What makes our magic is worth to be seen ?

Hi, gang back again.

Few days ago, I re read my Maximum Entertainment. What a great book it is.

One question tickle my curiosity and myself,

What makes our magic is worth to be seen ?

Have you ever asked yourself what are the answers for that question ? Why people want to spend their time to watch you ?

Because, we can't deny that magic is an entertainment. You gotta have "something" to offer to your audience. Like singing, you over lovely voice. Movie, you offer the story.

With magic, what would you offer ?


For me, first of all, Magic itself bring the curiosity. People are always amazed by how people can get out off locked box while a bomb is ticking besides it, how things could vanish and appear somewhere else, something like that.

People fancy those stuff especially with excitement.
Put example like stunt show with motorcycles or big cars. It's just jumping over something, yet people still love and cheer watching it. You could feel the adrenalin too though.

For me, the first aspect to answer above question is a feeling created by magic. An amazement towards magic.
From my experience, first time I saw magic, it brought something different in my life. I saw something impossible happened in front of my very own eyes. Maybe you feel the same way first time you saw it. I fell in love with magic that very moment.
I really like David Copperfield's Show. How he packages simple stuff into big meaningful show. How he tells other people about his childhood story about snow (dunno if it's the truth or not) but it creates atmosphere so he can delivers his feeling to his audiences. It doesn't matter we speak about true story from our experience or just something we make up, as long we can create the feeling.


Second, the creating feeling action must be backed up by "sufficient" show package. Show and your performing character basically. Your creativity to create magic moments, sad story, funny story, happy story.
You can take a look at Bill Malone funny character, perhaps combination of serious and elegance of Gary Kurtz, the charming Guy Hollingsworth, or elegance of Lance Burton. They have certain character to create the atmosphere of the show. So that the feeling can be delivered.

For me that two things will be essential to make our magic get appreciation and will become one of main entertainment in the world. We all love good show, don't we ?

Perhaps my view different from others....

-AL-

Arturo Ascanio

For those of you Cards lover and Cardician.

Ascanio material is a must have.

My Magic Buddy, Kent, once again show one of the greatest classic magician works.

For me, Ascanio subtleties, handling, and works are real elegant, delicate, and beautiful.

It makes me wanna know more about his work

Perhaps you too should

-AL-

New Matrix Idea

My mate, Kent, gave me an idea 'bout Matrix sequence the other day.

I just got a chance to think about it lately. I have a routine built to accomplish that idea...

Its very new in Matrix world and hasn't seen anyone doin it.

Stay tuned cos it's a new trend in Matrix World

-AL-

Fingertips Retention Pass and Fingertips Muscle Pass

Just practiced these two moves in the last few days

- Fingertips Retention Pass

This move is brilliant or what. I'm loving this sleight more and more every day. I've seen this sleight done by The Great Goeff Latta. To be honest it was fooled me.. I know it's kind like retention pass, but I didn't know how it's done

Value Of Magic, Is it still exist ?

Do you think in these days the value of magic is still exist ?

Before we go on, what do you think is the value of magic ? 

For me the value of magic is the feeling created when we see magic happens in front of our eyes,

It's the amazement when we see magic. No matter "how" the tricks is done.

Let's take a look first at the world of magic today. It's so many "free" magic stuff out there for us to learn, especially for new people started in magic. 

From one point it's great which means world of magic is evolving, but from others it's a degradation.

With so many "free" stuff out there, there are many magicians (I'm talking about newly started magicians, maybe amateur too), don't value the magic.

You may ask newly started magicians, "where do you learn your stuff ?". I believe it's hard to find a person who learns magic from Tarbell, Royal Road to Card Magic, Card College. Most of the answer (maybe) from internet or from their friend.

How many magicians concern about the history of magic ? Or perhaps you can ask yourself (I asked myself too) how good is your knowledge and do you care learning them ?

If the answer still no or still a little, perhaps we have a homework to do. 

Learning from that all "free" stuff, the newly started magicians only value the trick. All they want is best trick, easy/self working magic with high impact. 

Why is that happening ? 

From my experience in many magician's society (maybe different from yours), I've found that New magicians probably don't understand about what magic really is, they only learn what they think is the magic, they even don't know about the ethics (They claim others' routine as theirs), and they also want to be a big shot a person with best trick. 

They think magic is instant, learn easy trick and expect to amaze their friend with that. We know we need a lot more than that. 

With this kind of attitude, Laymen (I prefer muggle term thou lol) probably will see it only as a trick and it will make them curious how's it done. 

My friend said to me "If you don't believe the magic yourself, how could you deliver that magic to your audience ?"

Now let's take a look at the value of magic itself. 

In my opinion, the entertainment value has the biggest portion in magic.

Let's take a look at David Copperfield  when he performed Crazyman handcuffs. Do you think it's a difficult trick? It's simple stuff, but see how he packaged the trick. Since then so many magicians use that trick. Another example see how he packaged his "Grandfather Aces". It's only a McDonald Aces, but see the entertainment value and the audience amazement. 

Other example, how the Professor Dai Vernon amazed so many people with his Cups And Balls Routine or so many street performers and close up magicians out there. 

Magic is not all about trick. So many stuff go with it and those what are make the magic is magical. 

There are so many rooms for improvement. Why don't we start ?