the box and a couple of small props. I really wish it had the box as that’s where the value would be. However the props look cool on a shelf without the box. I’m glad to have rescued this magic set!

-Louie

Team Clowns and Magicians

One of the things that I do when I’m on the road is go to the gym. Besides it being good for me, it gives me something to do. Well, I was minding my own business running on the treadmill when I noticed these two on the TV.

I know both of them, then the shot widened and this was the team they were on:

For the next half an hour my work out was distracted and filled with me texting them!

-Louie

Jason Bishop at the Comedy and Magic Club

A couple of weeks ago when I was in Hermosa Beach performing at the theater there, I had a night off and I got to finally visit the Comedy and Magic Club!

The night I went was the night they have 10 comics and each does about 10 minutes.

It’s an interesting format, there’s no MC. Each act intros the act after them and when only doing 10 mins, it’s a super punchy show!

The night I was there magician Jason Bishop was performing. I got to know him a little bit when we were recording Masters of Illusion in 2019. Jason’s got a great style that fit well into a show with a bunch of comics. He did a great job addressing the change from comedians telling to jokes to him doing magic. He had a quick remark about it and got into the magic.

He opened with Balance (Joshua Jay) and had a great routine for it. I’d only seen it done on internet videos previously and wasn’t impressed by it. However after seeing it live, I like the trick a lot more. I feel like there was a middle trick, but I don’t remember it. He closed with doing a bit with his dog that began with a few comedy bits with it and ended with the vanish of the dog!

I’m glad I had a night off in Hermosa Beach and spent it at the Comedy and Magic Club!

-Louie