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Cervier Inner circle France 1274 Posts |
What makes you want to go in front of spectators? How do you feel once you're there?
For a while, I didn't think about how specific mentalism is, compared to other arts such as juggling, acting, singing, playing an instrument, being a clown and such. I remember when I was younger, I got irritated by some rock star who was saying he received so much energy from the audience... "Money is what you receive, you swindler! I thought. But during my very first performance on stage, I understood what he meant, I felt it. I could feel that... stream of I don't know what... coming from the romm I couldn't see because of the lights in my face. It was warm, powerfull, sometimes happy... I can't describe it and my trying to do so could quickly become ridiculous. * Our sensitive hearts But that was a discovery for me, a first step. It made me feel as if I were naked, unprotected from whatever the audience would send me, and after talking to professional performers (musicians mainly), they all told me the same thing pretty much in the same words. Well, most of them. Some just enjoyed what they were doing and if some people were willing to watch, and even pay, then why not. Those who would call themselves artists sounded like vulnerable things, filled with pride, fear, and a desire to be loved. One told me "We stand naked asking them 'please love me"". * I feel home That's partly how I feel. But mentalism is special in the way you can't be alone on stage! You can't just do your stuff, sing your song, link your rings or do your somersault. You have to interact with spectators. You have to go to them or have them come to you, you have to talk and listen, you have to watch, touch, and react. And that part I love Not very long ago, I was slowly recovering, I was exhausted because some things have to be done and when you're the only one who can do them, then you get up on your feet and do the job. An hour before the show began, I was on the verge on nervous breakdown. Then it was my turn. I walked on stage... and I was home, I was where I belong My mind that was dead a moment ago was now taking care of a thousand thoughts at once as always happens when I perform. That felt good! The best part, though, what I enjoy the most, is paying with people. Tricking them is nice, yeah, I won't deny that but it's their smiles, it's their shivers, it's talking with them and getting to know them just a bit better just for a few minutes or seconds, it's those "I'm happy to be with you" true moments * On the other hand Strollng or walk-around mentalism is something I avoid as much as I can, for two main reasons. One is I believe good mentalism needs the right atmosphere and that takes some time to build. The other one is, I don't feel confortable going to people. I can't explain that. I can walk into a room filled with thousands of strangers waiting for me (Well, I've never done it for *thousands* of people, it's just to make a point a mere "a lot" wouldn't puch as clearly ) and feel fine (stressed, but fine), but I have a lot of trouble walking to two bystanders, even if they look like normal people Last weekend, I spent an evening entertaining guests at a fancy dinner. Explaining why I had to would be too long. I did it because, well, I had to, and because I wanted to force myself to do it, to do that thing I apprehend. I went very well, though. Much better than I feared. Why it went better than on other such occasions is not the point and you'd hate me for writing three pages about that That's not the point. It went very well, there were some very nice moments with some guests, some powerful ones too --yet I didn't quite get rid of my apprehension. If I have to do it again (and I will), but I still won't enjoy it as much as stagework! * What about you? I'm curious... What about you? What drives you? What makes you want to perform? What's your fevorite setting?
"A friend is someone who know you well but loves you anyway" H. Lauwick
The Lynx Deck, http://jmmaries.free.fr/cervier/ Grapheeteez, on GooglePlay Telemos the peek envelope, on SkywardMagic Telemos en Francais sur TheMysteryStore |
Robb Inner circle 1291 Posts |
What drives me to perform is the interaction with the audience. I LOVE people! I love meeting people, I love talking to them, learning about them... Last weekend I did a thirty minute set and had to rush a bit and that felt hard for me because I couldn't take as much time to get to know my on-stage subjects as well as I like to. The people who joined me on stage were all just wonderful - they almost always are - and we had a lot of fun together, but having to get through four routines in 30 minutes was a little too much (even went 1:30 over) and I should have went with three to afford me more time talking with them.
I of course love the moment when the effect happens and the audience is astonished and that moment delights me as much as it does them. But to me that's the cherry on top... It's everything that leads up to that point that makes the show really work. I used to rush a bit to the "moment of amazement" but over time I realized I was somewhat hiding behind the effect or overlooking the entertainment potential of interacting with my audience. Well, I guess I didn't really know HOW to make the interactions entertaining, partially because I WAS so focused on "the effect". In terms of setting, it's stage all the way for me. The bigger stage, the better, up to a point! My ideal audience size is between 100-300 people. Much beyond that and it feels a little less personal to me and becomes difficult to stay connected. Too few people and I feel it's TOO intimate and I don't have enough people to choose from and choosing the right people for the right routine is essential. I'm sure over time I'll feel more comfortable with any size audience, but for now I definitely have a range that works best for me. I've been doing stage mentalism for just over three years now, by the way. It immediately felt like home to me because I had been a performing musician for the previous 30 years (from ages 15 to 45)... When I was a kid even, I played at many jazz festivals to audiences of 500+ and even played at a Buffalo Bills game to 50,000 people! So due to that I got very comfortable on stage. When I started performing mentalism on stage, of course I was not quite as comfortable because I was still mastering the technical aspects of my new craft... But I feel I am almost there where I have 90% mastery of the technical side and can really relax and have fun. |
Michael Zarek Special user Sweden 923 Posts |
I feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind...
Wanting to start again!
Reader discretion is advised.
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Cervier Inner circle France 1274 Posts |
Quote:
On Nov 24, 2016, Robb wrote: Yes And the opposite can happen too! On one occasion (one of the first times I was doing table-hopping mentalism --yeeek! ) I sat at a table and had so nice a time with the people there I realized after a while I wasn't doing anything to amaze them, just enjoying the fun of our conversation and I felt they were like "ok... so...?" So I got straight to the finale, whatever that was, but it just came as the nice ending to a nice moment, not like the killer fireworks it should have been. Note to self: people enjoy a good time, but they primarily expect a mentalist do perform mentalism
"A friend is someone who know you well but loves you anyway" H. Lauwick
The Lynx Deck, http://jmmaries.free.fr/cervier/ Grapheeteez, on GooglePlay Telemos the peek envelope, on SkywardMagic Telemos en Francais sur TheMysteryStore |
John C Eternal Order I THINK therefore I wrote 12945 Posts |
Quote:
On Nov 24, 2016, Cervier wrote: If they know what mentalism is. |
scottyocean Regular user 110 Posts |
I feel a rush a high. Performing I'd the best drug in the works.
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Sealegs Inner circle The UK, Portsmouth 2596 Posts |
Cervier wrote: "I didn't think about how specific mentalism is, compared to other arts such as juggling, acting, singing, playing an instrument, being a clown and such"
"You can't just do your stuff, sing your song, link your rings or do your somersault. You have to interact with spectators. You have to go to them or have them come to you, you have to talk and listen, you have to watch, touch, and react." I have a completely different perspective to the one you make here regarding the distinction between mentalism and other forms of entertainment. If a performance wants to resonate with an audience you can't 'just do [the] stuff'. All performance entertainment is about making a connection with an audience. All performance entertainment is about taking the audience figuratively by the hand and leading them into your world. It's by doing this that the audience gets led to a place where they are able to enjoy being immersed in the experience you provide for them.... whatever that experience might be. This experience isn't the juggling or mentalism or whatever.... this is merely what the experience will be built upon. It's this experience, not the vehicle in which it is brought, that makes for a successful show that fulfils an audience. Musicians perhaps illustrate this most easily. Those that 'just do their stuff' and just play the instrument give a concert. This can be enjoyed for the music and for many audience's that's all they are interested in. But the same music that is 'performed' rather than just played can be transformed from a concert into a show. And it's the show that brings an extra and different experience to the audience. (An experience that can also include an appreciation of the music but which is more than just that) So sure, a juggler, actor, singer, musician, or even a lowly magician can all just, 'do their stuff'.... but they'll be as successful in the goal of bringing a unique experience to their audience as a mentalist would be that performed with the same mindset and who simply 'just did the stuff'. Just doing the stuff is a useful broad description of what constitutes a poor performance. As for what drives me personally to perform... well...it's easy to understand the thrill that performers get from the approbation of an audience and why this is usually a prime driving force. Who, after all doesn't like to have their ego massaged and bolstered? While that no doubt played a part in my motivations when I first started out it really no longer does. For me the driving forces are... It's my living... it's my passion... it's one of my main creative outlets... it's the selfish joy I derive from making people laugh... it's the personal satisfaction I get from bringing an audience into my world and immersing them in the experience of my show... but the biggest thrill derives from the job satisfaction that comes from the application of the skills of a craft to achieve something most can't even get close to achieving. This last point is why I like working on stages so much and also why I dislike the table hopping environment. You can be really bad at table hopping in that you can have no practiced skills, no craft, no art, and next to no ability and yet what you serve up can still be deemed to be acceptable. The poorness of such performances are, more often than not, able to go largely unnoticed and be insignificant because they are generally, in the bigger picture of the environment they take place in, inconsequential. Standing in front of a 1000+ people for up to an hour with the evening, or event's focus reliant just on you cannot be faked in the same way.
Neal Austin
"The golden rule is that there are no golden rules." G.B. Shaw |
Mindpro Eternal Order 10587 Posts |
I agree with what you have said. So many "mentalists" just perform their effects. Nothing more. It really isn't a "performance" as it is a display of mentalism effects. The entertainment should come from you not your performing discipline (mentalism, magic, juggling, song, etc.)
I just saw John Archer in Las Vegas. His performance was about his personality, his character, and the mentalism was secondary. The true testament to this was after the show when everyone gushed and was talking about HIM, not his mentalism. This is the greatest format for a successful performance. With that said, once this is firmly in place, I also agree mentalism is much different in performance than most other types of entertainment or performing discipline. It is more personal, connection is more crucial, engaging them and their investing and believability in you, it and what you are presenting. This is what so many are missing or don't seem to get at all. This is also what is different than magic. Understanding this is what also can take your performing to a greater level. |
Cervier Inner circle France 1274 Posts |
That's a splendid post. Of course, my point (one of them) was, with mentalisml you cannot avoid interactig with spectators. But taking that thought further, to its full meaning, that every performer should seek an interaction whatever his or her art is something I had overlooked in my message, even though it obviously makes a lot of sense.
"It goes without saying (but it's better saying it)" (or words like that). Yeah, no one here ever "just do the stuff". I certainly don't I would like to quote french mentalist Julien Losa, who wrote in "Conspiration" about how much he was surprised some mentalists or magicians would say when explaining a routine "...and whatever they answer, move on by...". I confess that in such circumstances, I would listen to the answers but only as far as the effect was concerned. Meaning, I wouldn't risk going out of my script, I wouldn't risk getting side-tracked by trully reacting and listening to what spectators said. And that, to a certain extent, is just "doing the stuff". So, some things go without saying but it's good to be reminded of aspects so obvious we can too easily take for granted that we're doing them right. Especially if you're plagued with the kind of memory I have I realize now (yes, only now, please forgive me ) that I'm very focused on spectaors' feelings, reactions and emotions the first few times I perform a routine. Afterwards, it's soo easy to just "let it roll" because I know "people like that a lot and have strong reactions, it reaches to their emotions", as if it had become automatic. I was under the impression I reat every participant as someone special and genuinely listen to hime or her. I'm now wondering wether I trully do so... Food for thoughts. Thanks sealegs
"A friend is someone who know you well but loves you anyway" H. Lauwick
The Lynx Deck, http://jmmaries.free.fr/cervier/ Grapheeteez, on GooglePlay Telemos the peek envelope, on SkywardMagic Telemos en Francais sur TheMysteryStore |
Mindpro Eternal Order 10587 Posts |
What you say should be common sense, but common sense isn't so common any more. Also "things that should go without saying" is true provided they know it in the first place. You are correct, being reminded is always great, but more so if someone has yet to truly learn, know or understand this yet.
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MagicalEducator Veteran user 369 Posts |
Quote:
On Nov 27, 2016, Mindpro wrote: I agree with most of what you've written particularly that the entertainment is about the person/character. I don't know that mentalism is different than any other performing art in this regard. What's the quote(?) "They may not remember what you did but they will remember how you made them feel?" Tricks don't do that. Magic, mental magic or even mentalism. There needs to be more and that more is the personal connection one makes when sharing themselves and their art. jeff
Voted "Canada's Most Inspirational Magician"
www.MagicalEducator.com Check out my column "Magic is Education" in Vanish Magazine |
salcioppa New user Columbus, Ohio 59 Posts |
For me, performing is about entertaining people and satisfying myself that I've plied my craft to the best of my ability. When I first began table hopping and approaching people at a party, restaurant, or cocktail hour with mentalism material, I was very uneasy about it. I realized this came from two things. First, I lacked confidence that they'd be interested. And second, I realized I was performing pieces I hadn't done hundreds and hundreds of times, so I was unconsciously nervous about doing them. Once I sat and really, REALLY practiced and analyzed my effects to make them something more than just tricks, I began to relax, people responded to me better, and I had a ton of fun. For me, performing is all about making people happy and helping them forget their problems and worries for a few minutes. I still do a few magic "tricks" along the way, but I've found that people like the mental effects better. I don't present myself as a great seer or clairvoyant, but rather a "hey, look what I've discovered I can do," kind of guy. When they ask me if I'm clairvoyant or a medium and the like, I say, "I don't know. I don't think so. I certainly don't feel any different than anyone else. I'm just interested in this stuff and practice it (both of which are true statements) and now I can do all kinds of cool things." This works FOR ME table hopping. Maybe not for someone else. During my shows I take on a slightly more serious tone and enjoying showing people my "abilities" never implying I'm psychic or possess any esoteric or secret powers. I just show them what I can do, try to entertain the heck out of them, and let them decide for themselves what they just saw.
At a convention of mind readers, a man sees an attractive woman he'd like to meet. He walks up to her and says, "Hello! You're Susan. Who am I?"
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