Hi. I have recently bought the dancing cane. I can make it it float around me, etc. I was wondering if anybody had any comments about it.

What finger do you hold the gimmick on? I am using the thumb at the moment.

I am working on making the gimmick switch from hand to hand. Any comments???

The correct placement of the gimmick should be on the outer (last) joint of the middle finger. That way by using a simple little pumping action of the finger (almost imperceptable), you can make the cane move.

Switching hands is pointless and in fact ALWAYS looks as if you are passing the gimmick from hand to hand. The more important thing you should focus on is to have BOTH your hands moving at all times as if they both control the cane. That is more important.

PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat

I would have to disagree on the switching of hands. You can switch hands during a spin and noone will see a thing. I do my routine on the thumb, but the whole routine is short. Only 2 minutes long. For which most of the time I am telling a story about why I have the cane. But I do know of someone who swears by the middle finger hookup. He does some KILLER moves with it this way. His name is Bill Robinson, from Raleigh NC. He even makes the cane move in circles from back to front going over his head! Keep working, It will come to you.

Blurr

Jeff McBride, on his VHS Magic on Stage, Vol 3, has a nice discussion on the Dancing Cane. He states the illusion is lost after the first minute, To keep it short but what you do make sure it's perfect. A great opening act. It's worth watching.

I agree with Jeff McBride. Keep the routine incredibly short. Watch a lot of videos of people doing it and pick the two or three moves that you like best. Learn those. Do those. Quit. When you take the time to learn a whole bunch of moves, it's tempting to want to do them all in front of an audience. As soon as they think thread, you've lost the battle. They won't admire your skill if they think they know how it's done.

I feel that you are all underating the Dancing Cane. It is truly a mystifying piece. As long as the thread is not seen, I don't think anybody can figure it is hooked to your thumb or finger. But, you do as you wish, and I will keep killing people with my version, which is a highlite of my show!

Blurr

Hmmmm....Good Points Here!

I blow away my audience with my version of the Dancing cane every week in my "Extreme Illusions of Fire" segment of my show! Here are my personal views...

1) I use the middle finger!
2) Like ThoughtReader said keep both hands moving and the secret will be undetectable.
3) Although you can stretch out the length of the routine, there are only so many moves that you can do with the dancing cane even if you are Peter Pit! I keep my routine down to about minute and half. But it's strong magic at it's best!
4) The dancing cane is one of the most affordable mini illusions out there, that packs small yet plays big!


Highly recomended!

P.

I understand there is a video of Peter Pit doing the Dancing Cane. Has anybody seen it? Does it really exist? If so, what is the name and where can I get one?

I heard he was supposed to make one but then he died, is that true?

Where can I find a dancing cane illusion? Is it only suitable for stage work?

Wow! I know I haven't played with a cane in years but amuse me for a few...

I learned how to do the cane from a Dutchman named Peter Pit... according to him, the thumb is the proper finger... then again, he and Fred Kapps may have been wrong...

I'm hearing some interesting things here... can't wait to hear how you're doing the Long Salt Pour...

For the Ultimate cane illusion check out my new creation:

www.masterofillusions.ca/ULT-CANE.htm

P.

Hey, I have seen Dancing Canes for sale as low as 12.00 brand new. I was wondering, does the price determine the quality of the effect? Or is it basically all the same, just better made canes cost more because they are either metal or decorated in a fancy way? I would like to get a cheap dancing cane to start out with. Any help would be great. I saw Rick Anderson performing at a lecture last week using the Dancing cane. His performance looked great. The cane he used looked like the $12.00 versions ive seen out there.

BRIAN... in a word YES!

Anytime you buy "second rate" that's what you get!

When I was doing the cane I owned two Creekmore units that ran around $125.00 each some 20 years ago. They were the best for weight, balance and control. I'm not familiar with some of the new models on the market today, but I DO NOT recommend buying a new cane that sells for less than $80.00 + (and even some of those are questionable.)

Thanks for the advice Darmoe. Can anyone tell me where I can look into getting the best dancing canes around? I have searched dancing cane as a inquiry term on sites like google, msn.... I just come up with pages that give me 12 to 30 dollar canes. Any help would be appreciated.

Brian,

Denny Haney still carries Creekmore Canes, Pool Cues and Golf Clubs. The Cane is around the $90 price tag...maybe closer to $100. His site is dennymagic.com

Hope this helps.,

-Corey King

Thank you Corey. That is more like what I'm looking for. I only found Creekmore canes. In your post, do you mean they sell dancing pool cues? I'm confused. Maybe I should look it up on the site before making a bigger ace of myself.

Yes they also carry a dancing golf club and a dancing pool cue.

-Corey

Darmoe, I don't really think it is fair for you to make that statement about any cane under $80.00 is second rate. My ultimate cane is a very exceptional well made prop that will last you a lifetime if taken care of. It also creates a spectacular effect involving the cane that makes a beautiful piece of magic.

Besides, I know for a fact that you have not seen my cane in action, nor have you seen the props put together. You can assume, but I would appreciate it --especially comming from a person of your magical background-- to not put mine or anyone else's product in that catagory without seeing it first.

Thank you,

P.

Peter

It's nothing personal but based on my experience over the past 35 years or so the majority of the canes that sell below the range I mentioned lack balance and ease in control. The majority of the full-time pros I know personally that do the Cane in their act either end up with or use Creekmore exclusively for this reason.

Now in defense of your position I'll admit, I've not played with one and you may have overcome some of the problems known to exist in the lesser expensive product. I can't say but must, as anyone, support my position based on what I know, have seen and experienced. I do not mean this as a slander against your particular product, only as a general warning/rule of thumb. I honestly hope you do offer a equal to or superior product to Creekmore at a better price... our industry needs that kind of competition.

I understand what you are saying in defense of your experience, but my cane uses some Fantasio-made products and, as you should know, his products have been used by some of the top full-time pros, including: Lance Burton, Tony Clark, David Copperfield, James Dimmare, Sonny Fontana, Greg Frewin, Franz Harray, Norm Neilson, Hans klok, Penn and Teller, Princess Tenko, Silvan, Shimada, and Melinda, just to name a few.

My product was fully backed by Fantasio, so I think it is safe to say that what I am selling is NOT second rate. That was all I was trying to say and your first post sounded like it was made out of unfairness towards me, that's all.

Cheers



P.