Getting More Out of What You Already Have

One way to build a show is to get more time out of the props you already have. There is a limit to the payoff the the trick, like a 15 minute Professor’s Nightmare routine might be a bit much (but maybe not). It’s up to you to figure out what the maximum of any routine you do is.

I have a trick rope routine that I do in the show. By trick rope, it’s a lasso demonstration, not a rope trick. The whole thing runs about 3 minutes and is fairly basic, but has some laughs and a big applause ending. I’m working on adding a few more things to it to hopefully build it out a minute.

I’m working on adding some vertical loop tricks to the routine…but first I need to work on doing butterflies which is the basic skill for vertical loops.

The challenge with something like lasso tricks is that they are a high practice, low payout skill. People think that it’s easy based pretty much on cartoons and think you can do tricks with the rope that are basically impossible due to how gravity works. That said, people still like it.

The nice thing is that most magicians aren’t going to put in the time to learn to do lasso tricks, so it gives me something semi unique right off the bat! The side bonus with lasso is that it’s easy to travel with, and has no set up. I can grab it and do it!

-Louie

Always be Practicing!

While I was at the airport recently, I looked out the window and say one of the aircraft marshaller’s juggling the marshalling batons:

This guy is using his downtime at work to practice and get good at a skill!
Practicing in your downtime with other tasks in a great way to pick up new skills! I learned to do rubik’s cube and a lot yo yo tricks in the time between when I finish setting up my show and my show’s start time. Sometimes it’s just 15 mins, or whatever. That’s time I could be scrolling through Instagram, or learning something new!

-Louie

The Moisture Festival Podcast – Jeremiah Johnston

On this week’s episode we are joined in person by Jeremiah Johnston. We learn all about his passion of juggling and teaching other people circus arts.

We discuss the different types of object manipulation and how he fused multiple disciplines into his performance. He tells us how he developed his show and the people that helped him along the way. A really great conversation with a very talented performer. 

The Moisture Festival Podcast – Brad Weston

This week we welcome in the amazing Brad Weston. He tells us about his interest in the variety arts at a young age and describes some of his first street shows at a zoo.

We learn about clown college, a school for comedia del arte and the differences between the two. Brad also tells us about how one contract at a theme park allowed him to move his whole family. A great conversation that comes on the heels of first appearance at the Moisture Festival. 

Friday Night Show

The variety of acts that I saw in New Orleans was amazing! Here’s the highlight reel of the Sideshow Hootenanny‘s Friday night show:

@louiefoxx Sideshow Hootenanny – Friday night show! #sideshow #juggling #fireeating #sideshowhootenanny #neworleans #nola #badass ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

There was a great mix of traditional skills, and crazy new twists on classic stunts! One of the highlights for me was Chris Broken and his chainsaw guitar!
Going to events like inspires me to be better. If you’re not going to industry events to see how people are pushing boundaries within their art (and yours), you really should be!

-Louie

The Moisture Festival Podcast – Peter Irish

On this episode we interview 6 time world hackysack champion Peter Irish. He tells us about how he came to be considered the one of the best hackysack players of all time and how that led to him combining that skill with juggling.

We learn about his practice regime, his visual art and how he appeared in one of Adam Sandler’s worst movies. A great conversation a few weeks before his first appearance at the festival. 

The Moisture Festival Podcast – PAZ

On this episode we are joined via zoom with the multi talented Paz. From his car he tells us about the origins of his name, how tennis led him to law school and how law school led him to the circus.

We talk about creating shows that combine circus with other popular pastimes and how by doing so it has allowed Paz to travel the world. A great conversation with a man who does just about everything.

The Moisture Festival Podcast – Coventry and Kaluza

The moisture festival podcast tries something they have never done before by interviewing two performers over zoom and who better to try it out with then the fabulous Coventry and Kaluza.

We learn about how clown college led to love and a career making people laugh. We also learn about the dynamics of working as a team and how they take things from their everyday life and add them to the show. A great conversation that we know you are gonna love

Ring My Bell…

I’ve been playing with adding remote controls to things recently. The company that I get the remote controls for my Remote Control Chattering Teeth had send me the wrong ones a while ago, and instead of sending them back, I decided to keep them in case I needed them for another project.

Here’s the most recent thing that I’ve made:

The idea is that the bell is rung by the corded button. However I can also secretly ring the bell via the remote control.

Some ideas for routines to use this to add comedy to are:

  • Having someone ring it when a trick happens. This would probably be better for a juggling style trick.
  • When doing a timed trick, like an escape.
  • When someone does something. For example, you need a kid to stay standing on a spot, and you if they move someone is supposed to ring the bell.

Those are all routines that you could very easily add the bell into. It’s the sort of thing that can turn a 2 minute trick into a 5 minute trick. For an example of this style of trick, look into my Order Up routine from Vanish Magazine #43. It’s the Cube Libre magic trick, but I added a bell and I used a sound effect on my PA to make the ring, but it played really well.

-Louie

Impromptu show

When I’m out performing, I try to be aware of ways that I can help solve problems. Last week at the fair I was at, as I was walking across the fairgrounds before the fair opened, I noticed they had huge lines of kids outside the gate waiting to get in. There were just standing there, so I grabbed some props and went over and did a quick show for them.

hoop and glass juggling trick

This was simply me noticing a place where I could use my skills to help out. Doing this wasn’t in my contract and no one would have noticed if I didn’t do it, and I don’t know (or care) if anyone in administration noticed that I did do it. It was simply a way for me to use my skills to make some people smile. That’s why I got into performing, and it’s also how I know I still love what I do!
-Louie