Illusion may not carry the same aura of fascination that is inherent in “magic” as a concept, but if you happen to really make it work, and are really good at it, then you can still impress people with what you are capable of. As much as anything else, good illusion is about “selling” the…
Read moreAlthough anyone with an appreciation for the author’s craft would have to be in a supremely bad mood to deny the quality of the Harry Potter books, you could forgive someone for being a little bad tempered over the fact that people seem to relate every book about witches and wizards back to them. Witches…
Read morePart of the difficulty of being a stage magician in this day and age comes from the impossibility of living up to magical phenomena as seen in popular culture. Non-illusionists can only imagine how difficult it was to be a stage magician in the aftermath of the Harry Potter books and movies, as people are…
Read moreHalf the time, when we use the word magic, we are not actually referring to anything with magical properties but rather something that is an illusion or singularly impressive. A very gifted sports player might often be referred to as having magical feet or hands, when what they really have is a specific gift for…
Read moreIf you are planning to perform illusionist tricks, there is only so much you can do just using sleight of hand. Items borrowed from audience members and simple stage accoutrements can get you some of the way, but the audience will expect certain stalwart parts of the show which can only be achieved with the…
Read moreIf you want to impress people with magic, or illusion, you need to make sure that you draw their attention in a way which makes the trick all the more individual. Being an illusionist of average talent is not all that difficult – enough practice and we could all perform certain tricks. It is how…
Read morePerforming magic – or illusion – is really about more than just the trick that you do. There are certain magic tricks which, with the right amount of practice, we could all perform relatively easily. However, making a magic show is about a lot more than that. To really make it fly, you’ve got to…
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Magic, for some people, will always be a good way of explaining the seemingly unexplainable. At least, there will always be an impulse to put these things down to supernatural forces. There may be countless more believable explanations if one looks deep enough and if one has the full facts at hand, but for the…
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When you are a child, one question that you are sure to be asked is “Do you believe in magic?”. You are almost conditioned from that point to not believe in it, because answering “yes” is more likely to result in the mockery of older children than it is to bring any positive results. After…
Read moreIt is often felt that the best possible punishment for a bad illusionist would be to send them back in time to the Salem witch trials or any other historical arena in which witches and wizards were subjected to harsh punishment. Indeed, there was a time when people who showed anything that could be interpreted…
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