Rocco Live at the Crazy Horse - Paris
$45.00
https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=52201

If you have ever used a D'Lite (and haven't we all), you know Rocco is the creator. He sent his DVD set to be reviewed and has asked me to mention his new magic video streaming service. (Endorsed by Jeff McBride).

Centuries of magic secrets revealed by the masters of their art form. Videos from legends made decades ago to the latest up and coming magicians. Tutorials for the beginner through to the expert covering a broad array of magic topics. Never before has there been such a rich collection of magic tutorials and performances available in one place.

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Now, for the DVD set.

The Hype:
Rocco recently finished an engagement at the World Famous Crazy Horse in Paris, France. His highly acclaimed act features some of his greatest techniques and some never before seen effects. For the first time, Rocco is making his act available to you.

In this two disc DVD set, Rocco will teach you some of the magic that has made him one of the most sought after performers in the world.

Disc one includes live footage of Rocco performing his Crazy Horse act. He then goes into incredible detailed explanations showing you the pre-show set-up, techniques, and step-by-step instructions for making and performing Slydini's Newspaper Tear.

Disc two starts with an introduction to the art of sleeving. On this DVD, Rocco teaches the fundamentals of sleeving. On this DVD, Rocco teaches the fundamentals of sleeving as well as several bonus effects. He will also include two additional bonus effects taught to him by the Great Slydini.

Rocco was a student of the legendary Slydini, and is the recipient of many awards in magic including the FISM award for "Most Original Act". It is very rare that a magician of this caliber would release their complete act to the magic community. This is your chance to learn from one of the masters of magic.

My Take:
I had the privilege of seeing Rocco lecture a while back in Florida. He was off to do a series of shows in Asia. He had designed an act that he could do a number of times each day at the same venue. Great act. Then he showed exactly how to do everything in his performance. An outstanding lecture. So, I expected nothing less from this DVD set.

Disc 1 - Rocco has performed over 250 shows at the famed Crazy Horse in Paris. It is divided into two parts. First is his live performance at the Crazy Horse. Part two is a detailed step by step explanation of each aspect of his act. One thing about his performance I noticed right away because the same thing occurred at his lecture. If you have Rocco, you will need a janitor. There is a lot of stuff that ends up on the floor. His act is fast placed and flashy. He starts blowing smoke into a glass but when he pours it out, it has turned to milk and left an ice cream bar in his hand. The act hits many bases with such things as pretzel manipulation, cigarette manipulation and a burned and restored tie. He then transitions to a nicely done torn and restored newspaper. He rolls a piece of the scrap into a cigarette, puts it in his mouth and lights whereby it turns into a pipe. Nice visual.One bit that I really liked involved two matches. He lit both and put one into each hand. He turned to blow out the left match but the right was extinguished, too. (Right out of Tarbell.) Rocco packs a lot into his act and keeps it moving. He even included a colorful Snowstorm in China with red lips.. He also used the comedian's call back technique. He had some glitter on his shoulder throughout the act and numerous times turned to blow it off. Small touch, but effective. Great stuff and it is easy to understand why he is a two time FISM winner.

Then, we enter the explanations. He starts with telling you how he sets up for the pre-show. This is info a lot of us can use. Unlike a lot of us who just go out with a pile of tricks, this act is seamless. You cannot separate one trick from another as they flow seamlessly. He also shows how important it is to have a checklist of materials and actions to get ready for the act. Every prop, every accessory has an exact place where it goes for every performance so there is no hesitation is using it.As he goes, step by step, through everything in the act, it is obvious just how much work this was to put together. He explains each move, each gimmick and each moment of misdirection. If you do stage or parlor, this disk is pure gold. And, if you only do closeup, this set will still affect the way you perform and think about your magic. Absolutely brilliant. You seldom see one of the top pros tip absolutely everything in his act. He even shows how to make his newspaper torn and restored taught to him by Slydini. and you will love his thumbtip gimmick. He says not to do everything just the way he does it (and you never could with the panache he displays), but use everything to create your own act.

Disc 2 - The bonus disk is also divided into two sections. First, a section on the fundamentals of sleeving. If you are at all familiar with Rocco, you will be aware that he is famed for his sleeving technique. And the last section is something really special. Rocco performs and teaches effects taught to him by Slydini.

On the first disk, you see sleeving in performance and see just how effective it is. On this disk, you are taught the fundamentals of sleeving with exercises and tips. You learn how to change a ball into a coin. This is a very pretty move. If you don't sleeve already, this will make you want to try it. Plus, you get detailed instruction on just how to be successful. The one downside is you have to wear a jacket.

Bonus effect one is restored cigarette. Now cigarette magic is politically incorrect but this is a nice visual effect. The second bonus is tissue paper productions. Objects appear in torn up tissues using the techniques previously taught.

Then, we get into the Slydini effects. Torn and restored cigarette paper, broken and restored cigarette and cigarette production. The broken cigarette effect was really clever. I had not heard of this technique before but it appears very simple. Rocco does a nice job of imparting the skill of Slydini.. True, cigarette magic is pretty well frowned on these days but I still enjoyed the thinking behind these.

Conclusion:. The teaching of Rocco is about what I expected after getting a sample at his lecture. Extremely detailed instruction. He not only shows the misdirection but explains the timing and how it works. I would not hesitate to give this DVD set four stars. This amounts to a college course in magic. Highly recommended.