I am looking for a good self levitation to purchase. I think Balducci is good ,but I've heard the angles on ground zero are better. Right now I'm looking for one that allows a completely surrounded audience. Could you point me in the right direction? All help is greatly appreciated.

Zero Gravity is probably the only one that's going to allow you to perform it surrounded, unless you want to spend $600 on an In-Flight, which will allow for surrounded levitation. But remember, ZG can only be performed in certain conditions.

-Corey

King Rising is another self-levitation that takes the Balducci to new heights (pun intended). It too has angle problems, but if the angles are right, it is like the Balducci on steroids. Zero Gravity I've had for 2 years and have yet to construct the special "props." Like Corey said, you need the right conditions. I'm interested in In-Flight for my kid shows, but I never shell out $500 impulsively. I'll get it eventually.

Take some time to search this site because there are many self levitations discussed. No need for a new thread to answer your question.

By the way, Cardician, the guy who answered your post is the developer of the King's Rising.

Dave

Anyone know where I can see a demo of In-Flight? I'm intrigued to see how good it looks.

Lesault.

Hocus-Pocus.com or einhorn.co.uk

They both have online demoes of In-Flight.

-Corey

Corey,

You've become the unofficial magiccafe consultant for self levitation illusions! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.

Dave

P.S. Corey, I think if you put a www. in front of the addresses you cite, this website automatically turns them into hot links so that all you have to do is click on them to go to the site.
Here are the sites you mentioned. I copied what you wrote and pasted them here, and put the three w's in front of them:
http://www.hocus-pocus.com or http://www.einhorn.co.uk

Note the change in color. Click on them and away you go!

Guys, I gotta tell ya. Self-levetations are not only angly, but they are also CONDITIONAL. You can't "just do them". The spectator's cannot know what is going to happen before hand. Lighting is a factor as well. a darker atmosphere is better than a brightly light one.

I have "seen 'em all" (or close to it anyway), and the best one, IMHO, is still the Balducci. A common mistake that guys make when performing this effect is that they try to go as high as they can. Only go about one or one and a half inches off the ground. Height is a non-issue. I mean, ask any one else to lift themselves off the ground even a half inch. Besides the spectators memory will embellish the effect, and a week later they will swear that you were a foot off the ground, and that they saw both feet in the air, etc.

dpe66,

That posts looks awfully familiar lol.

Dave,

No problem! Glad someone appreciates the information

-Corey

A quick comment on In-Flight the video shows itpretty clearly. But it is nothing compared to a complete live performance.

I saw it in June at the FCM International, and Toby Travis did it twice. He did it once without announcement to show me. The the plan was that I would go gather a crowd and he would do it again.

But by the time he finished the first performance of it. The crowd had grown to overflowing the common area where he ws performing on a stage. And after teh first taste, they begged to see it again.

It played incredibly well. You can do it totally surrounded, and there are no bad angles.

After I got back, I looked at the Hank Lee video, and said "no...it was much better than that!" And I think it was. He appeared to go much higher than he actually went. But that is the what almost everyone said. I asked a few others how high he went afterwards, and the most common answer was "2-3 feet" (Rembember that is the audience reaction it. Not necessary the reality.)

All in all, I cant see other "transportable" or balducci variation type of levitation playing that big.

BroDavid

As much as people pan In-Flight, I think it has great potential. Only problem I see is coming up with logical patter than won't bore the audience.

-Corey

LOL. This whole thread looks awfully familiar! How many threads are we going to have on self-levitations?!

23.

Is there any self-levitation were they can look under your feet?

>Is there any self-levitation were they can
>look under your feet?

Yes, but then the spectators can't be looking at your hands ...


... or notice the jungle gym above your head ...

Is In-Flight examinable?

That is, unless you're willing to deal with 100,000 individual strands of Kevlar thread.

Quinn

Couldn't that risk glimpsing the thread?

Jakks

Where can you purchase in-flight?

Magicbuilder came up with a way to do the levitation while people are even looking under your feet, if I am not mistaken.

As for In Flight; It may be good, but why would a "magician" carry with him a curtain and a box to levitate. Besides there are other versions out which avoid such things. I would prefer to sacrifice some angles and have no covers. That is the closest one can get to real magic.

And, also, many people have seen David Blaine do the balducci, nowadays. It would put you down if they see you using a curtain and a box to levitate, when Blaine just did it. We magicians have to move with the flow. The era of covers to levitate is over, no matter how good the methods may be. Magic is like with computers... Today you have the best machine on the market, tomorrow you have a piece of scrap.

Well those are my thoughts. Going to sleep now, as it's already midnight here in Malta.

Ivan ZZZZZZzzzzzzz........

I'm waiting on RETRO-GRAVITY to be released.