Hey,

This Ponta guy sure has some skill.

Does anyone know where to learn the first vanish that he does?

http://www.youtube.com/user/FrenchdropTu......LHCaHDMM

Wow! I thought it was a Retention Vanish, but I guess not! The reappearance is startling, too.

I wonder sometimes (with the internet speed and frame rate), if we are seeing all there is to see, if ya know whutta mean.

Doug

Im pretty sure it uses an idea shoot ogawa teaches on cultural exchange I forget what it is called will check when I have more time.

There is definitely some help from the recording method, but I am sure this looks very good in person as well, just not quite as invisible, as many parts are dropped between frames. It looks like a nice sequence to learn.

In before 'durr ur just jealous'.

So you reckon it's faked? Kind of looks like he's putting the coin into some sort of Harada Hold technique. Most of his vids look fantastic. This guy should make an instructional DVD if he is for real!!

I'd say definitely not faked - this guy has serious chops. Check his other vids out and you'll see just how talented he is...

No question. I long for the day that High Def will be the norm, instead of this 340 x 220 or whatever YouTube and the others use as standard. The streaming causes dropped frames, skipping, and other artifacts common with their current format. It has to be that way due to something called "packets" and the way they arrive.

We will evolve. It's frustrating watching a vid, and it's either so "pixel"-ated, it's unwatchable, or it pauses (buffering), or drops frames to "catch up". I'd LOVE to see these vids either on DVD or LIVE! Thanks for bringing this!

Doug

Hey lithyem, is this the same guy? If so, then how much better than this does
3-Fly have to be? I wonder how much it costs for him to do it this well or if anyone else does it any better with crutches or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iGQGNknHwM&feature=related

Love his silky smooth mannerisms here, just magical through and through and truly as good as it has to get IMHO. The actions and smoothness are better than most that I've seen, how about you?

Oh and I agree with you, somehow I just don't think this cat is faking...I think he's really that good.

Just add this to the list of his other extraordinary videos. He is most impressive and I have yet to see anything but perfection (in my eyes) in all his postings.

Excellent smooth vanish but angle sensitive. Not a technique to use in the real world for me, but certainly inspirational to watch on video

Breathtaking! If that's a "F****er" Coin, I understand now how valuable it is! That is a modified Utility Switch, if I'm not mistaken. Flawless handling! Nope. Not faking that. The other vid looked like editing (I didn't want to say that), but that's because of the YouTube artifacts.

The guy is fantastic!

Doug

This one beats all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrerCBHYff0&feature=related

Im no slouch with coins....ive watched this dozens of times and cannot figure it out

this kid is inhuman

Honestly, this guy has amazing flow. I have watched all of his work a few times over and think he is great.

One of my favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP8I0-XNVsw

Whatta ya'll wanna bet the guys in these videos spend much more time practicing then they do surfing magic forums!?!?!

In all seriousness and IMHO, Ponta is the smoothest and most-natural-with-coins performer I have ever seen. While the greats are great, not all of their stuff is natural and all of his takes on moves and effects are.

He is good no doubt,but keep in mind that he always record his videos without showing his face, therefore looking at the monitor,the same as when you practise in front of a mirror to see where you flash and so forth,believe me it is not that hard to be smooth that way, I know so;the only video he shows his face is in the miser dream and in that one he looks just like normal.

I really would love to see him performing one of those videos of his,to an audience then I'd be convinced.

His style is more akin to ballet.

and like LF said, an audience changes everything. This does not mean the kid isn't brilliant, but he's more of a "watch me" kind of performer.

This is what I meant long time back when I said on this forum that I have at times ran into kids that were as good as anyone I'd seen. They could perform this stuff flawlessly. I've seen it right up close, coins and cards. This guy is extremely talented, not doubt about it but to be honest there's a lot of guys out there that can do it very well too. Many times the smoothness is in different styles, like a Mickey Silver -- not too many folks out there doing all of what he does as to smoothness and amazement, I can assure you. David Stone, Shoot Ogawa, Apollo, Eric Jones, Kainoa Harbottle, Mano Tejeda and so on and so on, silky smooth.

Many of the greats while maybe better than a lot of those during their time (and even those now) were also wonderful creators of magic, like Ramsay... As good as he was (and this might be blasphemous), he probably was never as smooth as this kid Ponta (Or David Roth for that matter), not just to just look at them both man for man. And really all the greats would stare in wonder at Mickey Silver, the current ones do right now, truth be told.

I agree audience interaction is important and some people just aren't performers but can still execute flawlessly. I don't think just because it's not in front of an audience that in some sort of way he might not be as good as everyone might think. I don't know, he's pretty darn good to me.

I think the Miser Dream routine where he does show face and full body movement is still very good, better than ok. I also get the whole monitor thing and perhaps "perfect" takes, multiple times and all but for me...I don't know. I honestly am convinced he would kill in any environmemt and its not just a perfect camera friendly setting with correct angles etc. Perhaps he is an anoynomous member here or will join the Café? Skilled, talented and a pleasure to watch,over and over again.