Many of us have seen numberous levitations and know the methods.

Just brainstorming here. What would your ideal levitation look like. In other words, What is floating? Use existing effects to crystalize that visualization.

For instance, the Zombie done well looks like it floats.
The floating ball, done well looks like it is floating.
The Gamalo is a cut above a suspension, but it is vertical up and down, no left or right or floating "balance".

The sword suspension, although an excellent illusion it is not floating, it is a suspension.

What are your visualizations?

I would love to see a levitation that looks like it has some real weight to it. So many floating effects look like the item is completely weightless (which is not always a bad thing). It would be very neat to see a performer not only levitate, but look like he really has to work to do so. Some characteristics may be:

- As he gets tired, he lowers to the ground only to push harder to rise a little.
- He tips gently left and right and must shift his weight to stay level.
- Whenever floating in one place, there is always a gentle rise and fall as if floating on the top of the water.

I guess that could be easily achieved by loosening a few bolts on your levitation unit

For me, the newer levitations as done by Copperfield (Flying) and Rick Thomas, come the closest to real levitations for me.

Ideally, I think that the assistant would start from a standing position next to the magician, and begin to float up from that standing position. Then, she would gradually turn to a horizontal floating, and eventually reverse the process to end in the standing position back on the floor.

Dennis:

Criss Angel did a levitation on a downtown street in Las Vegas. I don't know if you saw it, but it really looked great on TV.

You would really have a great act if you could pull this off anywhere, at any time. However, I suspect this was a very simple suspension surrounded by stooges.

I also saw a magician several years ago (Copperfield?) float a woman out into the audience and back. This was very convincing - however it was on TV, and a lot of things can be done on television that can't be done live.

Jim

The Dream Levitation for me would be to have an assistant or you start in standing, and then slowly lift. Chest would seem to thrust out and up to where the person does NOT levitate or "float" like they are flat, but almost like they are being pulled up by their chest. Back arched, feet dangeling and arms out to the sides.

I think Brett Daniels or someone else on one of the WGM TV Specials did one where the assistant ended up in his arms. I like that as a unique ending rather than the floatee ending up on a sofa or the ground.

Another idea here, have the pair be an acrobatic team and when one has the other lifted up by one hand, the liftee slowly floats up and maybe does some spinning, not is a way that says "Hey I have a belt around my waist that is holding me up" either. That would take some SEROUS choreography to pull off.

As a working magician, my dream levitation is something I can perform in "real world" situations. Something that I can perform almost surrounded. It should be light, sturdy and compact. It should also require less props on stage.

To my knowldege, none exists till now. So far, it is only the Gamolo we have to settle for and this has been built a long time ago.

It is about time that someone produce something utilizing much modern motors, high tech materials and compact batteries.

Lou, Here is a link that can make your mind expand on creativity and could lead you to your dream levitation.

Linear Actuators
And don't forgot to look at the Remotes.

Thanks Dennis;

That is a page worth saving to anyone studying levitations.

I know what the guys are saying though, too many levitations today still simply look limited and frankly, stiff and mechanical. Not to say those devices can't be presented well and be effective, but it probably is time for the next step up.

Copperfields' (or shall we more accurately say, ORSON WELLES Levitation rig, as Welles was the true creator of it), is perhaps still the best version of a free-floating personal levitation on stage. Criss Angel has some nice ideas, but I must say to me, he still looks "suspended" in most of them, and yes, even laypeople approach me wondering if stooges are involved, or if the magic was created in the editing bay.

He has some wonderful ideas and art direction, but I feel the character is still not quite complete. Still he has put in a terrific amount of work, and I applaude him.

I have been studying Floating/Levitations and Animations since I was 10, and am a big fan of many out there who perform these effects. I have seen Dennis' Levi and very much like the potential smoothness it has, and the silent operation. It is also quite versatile.

Most Actuator=driven devices I have seen are fine, but still look somewhat mechanical IMHO. They do not "slow-to-a-start", and "slow-to-a-stop", that cool "magical" start and stop as mimes describe it.

Anyway, I have a lot of nifty visualizations in mind, I hope to get back to this thread and see it continued. But that's' all the time I have today. Nice to meet you all.

Magical Aloha;

Mike Ching

Here is a little history obtained from Peter Foy's site:

In 1954, Peter Foy invented The Inter-Related Pendulum which made spectacular highly controlled free flight possible. However it requires operators with a high degree of skill and a minimum of 40 feet of ceiling height in order to create a natural-looking, effective pendulum swing. Foy solved the problem of flying actors in low height situations with the invention of the Track On Track in 1958.

Since that time, Foy has improved upon the basic concept of Track On Track, most notably with the patented Inter-Reacting Compensator system.

This is the type of system, I believe you are talking about, Mike, although quite a bit customized, and a few features added. I thought it was invented (or more accurately IMPROVED) by John Gaughan. He currently holds the patent on DC's "Flying", which has some features unique to that rig. I wish I could ellaborate more. I've never seen a system like it before, or since.

Orson Welles? Wow...could be...Gaughan's name is the only one on the info package I have (unless it's been upgraded or changed in some way since).

I'll research this a bit..thanks, Mike! Also, see Foy's site for a little Mary Martin nostalgia! LOL

Best,

Doug

IF I were to work in a stage/review show, to fit MY STYLE... I would like to climb inside a big suitcase, my arm comes out a hole in the side and grips the handle and lifts it (with me inside) up off the floor and floats away off the stage to one side.

The other is to have a huge fake bird fly out and grab me and pick me up and fly away... or fly ON with me and drop me center stage to start my act.

NOTE: Both ideas (C) Pete Biro

LOVE the suitcase!

Thanks Dougini

You know much more than I do about FOY, though I've been aware of him for 30 yrs. Yes, am aware of his work and wondered about it when I read a MAGIC magazine story on how Welles came up with the idea (of self floating, or floating an assistant I am not exactly sure), seem to remember the magazine was circa about 9 yrs ago but could be wrong. (It was the one with DC pictured "flying" above a beach I think. anyone know the circa?).

Yes, do seem to remember Gaughns' name connected with it and don't doubt he holds the patent.

Yes people in magic should know more about FOYs work though, that made much of this possible for us! Nice to make your acquaintance. You sound like a very knowledgeable dude.

Hilarious idea with the suitcase Pete!

-MikeC

Man those wires had to be HUGE if they levitated Orson Welles

Anyone seen Christian Fechner's levitation of a small kid, where the magician puts his hand on the kid's head, and lifts him? Ilove the concept.

Also Yogano Jr. has one built into his body to levitate a woman, she rises and goes around him and it is all self-contained.

Take a look at the current issue of Genii with Johnny Gaughan on the cover. There is a small set of photos of Richard Kaufman "flying" outside the shop in the parking lot. This was unbelievable to see live and it was too bad the pictures were so small... but I guess R.K. didn't want to make a big thing about himself as the story was really about John.

For many years I've been thinking of doing a levi routine in combination with a waltz or Fox trot: think Fred and Ginger. He does a lift and she floats a bit, the skirt twirling in the air, before coming back down again. A bit more dance, another lift, and she floats off again. At the end, she floats up a few feet and ends up in his arms, in a pose.

My problem with levis has always been that most of them are far too long. She goes up, she stays up, he passes the hoop, she stays up some more, and she finally comes down. I think a levi would be far more beautiful and magical if there were a reason for her to float -- briefly and gracefully -- besides, "hey, look what I can do."

Another idea I've had for many years is that of diffusing the line between reality and magic. Say he lifts her during the dance and holds her for a moment on his outstretched arm, in an impossible position, just long enough to make the audience wonder, is this a magic trick or is he really that strong?

I guess you can tell I'm not a follower of the "fundamentalist" definition of magic!

I'd like to see the Pole Levitation re-designed using an excercise machine (c) pete biro

PB: Man those wires had to be HUGE if they levitated Orson Welles!

* * *

MC: OK, I KNEW someone was going to bring that up...
(3/32 cable if what I've heard is correct, any notes on that one Doug? Not 100 percent sure if this is "WELLSIAN" strength, but Chris Farley was brought off the ground for SNL, and I don't know who did the float on that one.)

* * *

GL: My problem with levis has always been that most of them are far too long...

* * *

MC: Bingo George! I agree entirely with most modern levis. I think there is a phenomena that kicks in when a good levi or floating occures... Time "Stretches". Let me explain.

Floating or animating objects, and defying gravity is so patently impossible to us all that we are riveted and pay closer attention to this type of magic than most. They are fascinating, mesmerizing, and well done, truly riveting; but not neccessarrily as LONG as most of us believe them to be! Post-show, when REMEMBERING these floating routines, we REMEMBER MORE about these highly detailed routines than most other effects (where our attention was not required as much to enjoy it). Thus we have the phenomenon of audience members REMEMBERING these routines as being LONGER than they really were. (This has actually created some problems with many novices trying to create a floating act, more on this later).

After studying a lot of the greatest Floating/animation/levi acts, it seems to me that the greats kept the routines to a two, to two-and-a-half minute duration of ACTUAL floating/animation time (Not counting verbal or visual setup). Audience just seem to REMEMBER them being longer!

Example: The Blackstones' Dancing hank routines seem to have run just under two and a half minutes, yet I've heard it mentioned by Harry Jr. and those close to them that after a whole evening Illusion show, audiences often remembered the dancing hank more clearly than most of the Big stuff!

Watch the Lance Burton/(Thompson consulted?) "birdcage" version of the OKITO ball and you will note the relatively short time of the actual float also.

All of the pros know better than to go past the audiences' optimal attention span, knowing if they lapsed into boredom with the effect, they would allow their minds to focus more critically on METHOD.

This phenomena is exactly why I believe many novices believe ZOMBI is a 5 minute routine and go far to long with it.

-MikeC

Mike:

I had to agree with you on your point, especially about the Blackstone, Jr. Dancing Hank.

Many years ago I had the pleasure of seeing the late Doug Henning perform an opening act for Tony Orlando in Las Vegas. During the intermission when Henning was finished and they were setting up the next act, I overheard several audience members comment on the floating ball. I was a fledgling illusionist at the time, and the fact that none of them were discussing the big illusions that had just been performed really irked me. However, I learned a valuable lesson about the real world audience perception of magic shows that night - you never really know what the audience is going to remember you for, and once/if you do find it out, treasure that routine for all that it is worth.

Chris

Very Cool Chris!

I saw that same show and thought it was one of the finest magic performances I had ever seen!

I was stunned by Dougs version of the floating ball, the wide space it covered and the speed both Doug and the ball moved at. I really thought it must have been run by computers.. or magic!

Years later while researching the Dancing Handkerchief book I had the chance to talk about it with Charles Reynolds, who was one of Dougs main advisors, and had worked with him on the effect. I was experimenting with lots of floating/animating objects and when I got very close to the method on my own, Charles sensed it and discussed it with me frankly. He is one of my heros in magic and it was such a thrill to talk to him about it.

Poor Charles. I once called him at 4 am New York time with a revelation I had (He very kindly reminded me there was a 9 hour difference between Hawaii and NY.) I'll never do that again.

Back to the point. It was maybe the single most magical live show I had ever seen. We lost a lot when we lost this unique performer. He was one of a kind. Great to hear from someone else who experienced his work.