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Ken Northridge Inner circle Atlantic City, NJ 2392 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-01-04 15:33, HollyMental wrote: I understand completely! Magicwatcher2005 insulted many women, including my wife. I was upset too, as were most on this thread. I sincerely hope that you and other women will continue to succeed in this business.
"Love is the real magic." -Doug Henning
www.KenNorthridge.com |
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BIGmagiclV Veteran user 375 Posts |
If I may toss something out there...
I could make a case for the geek factor in getting into magic. Magic is like doing standup comedy. Many initially start because they don't have the best social skills or are shy and tend to find things that they can do that would make them accepted. I believe males tend to have more problems in that area than females so these hobbies lend themselves to be more male oriented. what do you think? |
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todsky Inner circle www.magicstore.ca 2354 Posts |
The geek factor certainly played a part in my magical upbringing. So what do female geeks turn to? Maybe there are some women scientists out there who would make fine magicians as well.
Todsky's Magic Shop: over 15,000 tricks, books, DVD s and Card decks. www.magicstore.ca
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
I wonder if magic is going to increase or decrease with females in the future?
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Ken Northridge Inner circle Atlantic City, NJ 2392 Posts |
I've noticed many female magicians on the lastest magic special on TV, all of whom are very talented. I don't see how this could do anything but encourage more of the same.
"Love is the real magic." -Doug Henning
www.KenNorthridge.com |
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CHAPPELL New user 5 Posts |
Did nobody hear about Adelaide Herrmann? or Beatrice Houdini (who went in just as fast as Harry came out of a certain trunk now at the Magic Castle)? or Jade? Or Diana Zimmerman? Long list.
Maybe the wrong angle is considered here. Performing magicians are actors, performers PRIMARILY and working wonders is just the plot of our play. Maybe it is a casting question not a skill question and has little to do with how good one might be, or not be, at math or woodturning or any of that. Are box jumpers not magicians? Why, most of the magi in big Vegas shows could be female magicians, when you look at it that way. Richiardi Jr. waved his hands and picked up his wife's feet as she perched on the broom. She wore the harness and convincingly acted as if she had no idea how this worked. Now, that's magic. maybe the guy to aske would be Bob Neale. He could shed some light on why the shaman is typically male in most societies. |
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wkitwizard Elite user Los Angeles 466 Posts |
Blah, blah, blah. Maybe the men should stay out of this area of the Café?
If you take a look at the Eastern part of Europe you will see a small but growing cadre of female magicians, eager to out-do any male on the stage or closeup table. With their background of dance, music and dramatic costume & lighting, they have a lot to show the New World. Wake up and smell the change in the air. WK
Nothing is truer than the incomprehensible, because the sum total of our knowledge consists of the fact that we know nothing. Our reality is an illusion. Thus illusion is reality-Punx
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
I remember Genii had a survey of why there weren't more female magicians. The answers were wowsers! Some of the best were;
Women won't take the time to practice Women aren't strong enough to carry the props and my particular favorite Women aren't inherently graceful. (????) My own take on the subject was that women are not raised to play with toys. Boys get cars, figures, they play with fantasy worlds on many levels, girls get housekeeping and beauty toys.
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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Big Daddy Cool Inner circle 1604 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-02-09 12:30, CHAPPELL wrote: In my quest to redefine the role of the assistant as a Performance Partner I teach in my workshops that the "assistant" is every bit as much a magician as the "magician." I know a lot of charleys will take exception to that truth... |
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BudTCB Regular user 127 Posts |
I got in on this thread late,.. but still want to share this. I keep telling my wife she should really consider putting together a little magic show and do some birthday parties and school carnivals and Things like that. I think she would be great at it. In fact,.. Many times,.. she will learn the trick so she can teach it to me. for instance, professor's nightmare, she learned it and taught me a better way to count the ropes after they are made to be the same size. and she showed me a smoother and cleaner way to link the linking rings, not to mention she's an expert at climbing into all our illusions. I'll tell ya, many times, It is the Women that are the brains behind the operation. Saying Abracadabra is the easy part,.. it is climing into the illusions, and making some of us guys shine that is the Real Talent. You women are the TRUE Stars of the Show. So I must say to my wife,.. Honey, You're awesome, I couldn't do it without you.
BJ |
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Lbuford Regular user Los Angeles, CA 157 Posts |
I think it has to be something special in us women who have a true interest in the world of magic. I find that I just have a natural interest in the Arts. How many of you also have another 'arts' interest other than magic, be it music, arts & craft, etc.? I for one have many. I think it's like being an alcoholic without knowing it until you have that first drink. My intersest was peaked a few years ago and I never lost it.
Loreen
"Hindsight corrects the mistakes that foresight could have prevented" |
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lozey Veteran user UK 381 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-01-03 23:33, makeupguy wrote: I certainly agree with some of these points. I was brainwashed into behaving as a kid and you don't really forget that Yes, magic conventions are a big negative point for female magicians I'v found. Dealers point blank ignore you. You get 50 guys a day (or more) try to seduce you. The hushed whispers (or sometimes blatent comments) are worse than in high school, for cripes sake! The few magicians that talk to you treat you like a novelty act and are constantly pushing onto you whatever trick they are rehersing right now 'pick a card...pick a card...pick a card' The point of the way magicians dress is interesting. Of course sex sells, that's why adverts for cars, perfume ect are aften plastered with images of semi naked women. I am not at all good looking. I have a weight problem due to essential medication. I also have excema and acne. But I style my hair nice, wear a bespoke £500 suit, handmade velvet shirts and a handmade waistcoat. Do you think I ever get accepted for 'magicians events' like shows, competitions ect - Not on your life!!! I don't look like a female magician 'should look' Im told. I cant cure my health problems and Im not going to spend hours ever day in the gymn when I could be spending time on something far more valuble - my magic |
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Adir New user 7 Posts |
Can we please, PLEASE answer the original question? It's true that I've yet to find many different styles of female magicians to look up to as role models and to see how they act. The few I have watched just played up the sexy act. You know, the whole, "look at me, I'm so sexy with my cards and magic". That's not what my personality is. The two magicians who inlenced my persona most are Ricky Jay and Brian Brushwood, but I'm not sure how well that type of personality is taken when the magician is female.
So who are some of the greatest female magicians who come to mind? |
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supertoad12 New user Choose a number between 1 and 88 Posts |
Melinda Sachsen, Charlotte Pendragons, Krystyn Lambert, Juliana Chen and Joanie Spina to name a few...
Steph
"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it"...J.M. Barrie |
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danaruns Special user The City of Angels 808 Posts |
This is a western phenomenon. If you go to Asia, you find that about half the magicians are women, particularly stage magicians.
"Dana Douglas is the greatest magician alive. Plus, I'm drunk." -- Foster Brooks
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
Most if not all the Asian women that perform magic, have what I would call Style. They incorporate their stage personality into their presentations.
Western and European women do not take the time and dedication it takes to design their stage personality with their magic presentations. I have seen one woman, go out and buy a lot of tricks, and they went out an started magic competitions. She actually won one small convention contest. Made the rounds at other conventions on guest appearances at the stage shows. She was introducing new material very often, instead of sticking with the material she won with. In another year, she was gone, as she did not "hit the big time". The magic community is ready to support women, as in all show business, there is no easy and direct road to high paying jobs. It is even harder today, as the world of entertainment has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. Close-up magic is not the new stage magic, and figuring out how to present card tricks in a manner a whole audience will enjoy is even harder. It has not been done before, thus there is transition to get use to, with no guidelines to follow. There is a transition from theaters for stage show, has not changed to theaters for close-up magic shows. Theater audiences are smaller, simply so that everyone can see the effects being shown. What use to be shown to an audience of 30 people is not being show to 150 or 200 people. How to give the same experience to every customer is challenging for the performer. Look at Penn and Teller Fool Us television show, that is the new close up audiences of today. Are they close-up, certainly not. |
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David_MacFarlane New user 53 Posts |
Has anyone mentioned Hitchens' "Why Women Aren't Funny"? I think some of his arguments are applicable...
https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2007/01/hitchens200701 |
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danaruns Special user The City of Angels 808 Posts |
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On Oct 6, 2018, David_MacFarlane wrote: Reads very patriarchal. I think the most meaningful part of that piece was when the author averred, "in some way men do not want women to be funny [or magicians]. They want them as an audience, not as rivals. And there is a huge, brimming reservoir of male unease, which it would be too easy for women to exploit."
"Dana Douglas is the greatest magician alive. Plus, I'm drunk." -- Foster Brooks
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David_MacFarlane New user 53 Posts |
Maybe. I think there's also something to the idea that men feel a need to be entertaining to attract women's attention. A guy can practice an Ambitious Card routine and get some attention from girls... A girl can get the same attention from guys by smiling.
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danaruns Special user The City of Angels 808 Posts |
Such a mystery, right? So confusing! It must be something innate in girls and women. If only we could figure out exactly what it is. But we know it's inherent, not anything we can really do anything about except shrug our shoulders and continue on.
In this 5-page thread, I don't see anyone asking women what they think and then actually listening to them. The fact that 50% of magicians in Asia are women is curious, maybe not even true because it feels wrong, but in any event that is not a significant or meaningful fact. It's all so opaque, isn't it, guys? An unsolvable mystery...
"Dana Douglas is the greatest magician alive. Plus, I'm drunk." -- Foster Brooks
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