I know there are two most used but wondering what you think is the best childrens levitation for birthday parties in the living room?

Also which manufactor?

The Chair Suspension made by Jim Sommers is going to be brought up a lot here, I think.

It is well made and can be done surrounded. Can't beat that.

The Balducci Levitation could step in the ring with the chair suspension. I know which one I'm putting my money on!

If you're meaning to levitate (let's expand our definition to include suspend) a child volunteer, then Chair Suspension and Flying Carpet are the two primary choices. More advanced methods are generally not practical to haul into someone's living room and set up for a bithday party.

Chair suspension or magic carpet seem to be the only two options usually mentioned... I own the chair suspension. If the weight is NOT balanced right they could fall off... I had a 10 year old girl on the chair suspension in aliving room and thought she was gonna fall over... (if you own it you may understand what I am talking about)

I just wondered if there are better builders than others on the chair suspension and or carpet and was looking for other options than these two effects as well for livingroom birthday parties..

Any minute now Kyle Peron will probably chime in. He is one of our resident experts on the chair suspension. You should get his e-book on the chair suspension which goes into great detail on how to perform it safely.

But the bottom line is... you can't perform it safely if you don't have a reliable, high-quality version. At a minimum the MAK version, but the Sommers/Klamm model or the more expensive "European" Chair Suspension are considered by most to be a better choice.

Thanks Bob for the kind words about my ebook. I greatly appreciate it.

I own a Sommer's chair suspension and probably perform this illusion more times then any other effect I own. I believe so strongly in it that I use it every chance I get. Let me try and give some honest information and try and answer some questions and concerns people may have.

Benefits:
- You can piratically perform this effect totally surrounded without anyone catching on to the workings.

- You can perform this in any lighting condition and even outdoors.

- It packs down flat and makes for easy carry and travel.

- It weighs less than a lot of the suspensions like a flying carpet.

- It sets up very fast and breaks down in literally seconds - in fact you can even set it up during the show if you had to.

- Floating of the b-day child is an excellent selling point to any parent.

Disadvantages:

- The board is long so you may have to have room in your vehicle to account for this and the chairs when folded up.

- It will take you a trip or two to bring it in from your vehicle to the show.

- You must be careful with getting a child who does not exceed 90lbs. It says it can handle 150 but I do not go over 90 to be always on the safe side.

Other Notes:

- I have never had a child sit up during the effect in the hundreds of times performing this. I think it is because of the way in which I perform and present it. I make the child feel comfortable first through my talking with them in the beginning of the routine.

- I make it easy for them to get on it by using a step stool in front. This allows for them to step up and sit right down on the board.

- I ALWAYS tell the child what I am going to do before I do it. This eases their minds and gets them to know I am going to have to touch them in order to help them up or move them into place. At this day and age I ALWAYS ask if it is OK if I help them up. I get their permission to do so, so I earn their trust. It is also a way for me to tell if the child is scared or is excited about doing the effect. In all the years of doing this, I usually can pick the perfect helper.

- The child has no idea of the workings of the trick and sees nothing at all. That is what is so strong about this. As long as they follow your directions to 1) not move 2) keep their eyes closed throughout the illusion and 3) use their imagination, you will not have a problem at all.

- I also take a digital picture at the exact moment the child is suspended on the chair. This makes for a great souvenir from the show for the child to keep and show around.

- The routine can last anywhere from a minute up to six minutes or more depending upon how you routine it for your show. Personally I use it as the ending for my b-day shows as it is just that strong and it makes the b-day child feel like a star.

- I have never built one as it seems just way too hard to do the welding needed and the modifications to the folding chairs. I think by the time you went out to spend the money on materials, etc., it would be cheaper just to buy it. Besides a few good paying gigs pay for the entire thing.

I once thought people would see the gimmick, but they really do not. The reason for this is because of the way I handle it in several manners:

1) I angle it so the back chair is slightly further back towards me than the audience. This keeps the chair not dead on but allows for a clear view of the suspension when it takes place.

2) If you wrap the cloth properly, the cloth covers the gimmick that connects to the main chair. This cloth covers it completely.

3) The girl or boy that is on there I position properly, so that their shoulder blades are farthest up on the board towards the chair. This is proper placement of the weight, and it also allows for them to simply lay their heads back and close there eyes. This does two things as well: 1) the head itself covers the gimmick and the position prevents them from moving easily or prematurely.

I do this at every single birthday party, and I have never ever had anyone even notice anything at all. It really is that deceptive even up close. I think pratically because of the above reasons in my presentation of it.

With mine, I can remove the first chair and the board will remain attached to the bottom of the child. I then remove the final board and the loose wrapping of the cloth really indeed looks as if the child is totally floating. The effect is so great that it always gets the adults and kids alike going.. oh wow woah.. look at that.

It takes time to really understand this illusion, so I really say to PLEASE practice and rehearse this a lot before ever doing it to a volunteer. There are ways in my routine, and the way it is structured that ensures the child feels comfortable and safe and wants to perform it. This is critical for me, and I only learned this from constant practice and revamping the routine I now use.

My 2 cents worth.

Kyle

Kyle and kelly have hit the nail on the head. I cnat say enough about the power fo this effect. This is name amker for you if you choose to use it.
Mike

Thanks so much Mike. Kelly andI love doing this illusion and we probably perform more then any other we own. It is often overlooked, but it plays so well in the hands of someone who knows how to use it.

Kyle

Kyle, Thank you so much! I just bought a chair suspension 2 weeks ago. I am excited about doing it, I'm working on a routine for it now,... but am kind of drawing a blank. I think I would like to play music while doing the illusion.. (not sure what song to use).. but that's not a big issue,.. most anything would work... I'm more concerned about a nice routine for it. I Think I would always want to use a little girl for this and make her into a princess and then have her levitate.. but again,.. I'm not really sure... any ideas?? Thank you.

You are most welcome. I play music during my routine as background music. It is important for me to talk through the routine at various parts so that the helper remains calm hearing my voice and trust is built between them and I.

I try and use a girl and the main reason is that their hair and head will cover the hook up even better. This allows me to perform the illusion surrounded if I need to.

I have many ideas but I do not like giving routines out to folks. Nothing personal. It is just I am a strong believer in having magicians use the illusion and start to develop a routine that works for them the best and that fits their own style. I can certainly help you with that if you would like. my pleasure to.

Kyle

Hi Kyle,

I own an older used MAK version.. Two black folding chairs... Anyways.. What comes in you Chair Suspension Ebook?

Hey Kevin,

Thanks for the question and congrats on your MAK model chair suspension. Let me try and answer your question for you best I can. My pleasure to do so.

This 15 page e-book is jammed full of information, tips on presentation, safety, routine ideas as well as step by step coverage of the best way to perform this illusion. This is one of the only books in the history of magic devoted solely to helpful information on the performance of this classic illusion.

Find out how to add this illusion to any show and to add value to your client in the process. This illusion has been a classic of magic and can add tremendous value to your show at a fraction of the cost of some of the larger illusions out on the market today. It can be set up quickly and transported with ease but always amazes audiences of all ages.

What You Get

After countless efforts to try and locate information on this illusion, I realized that the information just did not exist or was very scarce at best. For this reason I spent countless hours compiling information covered in this e-book.

Find out topics such as:

• - Why Perform the chair suspension
• - The basic effect of the illusion
• - What to look for when you are purchasing
• - Chair Suspension vs. Flying carpet
• - Understanding the dangers of the illusion
• - The routine and psychology of performance
• - Safety tips and check list
• - Items to discuss with a client
• - Proper positioning
• - Child vs adult helper
• - How to perform completely surrounded
• - Plus a golden secret on how you can add immediate increased value to your show that will make any child the star of the show and you a hit with the client.

I hope this answers some questions for you. Please let me know if I can be of further help. my pleasure.

Kyle

I have kyle e-book on the chair suspension and learned a lot of things from it. I highly recommend it.

Thanks so much for the kind words. Much appreicate it. I have a brand new book coming out I am very excited about. It should be of great value to any children's or family style performer. I just got done editing it today and having it proofread now. Hope to be able to fully release it by next week.

Thanks again and if anyone has any questions, simply let me know. Always willing to help.

Kyle

I just got the chair suspension from Aye Jay. The next thing I got was Kyle's ebook. Kyle great job and tips on how to handle it. I have done it in 4 of my shows now and it went great. Thanks Kyle for the spot on information!

Cheers,
B-Rad

Thanks Brad. I am glad my notes and information were of help to you in setting up and presenting the illusion. My pleasure. =)

Kyle

Ok Kyle,

I just bought your E-book this may be my close for all my kids routines now... I will have to read your book and shake the dust off my Mak Chair Suspension in my garage. Does anyone own Yogana Chair Levitation?

My favourite levitation for kid's partys is Snowstorm in China.

You kidding right? I don't think this qualifies for a "levitation" I am also not sure how that would play out in a small living room..