Does anyone know of a place where I can watch some professional billiard ball manipulators perform? I want to see how these people present themselves on stage, and learn to improve myself by watching how they handle the balls, and what kinds of movements they make. I have never really seen a routine being performed, and I have only read about them in books. Are there any videos on the internet, or any websites I can visit to see someone in action?

Thanks,
Shalin

Mark Kalin does a very nice performance as does Levent. I think there may be some clips on their website.

Mark basically does the Wakling Routine with his own touches. Greg Wilson also did the Wakeling routine. Levent's routine is original and uses 2 1/2" balls.

Richard

Richard:

Would you have the url for Kalin's website? I have tried to look for it but can not seem to locate it. Thanks in advance.

Kyle

Yes, if you have the url it would be great. I tried searching but I found nothing.

Thanks,
Shalin

Richard; Didn't someone once produce real mirrored billiard balls? Seems like I remember Mark wilson used some once. Or perhaps the old brain gear is slipping again.

Here is Kalin's websites.
MAJIKAL PRODUCTIONS, LLC.
Downtown Discoverguide
148 Greenridge Dr.
Reno, NV 89509
(775) 770-2176 Office
(775) 770-2180 Fax
http://www.bestmagicshow.com

MAGIC UNDERGROUND
Theater
(775) 324-6007
http://www.renomagic.com

There used to be some mirrored (chrome) multipying balls that were an import if I remember correctly. They were hinged light the Morgan candle. Pretty cheaply made as I remember.

The one problem with a chrome finish is fingerprints. They would constantly look dirty. Maybe a brushed finish would look ok?

Richard

Richard; Maybe my memory is faulty, I just seem to remember seeing them during a performance and noticing how they really sparlked, and seem to reflect the lighting like those big mirror disco balls. Maybe I will try to make a set. That ought to be an excersize in frustration.

RBC - Italian dealer Shaun Yee sells mirrored B Balls.

Check out his site @ http://www.shaunyee.com

Best of,

Dave

Maybe you were thinking of the vernet multiplying balls?

Romaine has a DVD on billiard ball manipulation.

Thanks for the info DaveAndrews, that's precisely what I remember and what I was looking for. Whew! that's gonna save me a lot of work. Didn't the Vernet balls appear in the early 80s?

Howard Hale used to produce a large mirror ball, I think at the end of his mult ball act... he won IBM Gold Medal in the early 80's.

I didn't find any billiard ball videos on the site. Maybe I didn't look hard enough... Has anyone else seen them?

Jeff McBride does some simply wonderful routines on World Class Manipulations Volume 3.

I personally wouldn't recommend the McBride videos. He doesn't show the greatest handlings of ball effects, but he does show some good flourishes.
Rikbrooks the 3rd Video is ok because it teaches you a couple of routines and even one without a shell, but after a while you realize it feels a little dry. Don't get me wrong McBride is great, but these videos just don't truely express it.

Re: R_B_C's question about mirror ball manipulations

Back in the very early 1980s, I knew a manipulator from Manhattan named “Del Rios” (I think his real name was Harry Del Rios).

“Del” (as his friends would call him) was a masterful magician.

In his stage act he used to manipulate a small “disco” mirror ball. After several vanishes and recoveries, he would slap the ball against his lapel and the ball would change into a flat metal disc (incidentally this transformation was based on a very clever ball onto silk effect created by my friend, Jon Evans). Del would then peel the disc off of his lapel and then proceed to do coin manipulations with the metal disc. The crazy thing about this was that the ball was actually covered with small glass mirrors (like a real disco ball) and it wasn’t uncommon for Del to cut his fingers on the mirrors until they bled. But Del was so hardcore he didn’t care.

I also remember that Del used to make card shoot out of his hands in a manner that looked to me to be the same as Julianne Chen. But of course this was decades ago.

To give you an idea about how skillful Del was, I once showed Del the one handed waterfall flourish (with a deck of cards) that I had learned from “the Art of Magic” by T. Nelson Downs. A couple of months later Del, was able to do it with two hands simultaneously.

Also, during the 1982 IBM national convention in Hawaii I had a little card manipulation jam session with Del, Jon Evans and Sanada of Japan. Sanada was kind enough to teach us his one-handed 360 degree card fan. A few months later I saw Del again and he was able to do Sanada’s one-handed 360 degree fan with either hand with poker sized cards, jumbo cards and stage money (paper bills).

Del was really that good!

He was also a very fine stage performer with good looks and a wonderfully graceful style. The last I heard, he became a professional wrestler and I think he fights under the name: “Spellbinder”.

Best regards,
Levent

Has anyone seen Romaine do billiard balls? He is outstanding.

Yes, I have worked with Romaine. He is very good and it is a well constructed act. Probably the best "drunk" act I have seen except Cardini's.

Richard

Watch Cardini.......... period.

http://www.skilldini.com (Tim Wright) is wonderful.

Also, Howard Hale and Jeff Hobson are excellent with billiard balls,