I am currently doing B-day shows and have started doing school show. I am thinking about doing a self levitation. The one Blaine does on his specials. Buduchi or something like that. Will a full audience let you get away with it with the angels and all?
WR

I would definitely say no to the Balducci Levitation. I am far from an expert with the technique, but from my experience, the angles are far too sensitive to try to perform this for a larger audience. Even in the Blaine special, you'll notice he bunches the spectators tightly together, even when there are only 3 of them. That should give you an idea of how specific the angles need to be.

For a school show, The angles would probably work out to do a "Fearsons Box". His remote control idea from his online video would play well to the school aged crowd. It can be found at: http://www.downloadmagic.com/learn_to_levitate.htm

Enjoy,

Mike

I watched the video and immediatly knew how it was done. Ofcourse I am familar with the principle. My question is: Would that fool a lay audience?
Edd

My question would be why do a self-levitation type of a trick at a kids show? I think you cpould get more out of it if you do a levitation or suspension effect of the birthday child whos special day it is.

This could be done with the chair suspension or maybe the flying carpet as well. It gets a great reaction from the kids and the parents who booked you really love it. If you take a picture of the child, and hand it to them as a gift, then they will show it around and keep it for a long time. This in trun gets your name out.

I also think that angles would be a huge problem when doing it at a children's party for that many people.

Kyle

I too am inclined to agree with Kyle that I do believe the entertainment value could be better served with a child volunteer and maybe a way to suspend them. As stated in these posting, I too am inclined to think angle problems could be inherant with the Balducci levitate. Just my thoughts.

Snidini

No way on the balducci levitation.
It is very angle sensitive.
I agree with magic4u02 in that you should be levitating a kid not yourself.
I use the flying carpet for this

Levitating or suspending the child makes them the star of the day and it is them that you should be catering to.

Kyle

If you wanted to haul around a Flying Carpet suspension, it DOES make for a terrific photo op for the parents. Pose the little rascal with legs crossed indian style and arms crossed "I dream of Jeanie" style, and you've got a winner--with or without the magic turban!

I always take a picture when doing the chair suspsension with the b-day child at the end of my shows. It is a great gift for the kid and it ends the show by making the child the star.

Kyle

The "Fearsons Box" was performed on U.K. T.V some years back, and went down a storm. It works very well when presented well.

Martyn

Martyn,
Could Fearson's Box be perfomed at a B-day? I imagine the method would become appearant to people sitting on the floor. Can it be done for people sitting on the floor?
Edd

I wouldn't try the Fearsons Box at a B-day party (angles). I would keep it to situations where the stage is more defined. I think it might work well where the stage is a gym floor, or a raised platform and you have 12+ feet of stage space. I have not added it to my act, but I am going to try it the next time I do a cub scout show. I think a school assembly would have reasonable performing conditions.
I think that of all of the self levitations that I have seen, that the Fearsons Box holds the most entertainment value. After all, Transporting yourself to another place or dimension in a milk crate holds some interesting presentational possibilities, while doing a balducci seems quite pointless.

I think the effect would look good to people on the floor as long as they are 12 or more feet away. This illusion requires a little distance between you and the audience.
Enjoy!!

Mike

Just to add to the information here, I think that there is a one person "floating" (sit down) in Andrew Mayne's book, "Solo-X." If you really want to do float yourself at a larger show (not birthday party), investigate that option as well. The principle is somewhat like a modified flying carpet, but with some special touches.

BTW, I agree with the assessment that floating a member of the audience (a child) will have STRONGER MAGICAL IMPACT, especially moreso if they have the photo souvenir.

- Donald.

Actually, Andrew Mayne's "Broom Flight" would work very well for a kid's show.

Could Fearson's Box be perfomed at a B-day? I imagine the method would become appearant to people sitting on the floor. Can it be done for people sitting on the floor?
Edd

No, not realy. at least 10 to 12 feet away and on chairs. A school perhaps.

I've noticed that Dave Dee (remember him - the guy who makes tons of $$ with magic) uses a chair suspension in his Birthday show. (I'm learning to learn from proven success as I grow older.)

He uses the child of honor for the day as the one levitated.

Levitating a child is far superior than levitating yourself, it personalizes the show and I think has a much stronger impact. After all, everyone knows the kid is a relatively normal person, and yet the magic happens to them! Of course, the child can't be a tazmanian devil and has to be able to lie still.

It's cool, impresses the parents and kids, gives a great photo-op moment, and makes all the other kids want Dave Dee to do a show for them on their b'day too. So, it build in future business potential!

Plus, the chair levitation packs relatively flat and can work in almost any home, parlor, resturaunt or whatever without needing too much multi-angle cover (as would be required by the flying carpet or most other conventional levitations, for example).

In terms of a levitation alone, it doesn't have the limitations of the balducci (which is meant for just a few observers at very specific angles and height), or Fearson's Box (which requires that viewers are back a bit and low relative to the performer). These are great effects, just not for the b'day party venue.

For around $150, this seems like a great finale to the b'day show.

(For clarity, I'm referring to the folding chair levitation where the child is placed on a board resting on the tops of 2 folding chairs and covered with a foulard. A chair is removed, the board is removed, and yet the child "hangs" suspended in mid-air.)

-Dave

(I have no economic interest in the folding chair levitation. Now I'll take my seat and listen ... )

I lug around the flying carpet suspension... It is a pain in the butt... BUT, it looks really good and I have book tons of show because of it... I use it as an up sell in my show to a bigger package... I can make an extra $30 for the carpet and a few other additions that cost me almost nothing. My ultimate show has a finale where I their child gets to ride on the flying magic carpet... I tell them about how the other kids will be oohing and ahhing and how they will be so jealous and amazed when little Johnny is floating on the carpet... I then have my assistant (fiancée) take a digital photo of the child on the carpet with me behind them... I put a special digital picture frame around the picture when I get home and email it to the parents with a thank you note and I again mention both my referral program and my testimonial hot line...

http://www.einhorn.co.uk/

Go to magicians only section and then scroll down to inflight.

Great self levitation.

I know having attended the Paul Daniels Masterclass last year that Paul is intending to bring out a similiar version.

You may be able to get more info from andrew locke, pauls manager

hope this helps

cheers

brendan