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alextheamazing New user 15 Posts |
This is my first time posting to this forum (second since I already posted this to the beginner's forum). I'm usually just a lurker, but I had my two first paying shows yesterday, and I thought I'd share my experience and hear from others about theirs. I do juggling, magic and balloon animals.
My first gig in the morning was just balloon animals, and it went great. Last night was the real trial: a birthday party where I would be using all of my act. It started out well enough. I made balloon swords and hats for all of the kids, and then I did my juggling show. That went fine, mostly, though I was too nervous to really nail my four ball juggling routine. I coached the kids to clap when I dropped balls, so everyone seemed to be having a good time. The magic show was a bust though. In a bad way. It started out ok. I did a torch to flower that the kids seemed to like. Then an appearing cane and a stiff rope trick. That was all good. I had the kid's whistle and say that only their whistling could make the rope go stiff. Then I did an appearing streamer trick. The next part is where things went off the rails. I wanted to take the streamer and put it in a gung ho box and have two different colored silks come out the other end. That is, in fact, what I did. The problem was this. I had my back to a window at night, so at some point during my trick some of the kids realized they could see the load chamber in the reflection. When I realized this, I lost my cool and accidentally revealed the load chamber. My confidence shot, I went on to a change bag. I changed two silks to a color changing silk, but when I tried to do the color changing silk, I didn't do it well and one of the kids realized how the trick was done and busted me. I can't even remember what all I did next. It was just disaster after disaster. I didn't do a good job controlling where the crowd was sitting, and a girl to my right called out that I had a coin hidden in my hand during miser's dream. Then all the kids busted me on that and basically just called out what I was doing. I cut it short. I was sweating at this point. I did multiplying bananas like crap. I tried a sponge ball to square and black ball but the square didn't fully come out, if you know what I mean. I cut the entire act WAY short because I was just dying up there and the kids had basically lost all interest. When I did a hat tear, I'm not even sure the kids knew what was going on. I did balloon animals for the rest of the night, and the kids just kept telling me how balloon animals were so easy. Overall, it was just a total confidence killer. It was ALMOST enough to put me off of magic shows. I have a good job. I don't have to do this, but I wanted to do it on the side for fun and some extra money. But now I'm reevaluating the whole thing. Call me Alex, the not so amazing. Anybody have experiences like this? |
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themagicguy Loyal user Australia 280 Posts |
I think the better question is has anyone not had an experience like this. Your show sounded exactly like my first few shows. don't worry it gets easier.
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Jolly Roger V.I.P. Sedona, Arizona 1667 Posts |
Alex................we've all been there!!! Put it down to a learning experience. It can only go uphill from here. Don't give up. That would be the biggest mistake! JR
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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts |
Alex,
First of all, relax. Like you said, you have a good job. The thing I would evaluate is my motivation for doing it. It comes down to whether you love to learn and show tricks or whether you love to perform. That's something only you can say. If you love to perform then it was a bad show that you can learn from. A few things came to mind. First of all I would never do balloons at the beginning. It raises the level of distraction. Giving them at the end also gives them something to look forward to so they are more likely to behave. You can also recover from a less than stellar show if your twisting is good, since it's the last thing they remember. The other thing, IMHO, is that if you're going to entertain kids you kinda have to be funny. These kids have I-Pads. The level of amazement you can get isn't what it used to be. If you make them laugh you are almost all the way to getting them on your side. Then you leave them with cool balloons and the parents with a good last(ing) impression. Just my .02
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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JoshLondonMagic Special user 675 Posts |
Every single one of your "disaster moments" happened to all of us. I suggest 2 things: Buy Seriously Silly by David Kaye and read it cover to cover a few times. Second, get Danny Orleans' set of DVDs.
The things you mentioned will be easily recognized at your next show and each show after that will be easier. Here's what's interesting about magic: You ONLY get better by performing and messing up. Take the widow incident, we all know you shouldn't perform a trick or show in front of a window for 2 reasons and you experienced one reason why. The second is if someone walks by the window in a clown suit or bird flys by or any number of things you will lose the kids. All your hiccups have happened to me and everyone else. About 2 months ago I got burned bad in Misers Dream. Then I learned from it and found out after watching video of my shows that I don't show the bucket empty enough before the coins start appearing. Now I incorporate a fun moment that breaks up the pacing of my show and I smack the bucket a few time, let the kid do it and we go back and forth. My pin t is this never would have evolved unless I failed. Josh
Josh
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alextheamazing New user 15 Posts |
Thank you all for your advice. You have been very encouraging, and I appreciate it.
Alex |
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magicgeorge Inner circle Belfast 4299 Posts |
Well done on your first show! They will get easier. Although, I've been going full-time about 15 years and they can still be quite a challenge!
First off, do all the balloons after the show. Especially swords, kids are easier to entertain when they're unarmed. Or you have to take all the balloons off them until after the show which is a whole heap of hassle too. Also, it helps maintain an air of mystery, You'll be the magic man rather than the balloon man who is about to do some magic. Secondly, get all the kids sitting in front of you before the show. Takes a bit of organising but it'll make everything a lot easier. I sometimes point out where I will be picking all my volunteers from if they won't sit where I want them. Thirdly, when things go wrong the children will react according to how you react. If they catch you at something and it gets to you they'll eat you alive. If you act like you don't give a crap then they'll not harp on about it. For example, when the girl said she can see a coin in your hand if you just say "oh so there is, I've no idea where that came from, better throw it in the bucket" It would've been a none event. If you deny it or act like they're on to you then they'll act accordingly. Good luck! |
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gmsmagic1 Elite user 405 Posts |
If all else fails, just bring a gun to your next show. That will certainly quiet the hecklers.
Kidding of course! But there is actually a point behind my joke. Humor is often the best remedy. Laugh it off and move on, while learning from every mistake. And joking about it at the time can often get the crowd on your side and show them that you're only human. If you ignore the situation and just continue trying to fool them, it's almost like telling them that it's okay for them to continue trying to solve everything. It becomes almost a game to them So you need to remind them that we are all here to just have fun. Whether you realize it or not, you actually successfully accomplished that very task with your juggling while taking the pressure off yourself when you told them to clap every time you drop a ball. You made light of the situation with humor so you got them on your side! Way back when, I saw Doug Henning perform at the Warner Theater for a sold out crowd. Right in the middle of one of his grand illusions, something clearly messed up due to a technical glitch and all the lights in the theater went dark. When the lights came back up, he immediately went right into another illusion as if nothing ever happened. Needless to say, this incident certainly didn't appear to hurt his career at all! - Gary |
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MichaelDouglas Special user Portland, Oregon 766 Posts |
Alex, there is the concept of "failing forward". Your experience is merely the start of something wonderful. You'll grow in time. Setup a tripod and video record yourself practicing. Also get video of you performing with a real show. Reviewing your show will help you improve your scripting, acting, tricks, and more. I have video of my first show and it also was horrible.
I applaud the fact that you've come here to the Café to share your experience. Read through the various kid related topics here and you'll gain some great insights from the generous wisdom shared by the men and women who post here regularly. Bravo Alex, now find another gig as soon as you can and make it better. Keep us posted. |
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Alex
Welcome to the magic Café. They will get easier once you learn to control the adrenalin rush, and never forget that jugglers are better, smarter, and much better looking than magicians.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
Haha! Very funny, Al!
Alex the Amazing, sorry to hear of your disastrous start. As mentioned by other posters above, we've all been there. If you love doing magic and sincerely want to entertain kids, it WILL get better ... if you practice, practice, practice. (I know it's a cliche, but it's true). One thing I noticed is that all the tricks you performed were solo effects that were supposed to show off your skill. So here's your first lesson: Forget about trying to impress the kids. Work on fun routines that involve them; both by having volunteers onstage with you, or by engaging the whole group. Sure, you can still do one or two mind-blowing effects that portray you as a "wizard", but the bulk of the show should center around all those bits of "business' that makes children laugh and have a good time. The David Kaye/Silly Billy stuff won't help you ... you have to be a certain type of personality to do what he does. And besides, if you've ever seen him perform, it's complete pandemonium! The kids are constantly screaming and acting out and hitting him, etc. Very few of us can cope with that kind of situation. My advice is to study some of David Ginn's books or DVDs: http://www.ginnmagic.com. Also, Mark Leveridge has a great Kids Party DVD, which is available from Penguin Magic: http://www.penguinmagic.com/magician/mark-leveridge Another fabulous source is the Birthday Magician's Handbook by Dave Fiscus. Amazon.com has a used copy: http://www.amazon.com/Birthday-Magicians......0534J2OS Good luck! Arthur Stead http://www.arthurstead.com |
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barmybella New user Sheffield 65 Posts |
Arthur, as much as I admire and respect you I have to totally disagree with you about David Kaye. I have seen David perform on a few occasions and I must say I think your assessment of his show is unfair and inaccurate. I have never seen any sign of the so called "Pandemonium" you speak of and personally I feel his routines are spot on for the age group he performs for.
Also. how do we know that Alex isn't a zany and silly performer? I think Alex would gain a great deal of insight into what makes kids 'tick' if he did indeed read DK's excellent book. Don't want to start an argument but felt the need to speak out as I felt that what you said was unfair. |
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arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
Barmybella,
I don't think I'm being unfair at all. As I said, you have to be a certain type of personality to do what Silly Billy does. In his kidshows, he deliberately encourages and provokes the children to get rowdy and respond strongly to his antics. And then he counters to their reactions in funny ways. Jolly Roger could do it. James Munton could do it. I haven't met or seen The Great Zuchinni, but from what I've heard I'll bet he could do it. No disrespect to anyone, but you have to be kind of brash and pushy to pull it off. Most of the old-time masters of magic whom I admire had these kinds of personalities. But some of us have a different approach. I prefer being gentle with the kids. So I have other methods of controlling the crowd ... (which work extremely well, thank you very much). My advice to the Original Poster was intended to be helpful, because I could tell from his description that he had no control. And I could be wrong, but judging from the way he wrote, I'm guessing he's not ready to take charge in a Silly Billy type of way. That's why I recommended the David Ginn, Mark Leveridge, or Dave Fiscus approach. |
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Bazinga Loyal user 277 Posts |
Hi Alex,
Well, now that you got one under your belt, onward and upward, right? All of the above posts are correct, I think. Even the disagreement over the Silly Billy material. I have his book and DVD as well as GZ's Rock Star material. Although my stage persona isn't quite like that, the material is useful to me. I have all of David Ginn's material, as well as that of Sammy Smith, Terry Herbert, Mark Wade, Steve Taylor, Jim Kleefeld, Mark Stivings, and more. All of it is useful. I was thinking the same thing that NYCTwister said about the order of things. I don't twist or juggle (although I waddle and jiggle) but I was thinking maybe if the magic was first, the juggling second and the twisting third, it might be a better plan. The magic would nail their interest, the juggling might be more exciting, and the balloons would sort of wind down the frenzy and everyone would end up with a gift. Two clinkers that come to my mind are the time I was doing show outdoors in a gazebo with kids and parents, and went into the group for a silk trick - I dropped the TT. There it was. I froze long enough for enough people to see it lying at my feet. I think I said something like: "I just found that this morning. I think it's the one my dad lost in the war," or some other stupid thing. I got a few chuckles, stuck it my pocket and quickly went to the next trick. Once in an elementary school, with over 500 in the audience I held a Neilsen bottle too hard. A loud mouth know it all and his friends in the front row made sure everyone knew how that prop works. Oh, I had a window problem once too. The next day I ordered a pair of Jet Sets and heavy curtain. The way I look at it, we have some funny stories to tell a few years down the road. Don't give up because of those mistakes. If you like doing shows enough, keep going. It'll work out. Bazinga! |
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kimmo Inner circle Sheffield 1193 Posts |
Well done on your first show Alex!
The one piece of advice that I would offer is that the last thing you should do is attempt to impress the children with magic tricks. Magic in a children's show is incidental to the fun and business that happens along the way. Children love to shout out, tell you that you are wrong and join in. If you don't channel this impulse by building it into your routine, they will just start heckling and shouting out how the tricks are done. The magic is relatively unimportant.
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arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
Hey Kimmo ... that's kind of what I was saying ... only you said it better.
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The Mighty Fool Inner circle I feel like a big-top tent having 2140 Posts |
"We've all been there".....?? I'm STILL there!!!!
I agree with Kimmo & BarmyBella....it's the ENTERTAINMENT factor, not the actual "Howd'-he-do-dat" factor which is important. Yes, by creating laughter there may be 'pandemonium' but that's a good thing! Do not try to fight the boundless energy of kids (youll lose every time) USE it! DEFinetly study the techniques of Silly Billy. If you want some effects which will actually impress the kids in a magical way, I've found that the airborne effect works very well...it catches them off-guard, and for just a moment you hear oohs and aahs. Also, tricks which produce or throw out streamers / flowers...not that theyre mystifying, but theyre garunteed to get shouts of "WHOAH!" and "COOL!!" from the kids.
Everybody wants to beleive.....we just help them along.
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Matthew W Inner circle New York 2456 Posts |
We've all been there. You did your first show, which is an accomplishment. Did it go the way you had hoped? Maybe not. But the fact that you went forward and did it is huge.
I will say this, you did something that a LOT of us have done when starting out. You picked some fairly technical effects such as multiplying bananas and misers dream. As you do more shows, you will learn that the tricks are not everything. My suggestion to you would be to take some simpler tricks that will let you expand upon your performance skills. I would suggest looking at a few dvd's such as The Great Zuchinnis "Kid Show Rock Star" and Silly Billy's "Seriously Silly Live". Tommy James and David Ginn have a few as well. As you do more shows, you will find that every show is a learning experience. Once you become more confident performing you will be able to ad lib, change things up on the fly and just plain have fun doing shows. If you are having fun, the kids will have fun, and the parents will too.
-Matt
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
You're one step ahead of most magicians that have a show like this. You admitted it to yourself... and even your peers.
There are many many magicians out there, I presume, that continue to do shows just like that, over and over again, because they are unwilling to admit that their show was a bust. Kudos to you.
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
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jcrabtree2007 Special user 627 Posts |
As long as the kids had a good time- that is all that they remember. Sounds like most of your show went ok. Don't throw in the towel yet. Learn from your mistakes and you will get better.
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