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owen.daniel Inner circle England 1048 Posts |
I recently saw Jeff Sheridan performing his act, and then lecture, in England. The opener for his act is his rope routine called The Swan Lake Rope Routine. I think this is really an excellent routine, and I was just interested to hear other peoples views on Jeff's routine.
I bought a copy of the lecture notes which are specifically on this routine and they were really worth the money. If any of you know this routine, I would be interested to know if it is other people's favorites, and if not which you prefer. OWen |
altoni New user 74 Posts |
I use to watch Jeff perform back in the 70s in NY. I use to street-perform down the road and would always make time to watch his act. I loved his rope routine, still do. He was also very friendly and always gave me great tips on magic. One of the best performers I have ever seen. A master of the art.
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James Fortune Special user UK 509 Posts |
Owen,
Where can I see this?
Warmest regards
James James Fortune MIMC www.comedymagiciansurrey.co.uk www.bestweddingmagician.co.uk |
owen.daniel Inner circle England 1048 Posts |
It is a shame you did not go to International Magic's annual convention last year as he was lecturing, and performed his routine before the lecture. It is possible to buy the lecture video from International Magic, and I believe the routine is on the video before the lecture, but you would need to check.
Owen |
JardiniMagic New user Scottsdale 72 Posts |
Swan Lake Great Routine can see it Jeff Sheridan Genius at work DvD Volume one the Street Act. Your magic Suplier should be able to get it for you!
The Magical World of Jardini
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Michael Dustman Inner circle Columbus, Ohio 1220 Posts |
I purchased the manuscript some years ago from Collectors Workshop. I believe you can still get it from Viking for around $10.
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
I have this and think it is okay routine. I cannot bring myself to believe to use my fingers as sissors. The same goes for Vito Lupo's and Daryl's Rope routine but his flows very well. I never seen Jeff perform it but have studied the Collectors Workshop instructions. I am sure it look great in Jeff's hands. He has probably performed it a million times as a street performer.
This fake finger cutting is not my style. Bill |
MonsterMagic Special user 517 Posts |
I perform this.
Floors children and adults alike. Probably the most talked about part of my show. |
Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
I’ve watched Jeff perform an early incarnation of this routine back in the 70s when he was performing in New York City. Watching his act was a highlight of my trip there that summer.
I’ve also seen his latest version of the routine on his video mentioned above. The differences are very subtle. Heck, I suspect that there are no differences but simply me not remembering it completely. The routine owes a lot to George Sands (and Mr. Sheridan gives Sands credit on the DVD). It is a nice, tight, and entertaining routine with a definite ending point using a ring on rope stung (using a pair of scissors instead of a ring). It is good for any venue from street (busking), to parlor, to stage. However, like Bill, I’ve always thought that the fingers as scissors and miming cutting the rope weakened the routine. I believed that it weakened George Sands original routine too. I just feel that it tips the method needlessly. I believe (and as I perform it) the scissors can be introduced at the beginning and used to “cut” the rope. Then the routine performed and the scissors reintroduced for the final stunt. I think that it is a better theatrical piece done that way and more or less gives a reason for the scissors to exist in the first place.
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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MonsterMagic Special user 517 Posts |
I worried about the finger scissors, but I now believe that is a magicians take on it.
The spectators seem to like it. Some think the rope is 'cut' others still see the rope come apart where previously it was solid. |
Mark Williams Special user Las Vegas, Nevada 513 Posts |
Jeff's Swan Lake Routine also appears on L&L's World's Greatest Magic DVD Professional Rope Routines. It's a great DVD, as other routines are also taught. The one thing about Jeff teaching his routine...was he was dressed in all black, working with a black backdrop...so it made for some uncomfortable viewing. It also seemed like Mr. Sheridan was quite nervous during the explanation part. I liked the real pair of scissors linking onto the rope though...that was a cool move!
Best Magical Regards, Mark Williams
"Once is Magic!! Twice is an Education!!"
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yin_howe Special user Malaysia 981 Posts |
"Talent without passion is talent wasted.."
https://www.youtube.com/user/yinhowe80/ |
MagicJuggler Inner circle Anchorage, AK 1161 Posts |
I've done the finger scissors bit while doing Daryl's rope routine literally hundreds of times, and have always recieved a good reaction from it, and had that be one of the most talked about moments in the routine by quite a lot of people.
I think the main point in making it work as a peice of magic is how much conviction the audience has that you're using a single piece of rope. I always start the routine with the rope tied in a bundle and tossing it from hand to hand very openly before undoing the bundle and stealing the extra length of rope in the process. Then later when the small peice is introduced, it's done in context of another piece of rope alltogether. I think the moment of that routine that runs the biggest risk of tipping the method to the audience is the moment when the ends of the rope are removed. If the audience is allowed to see the bend in the small piece of rope then the illusion of two ends of a rope is destroyed and the audience is more likely to reorient their thinking closer to the true state of affairs. Once you've put on a convincing display of removing the ends, showing the 'endless' rope, and restoring the ends to the rope; the idea that you can separate the rope at any place you want is only a short leap of logic away. Thus the finger cutting of the rope in the following phase is simply following that leap of logic. It's not the most convincing way to cut a piece of rope, but it's consistent with the subtext of the first part of the routine which is basically that you're able to do some things with a rope that aren't logically possible. Were I to do a straight cut and restored rope the finger cutting method would be out as the method out of context of a larger routine lacks the conviction necessary to convince the audience that the rope was cut, and thus causing the audience to immediately question the methodology of how that was done. Come to think of it, in a cut and restored routine, the restoration should be the effect, not the cutting of the rope. In the Daryl routine the cut and restored is only one moment in a variety of effects, so the effect of cutting the rope 'magically' doesn't detract from anything in the context of the routine. So in other words, I think the finger cutting thing can work as a piece of magic without tipping anything so long as it's consistant within the context of the routine, but probably shouldn't be used when the whole point of the routine is the restoration of the rope. So there.
Matthew Olsen
I heard from a friend that anecdotal evidence is actually quite reliable. |
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