Show Them You Got Skills!

One of the takeaways from seeing the Harlem Globetrotters is while its a fun show, the audience is definitely aware that everyone on the basketball court is very skilled! Before the game started one of the Globetrotters (Moose, I think) was nailing baskets from half court with one hand and his back to the hoop!

How does that relate to performing magic?

Simple, in my opinion the audience must know you are skilled at what you do. I guess you don’t need an overt display of skill like a manipulation act, but something that shows you’re not just doing push button magic.

How do you do that in magic? There are a lot of ways, many years ago when I went to Caesar’s Magical Empire in Las Vegas the stage show as done by The Pendragons. One of the things that he did was sat on the edge of the stage and did a torn and restored cigarette paper. It stood out because The Pendragon’s show is soo big, then he does a little bit with a tiny piece of paper. That routine just used his hands and the cigarette paper and showed that he can do sleight of hand.

Whatever you do to show skill doesn’t have to overtly look like you have skill like producing cards from backpalm, but the audience needs to know you have skill.

-Louie

The Moisture Festival Podcast – Jason Andrews

In this episode we welcome in magician Jason Andrews. We talk about how growing up as a kid in Las Vegas gave him access to magic shows and how he was able to get a scholarship to magic camp.

magician jason andrews

He explains what it’s like competing in magic competitions and how he once competed against Louie. We learn about his career in magic and how he made the decision during the pandemic to give it up and follow a different passion. The best interview with a magician turned pilot to date.

Not So Close Up…

The tend in magic is the choreographed sleight of hand to music, like what Shin Lim did on America’s Got Talent. It’s style that’s been around for a long time, it’s just popular right now. I think of it as something that was a “magic convention act” in the past, and now is a mainstream … Continue reading “Not So Close Up…”

The tend in magic is the choreographed sleight of hand to music, like what Shin Lim did on America’s Got Talent. It’s style that’s been around for a long time, it’s just popular right now. I think of it as something that was a “magic convention act” in the past, and now is a mainstream act.


A couple of nights ago I was lucky enough to see Shawn Farquhar do his “shape of my heart” card routine at a show. It was really great. It hit all the musical beats, it had good visual magic, and overall it’s a great routine.




This kinda proves the theory that I’ve written about before that this style of close up when put on camera is the new stage manipulation act. I think audiences are getting better with watching a live show on a screen. Personally I’d rather watch it without the screen, however to the general public this is an acceptable way to view a show.


Over the last few months I’ve started to think about what I could do for this style of performing. It’s really not what I do, so I don’t know if I’ll ever come up with anything.

Modern Manipulation Act

The other day I was taking a shower and it hit me that with the success of Shin Lim on America’s Got Talent the traditional “manipulation act has changed. It’s no longer split fans and billiard balls, it’s at a table, with a video camera and projection to a screen. The new stage manipulator won’t … Continue reading “Modern Manipulation Act”

The other day I was taking a shower and it hit me that with the success of Shin Lim on America’s Got Talent the traditional “manipulation act has changed. It’s no longer split fans and billiard balls, it’s at a table, with a video camera and projection to a screen.


The new stage manipulator won’t be loading up a jacket with doves, they’ll be loading up a table. I think this a step forward for magic. The last time I saw a manipulation act was on the Illusionists tour and he was good, but producing cards really felt dated. We’ve done this before, and the audience has seen it before.


While I personally don’t do a traditional stage manipulation act (I did do a manip act when I was younger), this still does affect me. Every magician needs to be aware of the changing times. If you choose to not keep up with the times, you need to be aware of that you aren’t.


Also being aware of the how magic is changing even if you choose to not change with it, keeps it in your head. From a creativity standpoint you may see something a year from now that will spark an idea for a modern manipulation act.

Evaporation as a Kid’s Show Opener

Evaporation has a lot of uses besides my original routine for Juice in Light Bulb.  For example if you perform for kids here’s a way to work it into the show: The coils I use I make myself from cloth ribbon and they are reusable.  I simply rewind them around a straw that has a notch … Continue reading “Evaporation as a Kid’s Show Opener”

Evaporation has a lot of uses besides my original routine for Juice in Light Bulb.  For example if you perform for kids here’s a way to work it into the show:

The coils I use I make myself from cloth ribbon and they are reusable.  I simply rewind them around a straw that has a notch cut out of it.

Louie
http://www.EvaporationTrick.com