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Yekrats
Regular user
160 Posts
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Posted: Apr 16, 2012 4:07pm
In two weeks, I do my first paid gig, in the wee hours of the morning for a local high school's After Prom party. I will do walk-around magic and a small bit of table-hopping, if the opportunity presents itself.
In preparation, I performed some freebie walk-around magic at an Easter carnival for several hundred kids and their parents, trying to brush up my chops for the paid gig. The carnival show ... went like gangbusters. I couldn't have asked for a better practice and performance on real-live people for four hours. I didn't do everything perfectly, but the one or two little minor bobbles I did here and there, I recovered from and went on, without missing a beat. (I don't think anyone noticed, but I did, and moved on.)
I had a "core set" which I performed at the Easter carnival:
- Extreme Burn
- Bachelor's Needle (rope magic - 3 phase version)
- Ambitious Card
I also performed less frequently, as the situation presented itself:
- Holy Moley (+ Holy Stretch)
- Stand-Up Monte
- Professor's Nightmare / Fiber Optics stuff
- Mysterious Kings (mentalism packet trick from the 80s)
- I even did one phase of "Band-it" penetrating my ring onto and off of a rubber band attached to a balloon, when a kid handed it to me and said, "Do something with this!"
My take-aways from the Easter Carnival:
- I opened by presenting myself as a magician, and offered them a couple of minutes of free magic. If they seemed to like the opening trick (usually Extreme Burn) then I offered them more. Nobody turned down my initial offer, however.
- Extreme Burn - people love this trick, and it's a great opener.
- The Bachelor's Needle (out of Abbott's Encyclopedia) - which is a trick as old as the hills - had kids dropping their jaws in disbelief. I found someone online doing it in three phases, the last one being in the hand, and it's really strong that way.
- My Ambitious Card routine worked out the last of its kinks after about 20 performances in front of a live audience. This is the first time I had major "field testing" of my ACR. I completely got over my heebie-jeebies about the pass and the top change, when I saw that my "covers" for those sleights really worked.
- That being said, my "finale" was a card-in-wallet which I got from Sankey's Ambitious... it never seemed to work quite as well as I had liked, and I got the impression it didn't fool people. So, I dropped it as my finale, and I ended with the previous move, the Braue Pop-up move, which is very nice way to end.
- I ended up with about the right amount of magic: I had 3 of my most practiced routines as my core magic, and I snuck in stuff that I wasn't so sure of if I need to stretch a little more for persistant kids. ;-)
- I'd will most likely organize the tricks into 2-3 sets for the After-prom walkaround show. My ultimate goal is 3 sets of 3. (Hat-tip to Jamie Grant.)
Wish me luck! I'll keep ya posted how things go!
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Lundonia
Regular user
managed to come up with
176 Posts
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Posted: Apr 16, 2012 7:01pm
Nice post Yekrats! Glad it went well. You will kill at the prom gig after all that practice. Keep us posted! 
"Only two things are infinite; the universe and human stupidity - and i'm not sure about the former" - Albert Einstein
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ThatsJustWrong!
Special user
My flying monkeys are perched on
575 Posts
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Posted: Apr 16, 2012 7:08pm
Congratulations, Yekrats and please let us know how it goes! I will now offer you a serious, sacred, closely held piece of advice: Collect that very first check, take it to the bank, cash it into all single dollar bills, and give them to your wife as a bed of cash. You may end up spending every other dollar you ever make in magic ON magic, but she'll always remember that it brought in some cash money. It'll help ease the pain when you start to live on the sales boards here  Break a leg!
Joe Leo
www.MisfitMagic.net
All entertainers can benefit from some help from an experienced stage director. How about you?
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magicians
Inner circle
Teacher and Legend
2872 Posts
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Posted: Apr 16, 2012 8:34pm
There is no difference between a paid gig and the one you did. Nice to have, but the money is not important. The spectators never know what you are paid or if you are paid.
That being said, good luck.
Joe Leo is right, take the money in small bills and cascade them on the bed at home.
----------------
Walk a round is a great gig, eventually you will just carry a deck of cards and some sponge bunny's to get the job done.
Illusionist, Illusionist consulting, product development, stage consultant, seasoned performer for over 35 years. Specializing in original effects. Highly opinionated, usually correct, and not afraid of jealous critics. I've been a puppet, a pirate, a pawn and a King. Free lance gynecologist.
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Prophet
Regular user
Caledonia, NY
184 Posts
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Posted: Apr 16, 2012 9:07pm
Good Luck!
Yours In Magic
Mike
If you are new to Magic check out my article
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=462185&forum=41
Duct Tape is like the Force. It has a dark and a light side and holds the universe together.
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Yellowcustard
Special user
New Zealand
717 Posts
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Posted: Apr 17, 2012 12:44am
Sounds great keep going. you have plenty of great tricks there. don't lose faith in how strong they are. Just practices and nail those your be fine.
Enjoy your magic,
and let others enjoy it as well!
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MickNZ
Veteran user
Auckland, New Zealand
375 Posts
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Posted: Apr 17, 2012 1:34am
> Bachelor's Needle
Is that the thing where you wrap the string around your thumb and make a loop and the end appears to penetrate through without you letting go of the end?
Auckland Magician Mick Peck, New Zealand
Visit my regularly updated blog for friends, fans and followers at www.AucklandMagicianBlog.com
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Daz Buckley
Veteran user
Australia
378 Posts
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Posted: Apr 17, 2012 3:28am
Keep it up- great start.
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MichaelDouglas
Special user
Richmond, Virginia
551 Posts
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Posted: Apr 17, 2012 7:10am
Awesome. Be sure to have some business cards to hand out when appropriate.
www.michaeldouglasmagic.com
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Yekrats
Regular user
160 Posts
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Posted: Apr 17, 2012 8:22am
Quote:
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On 2012-04-17 01:34, MickNZ wrote:
> Bachelor's Needle
Is that the thing where you wrap the string around your thumb and make a loop and the end appears to penetrate through without you letting go of the end?
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Yes, in Abbott's Encyclopedia of Rope Magic, and Mark Wilson's Complete Course, and I think it's in Tarbell's too. It kills! I had previously disregarded the trick as not-my-cup-of-tea until I --blatantly stole-- er, took the idea I found on Ronald Henning's video blog (warning: some NSFW language) of doing it in 3 phases:
- Phase 0: Actually thread it on, to give the audience a visual of what a "threaded needle" should look like.
- Phase 1: Do the trick, as written in the above books.
- Phase 2: Tie a big-ole knot in the end of the rope, and show that the knot is too big to go through the hole, and then do it again.
- Phase 3: Final convincer - Ask for an audience volunteer, and place the knot in their hand, and have them close their fist around the knot. ("There's no way -- NO WAY -- your fist can go through that loop...") Move their arm, and have the knot, fist, and all penetrate the loop one last time. Zing!
This oldie-but-goodie was one of my most powerful bits of magic! I loved it.
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Yekrats
Regular user
160 Posts
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Posted: Apr 17, 2012 8:28am
Quote:
| On 2012-04-17 07:10, MichaelDouglas wrote:
Awesome. Be sure to have some business cards to hand out when appropriate.
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Yes, this is one of my biggest regrets from the Easter carnival: That I did not have business cards to pass around. I probably could have generated some additional business for myself. Live and learn.
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Yekrats
Regular user
160 Posts
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Posted: Apr 17, 2012 8:37am
Actually the URL for where Roland's site is here: http://weeklymagic.blogspot.com/2012/01/bachelors-needle.html#!/2012/01/bachelors-needle.html
As I mentioned before, some NSFW language, but Roland's ideas are great!
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Leland
Inner circle
St Louis
1090 Posts
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Posted: Apr 17, 2012 11:52am
Great job!
Sounds like the beginning of a great career! Best of luck!
Life of Magic!
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8thking
New user
50 Posts
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Posted: Apr 17, 2012 11:56am
Great job yekrats it sounds like you enjoyed yourself and that's a really important thingto remember. never let it become a chore.
Jesus is alive:
Living proof you can’t keep a God man down
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Dannydoyle
Eternal Order
14031 Posts
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Posted: Apr 17, 2012 4:16pm
Wow nice. I hope the next one goes as well. You seem to have learned the right things. Good to hear let us know how it goes.
Danny Doyle
Semper Occultus
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell
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shivamsmittal
New user
10 Posts
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Posted: Apr 17, 2012 9:57pm
Awesome, I hope it goes well, Thanks for the list of tricks you are doing, I might learn these tricks myself. Goodluck!
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Ray Bertrand
Special user
674 Posts
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Posted: Apr 26, 2012 6:02pm
Thanks for sharing Yekrats. Joe Leo`s advice is good. Women love a bed of $green$. That way you may have an in when you want to spend some of the cash you earn on a new illusion.
Ray
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Christopher Lyle
Inner circle
Dallas, Texas
5224 Posts
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Posted: Apr 26, 2012 7:03pm
Quote:
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On 2012-04-17 08:22, Yekrats wrote:
Yes, in Abbott's Encyclopedia of Rope Magic, and Mark Wilson's Complete Course, and I think it's in Tarbell's too. It kills!
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Wait a minute! You can't learn good magic from these old books. No modern day audience will ever be amazed with that old stuff. You must buy the new cutting edge one trick ponies from T11 and E!. That's where all the gems are!
Remember...old books...BAD! Overpriced 1 Trick DVDs...AWESOME!
In Mystery,
Christopher Lyle
Magician, Comic, Daredevil, and Balloon Twisting Genius
For a Good Time...CLICK HERE!
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Dannydoyle
Eternal Order
14031 Posts
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Posted: Apr 26, 2012 7:34pm
Christopher makes a fine loint. You may find hundreds of tricks in those volumes and build tons of skill along the way. Who is that going to help exactly?
Danny Doyle
Semper Occultus
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell
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bishthemagish
Inner circle
5577 Posts
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Posted: Apr 27, 2012 12:04am
It sounds like your on your way - good luck.
I have three book suggestions - The Magic Digest by George B. Anderson and The Magic of Matt Schulien and The Stars Of Magic.
Good luck
Just a few thoughts and opinion.
Glenn Bishop - Bish The Magish!
Magician, Card Sharp and Master Hypnotist.
http://glennbishopmagicandcards.blogspot.com
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Yekrats
Regular user
160 Posts
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Posted: Apr 29, 2012 3:44am
(Note the time stamp.) I just got back from my first professional magician's gig at McCutcheon High School After Prom... To sum up - I rocked the gym! Minds were blown. I had kids actively seeking me out, and calling me over to their group. The 2.5 hours went very quickly. Loved it!
The only bad news: I performed Craig Petty's Chop exactly once - and seem to have lost my bill gimmick. :-/ However, I think it should be pretty cheap to make a new one.
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Dannydoyle
Eternal Order
14031 Posts
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Posted: Apr 29, 2012 8:54am
Congrats!!!
They won't all be that smooth but nice job sir! Good for you and great start.
Danny Doyle
Semper Occultus
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell
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GlenD
Inner circle
LosAngeles, Ca
1145 Posts
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Posted: May 10, 2012 7:26pm
"A fine loint", we're not back to crotch magic are we???
Congrats on your gig(S) and your growth as a performer, Yekrats.
Glen
"A miracle is something that seems impossible but happens anyway" - Griffin
"Any future where you succeed, is one where you tell the truth." - Griffin (Griffin rocks!)
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Motley Mage
Loyal user
Moving up slowly from just
230 Posts
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Posted: May 10, 2012 9:48pm
Yekrats--CONGRATS! Inspiring and helpful posts! Thanks.
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Leland
Inner circle
St Louis
1090 Posts
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Posted: May 11, 2012 12:53pm
Congrats well done.
Life of Magic!
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