magictricks-18

Magic Tricks
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Magic Tricks - Black Art
Author: Edward Jellard
Black art is an old form of magic that is rarely used today in its original form. The effect black art produces is fantastic, it is as close to trick photography as you can get without a camera!

A magician practising black art will find a stage and dim the lights. While he and his assistants are wearing white, the audience can see them. The performers then command items to appear and move around. Versions of 'sawing a woman in half' are performed and you can see the two halves moving round the stage, only to be melted back together, or just vanish. The possibilities are endless, and all leave the audience feeling mystified.

The theory behind black art is that everything in black won't be seen against a black background. This means at the start of the performance, there can be many items on the stage covered in a black cloth and they won't be seen. The magician simply removes the cloth and voila, an item has appeared. Disembodied bodies can move around by wearing black trousers, or a black jumper. Assistants dressed completely in black can make objects, including people, fly around the stage.

This form of magic really allows the imagination to go wild. Many things are possible with a bit of creativity and a pot of black paint! Black art is truly the cleverest and easiest magic to perform.

Black art is often performed in silence as it is a mystical event to watch, however do not be afraid to talk - your voice will be very powerful coming from the darkness, heightening the illusion.

Although to you, the performer, nothing will seem like magic, to the audience, the whole performance will blow their minds away. It is highly recommended to make a video of the performance so you can see the show from the other side of the stage. From your side of the stage, everything is visible - you can see the props and assistants.

To improve the illusion, some artists have lights above, below and to the side of the stage gently shining at the audience to further reduce the amount they can see. In complete darkness, however, a very eerie performance can be achieved. Another option is to use 'black-light' (i.e. UV light), which makes white and several other colours come to life, leaving black in darkness.

To end the performance, the magician has many possibilities ranging from floating off the stage, to gradually being engulfed by darkness (to do this, use a large piece of black cloth that starts on the floor and is slowly lifted up by two assistants to block you from view).

In a nutshell, your imagination and creativity is the only limit to this fine art.

Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

Edward Jellard has been performing professional magic for many years. His repertoire includes stage magic, children's entertaining and close-up table hopping.

For plenty of free magic tricks , please visit the Magic Hat website.

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magictricks-17

Magic Tricks
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Performing Magic for Kids: Part II - How These Four Things Will Make Or Break Your Magic Show
Author: J.L. Siefers

Four Critical Keys to Performing Magic for Kids

Children don't understand many of the common cues in a live performance. Most children are raised in the age of television. Not a bad thing, except the laugh tracks prompt the children when to laugh. No laugh tracks and the children are left out in the cold. They are quick and will get up to speed in no time. But they need your help.

The same issue is even more problematic with applause. Children are not used to clapping. They don't understand applause cues. Those wonderfully timed applause cues will leave you and your audience with a lot of uncomfortable silence.

What can be done? Everything. One of your most important tasks as a children's magician is your opening. The beginning of your show must do four things:

• Establish audience control
• Teach the children to react to applause cues
• Set the tone for the show
• Introduce your performing personality

The audience needs to be warmed up prior to your magic show. It seems hokey and a waste of time, but it can make the difference between a great magic show and a horrible one.

Children love to have fun. Even in school children are taught to obey those in authority. For some reason, many magicians forget to establish authority early in the show. The result resembles a saloon brawl in the wild west.

When you step out for the start of your show, you have the perfect opportunity to establish the ground rules for the show. I don't mean that you should bring out a list of house rules for the show. Instead come out with confidence and warm up your audience.

After you welcome everyone to the show, look out over the audience and say, "This looks like a really great crowd. Let's see how loud you can clap. On the count of three ONE. . . TWO . . THREE . .Not bad! Let's try it again. On three . ." After some byplay conclude by saying, "What do we do when we like the magic? (pause) What do we do when we LOVE the magic?" (pause and react strongly to the crowd)

Four things are being done by that warm up. You have taught the children to clap when they like the magic. It also trains them to react to the applause cues in the rest of the show. The warm up establishes that you are in control for this show. Finally, it sets a fun tone for the show. This is the first time your audience gets a sense of your performing personality.

The next article explains how your performing personality can put your magic show over the top with the kids.

Copyright © 2005 J.L. Siefers, All rights reserved.

J.L. Siefers has been performing great magic for years. He has written extensively on many topics in magic. He has shown hundreds of people how to successfully learn to do great magic tricks.

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Magic Tricks
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So Your Kid Wants To Do Magic Tricks At A Talent Show…
Author: Louie Foxx
Every year thousands and thousands of kids across America display their talents at a school, church or community talent show. Most of the talents that these kids have is either singing or dancing, hardly any kids are doing a magic tricks.

If your kid wants to stand out in the pack of singers and dancers by doing magic tricks, I have some tips to help your kid's star shine brighter than the rest!

Tip Number 1: Give your kid plenty of time to practice!

When I used to run a magic shop, quite often parents would come in and ask me for some magic tricks or a magic kit for their kid's talent show. I would ask when the talent show was, and would be frequently shocked when the parent told me it was only two or three days away!

Learning magic tricks from a magic kit, magic book, or when you just get individual tricks takes time to practice and learn properly. Learning magic is just like learning any other talent…you wouldn't teach your kids a four minute dance routine on Wednesday and expect them to do it well on Friday…would you?

With that in mind give your child at least a month's worth of practice…or more!

Tip Number 2: Make sure the tricks are big enough to be seen from the stage!

When selecting magic tricks for a talent show, make sure every trick you select is large enough to be seen from the stage. For example, if your kid does a coin trick, it will be very difficult for people in the middle or back rows to see it.

If you are getting a magic kit for your kid to select his talent show magic tricks from, make sure the magic kit has items that are larger and will be visible from the stage.

Tip Number 3: Have a script so your kid knows what to say!

One important part of performing magic tricks is knowing what to say when, and making what you say fun!

When you are shopping for your magic tricks for magic kit for your talent show make sure it includes the jokes for the kids to say.

Tip Number 4: Dress rehearsal at home!

A couple of nights before the talent show have a dress rehearsal at home. Maybe invite some aunts and uncles over for a little magic show. This will build your kids confidence in the magic tricks by getting to perform them in a safe place before the big talent show.

Now that you have those four tips, I'm sure your kid will knock 'em dead a their next talent show!

Louie Foxx

About the author:
Louie Foxx is a professional children's magician based out of Seattle. Louie does magic workshops where he teaches kids how to perform magic tricks and he also runs the website www.amazingmagickit.com that features magic kits for kids

copyright 2006 by Louie Foxx

This article is free to use as long as it is unchanged and all the links and bio are included.

Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

Louie is a professional magician based out of Seattle and he runs the website www.amazingmagickit.com that sells kids magic kits

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magictricks-15

Card Tricks
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History Behind The Hat: The Story Of The Magician
Author: Jim Kapowski -
The concept of magician as entertainer has its roots deep in human history, but mostly dates back to the sixteenth century. Prior to this time, those who practiced magic claimed to have supernatural powers. When this idea clashed with Christianity in the Western world, new magicians, who entertained audiences, emerged.

Chevalier Joseph Pinetti impressed audiences in the late 1700s with his tricks as an escapist and mentalist. Illusionists emerged in the nineteenth century, using devices to produce elaborate stage shows. One of the first magicians to use live animals was

"Hermann the Great," who performed disappearing acts and levitation tricks with the animals. Later, famous magicians Siegfried and Roy gained fame in part because of their elaborate show and tigers.

Harry Houdini, perhaps the most well known magician of all time, developed elaborate escape tricks including handcuffs and locked chambers in the early 1900s. His death on Halloween is now also known as "National Magic Day." Houdini also created grand illusions, some of which magician David Copperfield emulated. During Houdini's time, Vaudeville acts included and promoted magic tricks.

Over time, the interest in magic has come and gone, although it enjoyed a revival in the 1970s that continues today. Many magicians, similar to other performers, develop a unique style or focus on a particular type of illusion. David Copperfield makes large objects disappear. Lance Burton employs many birds, and Penn and Teller are known for their unique style. Most recently, David Blaine gained fame for his street magic and outrageous stunts.

Magicians of all sorts keep their secrets very secret. The appeal of magic is trying to figure out how magicians accomplish those amazing feats. For those interested in learning magic, many sources are available for the entry-level magician. Some well-known tricks are "out in the open," and beginning magic kits can help a beginner learn the tricks of the trade. Many books and other resources are available for card tricks as well. Many stores carry magical wares as well.

For those who are serious about the craft, two organizations are devoted entirely to magic, both with headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. The Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians have chapters throughout the world, provide information, and hold conferences. For those
seeking information, these are good places to begin. Your local library is also a good place to find more information, as is the Internet. However, online sources in particular are varied in quality and information, so beginning with one of the organizations may be a better way to begin.

The allure of magic is very real. Throughout the past few decades, magicians have taken magic to a new level, with elaborate stunts and full-out entertainment spectacles. From amazing card tricks to large disappearing acts, magic will likely continue to enthrall audiences worldwide for years to come. It is a performance art unlike any other, and the mystery associated with magic adds a level of intrigue that does not exist with other performance arts.

Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

Magic Magicians is an information site that contains articles, a directory and other Magician Resources . It can be found at: www.magicmagicians.com

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