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magicman222 Regular user 168 Posts |
With Disecto at a kids show, is it a good idea? Also is it too gruesome for an arm to be inside a bowl and say, “eww, my assistants are getting lazy.” How much is too much? Thanks.
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LafayetteJon New user Lafayette, LA 14 Posts |
I guess my rule of thumb is, if I think a kid might try and emulate what he sees in my show, and this could cause injury, (i.e. going into the kitchen and getting a knife to chop his brothers arm off), then I usually just try and avoid it. Now there are, of course, exceptions, but I guess that would depend on the age of the audience. The age groups that I perform for I would never do this, but I don't know what age groups you perform for. Hope that helps some.
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magicman222 Regular user 168 Posts |
Probably 6 to 11 years old.
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Emazdad Inner circle Plymouth UK 1954 Posts |
The rule of thumb in my book is never do any such tricks for kids. There are a few previous topics on dangerous stuff. See Brian’s index.
Yours Funfully
Clive "Emazdad" Hemsley www.emazdad.com "Magic is a secret, without the secret there is no magic" Remember there are only 3 types of people in the world, those that can count and those that can't. |
Dennis Michael Inner circle Southern, NJ 5821 Posts |
Yes, see the index and read all you can about this effect. I no longer use it because I have the French Arm Chopper, and the Delben Dual Wrist Chopper which both are accident free.
As for kids copying, and running out and chopping sister arm off, I think not. If they are going to do this it is not because of Magic, its some psychological deep-seated problem. We have been discussing the danger bit a lot in the Magic Café. If anything, the kids are going to get on a table and have dozens of spikes drop on them from watching Copperfield perform. Seriously, one should never turn on TV, if one believes that kids duplicate what they see and fail to see the right/wrong of such acts. Not one nightly news story goes by without someone shot, blown-up, or stabbed, Not one day goes by where sexual content is not thrown in our faces by the TV. It's doubtful kids will go to the extreme, however, playing with lighters, matches, and guns, do intrigue kids, so it must be done magically and not openly.
Dennis Michael
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magicman222 Regular user 168 Posts |
Which way does the assistant go in? By the front? How do you not reveal the gimmick?
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Mushu Loyal user 253 Posts |
Matt,
The appropriateness of arm-chopper type effects was discussed at length recently in the following thread: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......7&32 I've never had a problem performing this for a family audience. The key is to play it up for laughs. The effect is just a tiny part of the routine - you should be able to get a good 15-20 minutes out of your Disecto. Just to get your creative juices flowing, here's the part of my old arm-chopper routine where I choose my vict... umm, volunteer: Have a few volunteers come up from the audience, and "test" their wrist for suitability. Hmmm, too hard, too soft, too tough, too tender. Ssssst - Owww! - too hot! Etc. Have your partner join the line up - rubber hand up his sleeve, which comes off in your hand when you shake it. You've done this trick before haven't you? Out pops his real hand, have him take off his jacket, and you go on from there. The kids whose wrists were not suitable for the trick, don't just send them back to their seats, have them stay on stage and give them something to do. For example, Hmmm, too tough, but we need a big tough guy to hold up this basin of water ... bandages ... cotton balls ... a telephone ... a big card with "911" printed on it .... etc. This should also discourage anybody who had any thoughts about trying this at home. And many photo opportunities for the parents of the volunteers! Having your partner assist you in the trick would address your concerns with exposing the gimmick. Someone on the other thread mentioned that you could blindfold your volunteer - this could get a bit gory; don't want you fainting in front of all these people. With the Disecto, I think you can just have the volunteer stand beside the Disecto, a little bit in front, and put his arm through from behind. Play with it a bit, and you'll find the best position. You'll find it's a natural position when the arm is held out to the side, and positions the thicker part of the forearm in the hole for chopping. Magician stands off to the other side. |
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