| Re .0 (Keith):
>Anybody got any ideas how he does his "magic?"
I wasn't able to see the show, nor tape it, though I've seen others of
his.
The essence of stage magic is misdirection and/or deceit. For
instance, when an escape artist is handcuffed, put into a canvas sack
(which is locked at its mouth) and then the canvas bag is lifted to a
wooden crate, which in turn is nailed shut, and then the whole shooting
match is tossed into a lake, the audience generally believes
unconsciously that the performer waits until the water closes over the
box before starting his or her escape. In fact, as soon as possible,
the artist begins the process, using whatever means to unlock the cuffs
(e.g., a hidden key: it's remarkable how many places such things can be
concealed, even when the artist is strip-searched), and then the sack.
By the time the last nail is driven, there's an even chance the artist
is already free of all bonds and is waiting the proper moment to escape
the crate (which could be by using a gimmicked crate side, shorter
nails than the ones used for the last side holding another side in, or
what have you. A good prestidigitator will induce you to look at his
or her right hand while preparing (or getting rid of) stuff with the
left.
Steve Kallis, Jr.
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| There was a program (dated 1994) on French TV two nights ago, showing
some of his tricks.
One of his first was to lie on his back, on the stage (in front of
his audience); [there was carbon dioxide(?) mist all over the stage,
to a depth of ~20cm.]
He started moving and sliding around, then simply levitated himself
off of the stage. This I could reason with.
What amazed me was the fact that he then started flying around the
stage, like Peter Pan! He even passed through two hoops, thus proving(?)
that there were no strings attached.
To end this performance, he took a member of the audience for a fly
(in his arms) around the stage.
I believe this guy has some kind of SuperNatural powers. Does anyone
know how he does his tricks (without these powers)?
Martin.
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Sorry to disappoint you Martin, but without going into details I am not
supposed to reveal, it is entirely possible to perform all of these
skills without any supernatural ability. I might also point out that
anyone with genuine talents as great as those would do better to
conceal them rather than advertise. Think what the military might do if
they thought it was for real ... trust me, they do check ...
Adam
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