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chmara Inner circle Tucson, AZ 1911 Posts |
OK here's a project that might be fun -- for all us silkies.
Chanin and a few other brought our booklets of sequences (acts) and many of us use silks as bridge effects as does Mr. Electric. But how about we -- as a forum -- try to develop a few "modern" sequences that appeal to today's audiences? What makes sense today? For silent w music general audiences? Kids? Talking silks? Let us say a minimum of 6 minutes of material with more than one trick (many of us can stretch half-dyed to six minutes -- but it is comedy rather than "silk magic, IMNSHO.) I believe it was Fukai who started with a silk rose - traveling between lapels, turning the rose to a silk, doing some false knots, then extended it into 20th century and the like always keeping the key silk "in view" who started me playing with this idea. I have some pretty wonderful "tricks" and utilities - mis-made flags that are 60" silks -- six foot dragons and butterflies -- several fountains ending in streamers - pulls and tubes galore - props including mis-made Parasols, Phantom Tubes, Square Circles, Silk Guns -- and a ton of 6" through 36 inch solids and various dye patterns (well maybe I exaggerate here -- more like 70 pounds worth, but that is still a lot of silk). Sure it would take prep -- and maybe some additional "inserts" (milk from a lightbulb after firing a silk at it) but the idea would be to get cogent sequences to tell a "story" of between 6-20 minutes with about 70 per cent of the act being based upon silks. Anyone up for that type of discussion???
Gregg (C. H. Mara) Chmara
Commercial Operations, LLC Tucson, AZ C. H. Mara Illusion & Psychic Entertainments |
magicians Inner circle Teacher and Legend 2898 Posts |
Contact Fielding West, he puts complete acts together and makes em' modern and commercial.
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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chmara Inner circle Tucson, AZ 1911 Posts |
Was not looking for an act myself (I have several with extended silk sequences) but a discussion that might help other silk aficionados.
Some of Duane Laughlin's tapes started some sequential revelations some years ago but never quite tied together enough to make a 20 minute + sequence. Also, the way silk "tricks" are sold I feel too many people are forced into one off thinking rather than in a smooth flow. If there is anything us older guys can contribute to the Café it might be in getting conversations on this type of advanced creative thinking going --- rather than hiring "consultants" to make a product instead of our own inventive ideas taking hold. BUT - so far no takers.
Gregg (C. H. Mara) Chmara
Commercial Operations, LLC Tucson, AZ C. H. Mara Illusion & Psychic Entertainments |
Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
One of the easiest sequences for me (included in my silk lectures) is combining Silk to Egg with 20th Century Silks. Add vanishing the three silks from 20th Century Silks with a Blendo and it is your routine.
Bob Sanders Magic By Sander |
Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
Sequence one:
Silk opener! Here is a simple (embarrassingly simple) opening routine I used to perform back in the day (and still do in a pinch!). - Instant, one-hand, appearance of a 22-inch silk scarf (right out of Rice). - Scarf is flourished then split into two (an old General Grant bit). - One scarf is placed over the forearm and the other scarf is knotted only to have the knot keep untying. - Scarf on arm is added to scarf held and both are simply dropped (the corner of one is held). They fall proving to be tied together (from Slidini). - The two are bundled together only to find a stemmed-glass full of wine within the bundle. - Audience is toasted as the wine is drunk (proving it real). ---Applause cue, empty wine glass is held in the right hand (head high), and the two scarves are held in the left (head high). Slight bow and move on to next sequence. Props: two 22-inch silk scarves, one wine glass with stem, one square of Saran Wrap, four rubber bands, one holdout (mine is a homemade affair working on a pendulum principle, made from one suction cup, a safety pin, and a length of monofilament). Time is about three minutes but can be paced for five. Sequence two: Magically produce a silk handkerchief, immediately perform a color change, do a cod exposure (pull a duplicate of the first hank from your pocket) and do yet another color change ending with two of the same color silk handkerchiefs in your hand again producing the two original (and different) colored hanks from the pocket. Using a spectator from the audience do the 20th Century Silks routine apparently using three of the silks you just produced in the color change sequence. End using the three silks from the 20th Century Silks to a Blendo. It runs about 5 minutes (a bit more if you stretch out the 20th C. part). The Blendo is the applause cue. Props: two dye tubes. 5 silks of one color (say red). Two silks of a second color (say blue). One 20th Century gimmick Blue loaded with one of the red silks (switch done in jacket pocket). Blendo (I use a simple home made version that doesn’t use a special Blendo double silk and special folding and handling. Easy Peasy!). Sequence three: Magically produce a silk handkerchief (24 inch), try to knot it and fail, then have the knot magically appear and have to manually unknot it yourself. Then from that silk handkerchief (maybe from its center) you produce several more silk handkerchiefs (maybe 8 or ten of different colors) laying them on your table as they are produced. You take two of the silk handkerchiefs and perform a short version of the Unknotting silks (Edwards self-unknotting hanks, or Slidini Silks, or General Grants self-unknotting hanks) which gives you some audience participation. Finally pick up two or three more silks, adding them to the two you are holding and finish with a Blendo (to art silk). This will run between five and eight minutes. Again the Blendo is the final applause cue. Props: Hank ball, Blendo (simple one), one 24-inch silk, 8 (or 10) 18-inch silks of various colors. Sequence four: Take a silk handkerchief and split it into two and perform the Charley Edward Self-unknotting silk routine (or the Slydini version or the Grant version). Take out a second silk (really a third since you split the first into two for the Edward’s routine) and split it into two. With the now four silks perform the “Sympathetic Silks: routine. Gather the four silks up and go into the Blendo and finish with the production of a glass or bottle of wine, dove, whatever. Running time is about five minutes with proper pacing. Blendo and final production acts as the final applause cue. Props: Blendo, four 18 to 24-inch silks in pairs of contrasting colors (say two green and two yellow). Final load item: If producing a dove a dove holder is needed (no dove pocket is needed – stick it up your sleeve!. If producing the glass of wine then a glass holder and maybe a cover will be needed. If producing the wine bottle then you just need the bottle of wine and simply use the Ralph Read’s gimmick-less bottle production. It works fine here). I could go on. I’ve done each of these sequences at some point in the past.
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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Autumn Morning Star Grammar Hostess Today, I corrected grammar in 1378 Posts |
A very nice and effective routine to say the least! Thanks for sharing your ideas
Autumn
Wonder is very necessary in life. When we're little kids, we're filled with wonder for the world - it's fascinating and miraculous. A lot of people lose that. They become cynical and jaded, especially in modern day society. Magic renews that wonder.
Doug Henning |
chmara Inner circle Tucson, AZ 1911 Posts |
Sorry I have not posted again yet -- but thanks Harry for the above.
One tip I had from some years ago was that too many of my silk sequence things "went away" when completed -- when a display on stage would have been more appropriate to show the volume and color. I ended up using Jet Set strands with velcro (hard on silk) for sort of "clothes line" displays and stretching out my six footers. One small sequence I used was rose to silk (leaving a bare lapel) using that silk for a transpo -- seeing a bare lapel and having a Fukai silk to rose appear back on the lapel.
Gregg (C. H. Mara) Chmara
Commercial Operations, LLC Tucson, AZ C. H. Mara Illusion & Psychic Entertainments |
owln_1 Loyal user dallas /now live by tulsa 222 Posts |
I walk out on stage show hands empty, produce a thumb tip blendo flag, roll it in my palm (thanks to Bob Sanders ) vanish it with a french drop show left hand empty, do a change over, show right empty, and steal from left hip a 2’ x 3’ flag, bring hands together and produce flag, pick up my change bag , and change the flag into 3 silks,(red, white, and blue) exchange change bag for crystal silk tube, place the 3 separate silks one at a time in tube with left side to audience blow on tube silks come out tied together, let them fall to floor, place tube on table, then bend over and pick up with left hand, hip steal a 3’ x 5’ flag from right hip and do a ungimmicked blendo.( David Ginn) Owln_1
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
I have another nice sequence that is played as more or less Mental Magic. It involves two actual tricks that are sequenced into a nice routine that involves some audience members.
Open by holding a length of ribbon/tape (5/8 inch by, say, 54” long) with four different colored handkerchiefs’s tied on at six to 9 inch intervals (red, yellow, green, orange 18” or 24” is what I use). You approach a person in the audience and have them tug the ribbon to show that it is solid, ungimmcked, and that the handkerchiefs are truly ties thereon. A second audience member is approached and asked to cup their hands and name a color. That color drops from the ribbon into their hands. It is taken and pushed into the breast pocket. A third audience member checks that the handkerchiefs are still solidly tied on the ribbon by tugging the ribbon and the hanks. You back toward the center of your performing area holding the ribbon with the three remaining handkerchiefs hanging. Have each section of the audience yell out a color at the count of three (for example the left section yells “red”, right section yells “yellow”, and center yells “green”). This gives opportunity for a little by play with the audience. Then on the final count of three they all yell and all three hanks fall from the ribbon. Take your bow. Now take three of the handkerchiefs and ask a person to name a color. Ask a second person to name a second color and tie the two together. Ask a third person to which end to tie the third color to. Ask a forth person to stand and hold the either end so that the chain of three handkerchiefs dangle. She has a free choice of which end is up. Allow/encourage her to change her mind a couple of times. Reach into your pocket and pull out a bundled of handkerchiefs and let them unroll. The match the color sequence exactly. Take back the first chain of handkerchiefs (thanking the helper) and hold it out to one side by its end and hold your chain of three out to the other side in a perfect applause cue. Two very colorful tricks, using seven silks and a length of ribbon/tape, which provides entertaining audience participation sequence that can run five minutes or more. It has a BIG plus in that it can be carried in a jacket pocket while making your act look big. Not bad! The two tricks are “Obedient Silks” (Rice) and “As you like it” (Rice or Ovette).
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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indomagic Inner circle 1140 Posts |
Harry
Is there any book or DVD teach on splitting a silk into 2 ? |
Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
The splitting a silk into two is found in General Grant's "Smooth as Silk" booklet. It may also be on his video.
Email him at ggmagic@aol.com
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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indomagic Inner circle 1140 Posts |
Thanks Harry for your information.
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magicians Inner circle Teacher and Legend 2898 Posts |
My silent act: Enter with a torch, vanish it (English vanishing torch) to a silk.
Pick up a fire bowl and ignite it, take a candle with opposite hand and light it as the bowl changes to mylar flowers or bowl of silks. The candle multiplies into two, opposite hand takes that candle, then each hand produces 4 lit candles. Blow them out and put away. Match pull (dependelite match pull) and light two tapered candles, take one of the candles and do (from my lecture) candle to silk to cane. Take other candle, throw off some fire balls (flash paper), and then cover the tapered candle with a cloth. Candle vanishes to a wine glass with beverage (from my lecture: candle to wine). That's my opener before the patter part of the act.
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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