⚠️ This challenge is part of the Street Magic course ; only complete it if you're a student. Goals for this challenge: Introduce yourself to your fellow magicians. Tell us your goal for this course. Example: Hi, I'm Julio Ribera! I'm a magician from Valencia, Spain. I'm 25 years old (and I turn another year older on February 27th) and I've been involved in magic for over a decade. One of the things that inspired me most when I started was discovering David Blaine's TV specials where he performed street magic. I'd watch the recordings over and over until I figured out the secret to his tricks. Obviously, I don't recommend doing that because it takes a lot longer and you learn the techniques incorrectly (it took me a long time to correct them later 😂). Since then, street magic and card magic have become my two biggest passions. MY GOAL WITH THIS COURSE: I want to build a repertoire of magic tricks that allows me to always be ready to create moments of wonder anywhere, anytime, even if I don't have a deck of cards on me. Now it's your turn! Reply to this post with your introduction and course goal.

A basic explanation, especially for those unfamiliar with it, on how to separate the faces and backs of cards to use as materials for creating gaff cards or gimmicks . There's not much to it beyond patience. NOTE: Clearly, making videos isn't my thing; they're uploaded exactly as they're shot. With all humility, I apologize in advance for rambling a bit and perhaps making the video longer than it needed to be. Nonetheless, I hope you find it useful . By the way, if I seem a bit wired... it's because of the 4 Monsters I drank all afternoon, while making videos, uploading them to YouTube, then watching them, discarding them... and stressing myself out.... I don't really like how this last one (the third) turned out either, but I've hit my limit for today, from noon 'til now, so it's going up as is. Cheers and good magic!!!

Now for the part you've all been waiting for. PART 2 - The Loop Maker Itself Well, here it is, plain and simple. Looking at it, it doesn't seem like much, does it? This part is what's important, and again, the measurements. In my case, my wrist measurement is about 20 cm + 4 or 5 cm ( these extra centimeters are for tying the knot properly ), which gives me a 25 cm board, from the first gold line to the last gold line. This means: From point A to point B should be half the distance of your wrist (10 cm in my case), and from point B to point C, half of that previous distance (5 cm in my case). We could call it " the half-and-half rule ". What about those orange and green lines over there? And that hole? Easy, those are for the Loops I make for my 7-year-old daughter 😊 Her wrist, obviously, is still very small, and she needs her custom Loops (more than anyone else). On the board, there were just some lines; on the Loop Maker, with an extra hole, I solved it this way. When I make them for her, I add a rod in that hole and use that setup for her mini-loops. So, until now we've seen that the "contraption" is a board with some rods nailed in (at specific distances). Back then, I took an A4 sheet and, using my measurements, drew up a plan. As you can see, the Loop Maker has a board to prepare the threads on it, but later, as I made more boards to speed up the process, I ended up adapting it to attach each board to it using some pegs and holes. This is what you need to build A board, fairly thick, so we can place the "posts". The "posts," which are nothing more than our guides, in my case, I made them with tent pegs, from the Chinese bazaar. But you could use any other rod (metal is better) like metal chopsticks, or anything that allows the thread to slide without cutting it. A drill and a bit the diameter of the tent pegs. And that's it, a bit of DIY and patience. With the materials on hand, it shouldn't take you more than an hour to build. Here's another example of a multi-Loop Maker (just some ideas that pop up) made from a kitchen cutting board + some pirate flag poles from the bazaar. In this one, you can see the pre-loops, after tying their triple knot and before cutting them. We've reached the point where I need to upload a video to properly explain how I do it, but it's taken me almost an hour to finish this second part (and it's not even that much content). It's 1 AM (here in Spain), and I'm totally exhausted. Except for that video, which I'll get to once I wake up and make some coffee, I promise I'll get right on it , for the rest, you already have something to work on to get ready. On one hand, the " Boards " ( ), and on the other, the Loop Maker . It's all pretty easy, but you've got to do it. As I said, I'll make and upload the video in about 8 or 9 hours, though the more intuitive among you probably won't need it if you've got good logical deduction. For now, you've got some work to do until I upload the video with the full process, which I'll post as a reply to this same post as a " solution ". Cheers everyone, and good magic!!!

My favorite magic trick is the French Kiss card trick because it really connects with spectators by being performed on their mouth. It's best suited for smaller audiences. What about yours?

Hey everyone, By request from our friend @franciscoufarte0155 (I hope I got the username right, Paco), we're going to take a look at how to get a card inside an orange. So, let's break down how it's done. The photo shows everything we'll need to get a card inside an orange. Let's list it out: An orange – obviously, right? You could try another fruit, but a card hides really well in an orange. Two identical cards. One will go inside the orange, and the other we'll conceal. A utility knife (or hobby knife) to make a perfect cut. I have two: the yellow one for the card, and the blue one I'll use for the orange. Stainless steel straws, or something hard and hollow, roughly the size of a rolled-up card. A hot glue gun, to seal the orange afterward. The 'Contraption.' This is something I built to trim cards and create gimmicks. In fact, the first trick I performed with it is the one we're about to demonstrate. I used my contraption for this, but if you put your mind to it, you could figure out other ways to do it. Basically, it involves weakening the card by cutting through two layers of paper; the spectator won't notice a thing. This way, when we tear the corner in front of the spectator, it will perfectly match the one inside the orange. We weaken two corners so they always tear off identically, and then we break one of them. The other corner we keep hidden in our deck... For this, I use the two straws that I use for card stripping... Check out our friend @Zeta's posts, and you'll see what I'm talking about. With the help of the utility knife and extreme caution (if you're underage, please ask your parents for help), we remove the stem from the orange. For this, we'll use a stainless steel straw, being very careful not to push all the way through the orange. We'll apply just enough pressure to create a hole in the fruit. Then, very carefully, we slide the card into the orange. If the orange is going to sit with the card inside for a while, it's a good idea to wrap it in plastic film so the orange juice doesn't damage it too much. To seal it, we'll apply a tiny bit of hot glue and carefully place the orange stem back in. Here's the final result! Click the link below to watch a video of the orange with the card inside. Happy Sunday!

Hey everyone. I've recently read that magicians don't have a good opinion of "magician" Antonio Díaz (aka Mago Pop). I haven't seen his show, but they say it's really good. Does he really use stooges and claim other magicians' effects as his own? If he uses stooges, he's only fooling himself and devaluing the art of magic. If he claims other magicians' effects as his own, he might fool lay audiences. We can perform tricks we learn from courses, books, etc... What's the limit? Only what's published? Should we say, 'This trick is by [magician's name]'? Best,

I saw a magic trick where the spectator named a number, the magician took out their phone, and the time dropped by that many minutes. For example, if it was 9:30 and the spectator said 5, the time would decrease until it showed 9:25. Then, the spectator would take out their own phone, and it would actually be 9:25. Does anyone know the name of the app for this?

Many years ago, I became fascinated with Taoism. I don't quite remember how I stumbled upon it. I was deeply immersed in meditation (reading books by Bokar Rimpoché) and Chinese martial arts. I think one day I found a small book in a bookstore, The Tao of Lao Tzu (translated by Thomas Cleary , which for me is the best version). I devoured it. Some of its chapters are simply wonderful. Nothing ness as creator, non-form as its basis, the non-action as the engine of action. Like the non-form of the Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee . I am in motion yet not moving at all. I am like the moon above the waves, always rolling and swaying. It's not about "I am doing this," but rather an inner understanding that "this is happening through me" or "this is doing itself for me." Self-awareness is the greatest obstacle to the correct execution of any physical action. Tao of Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee Interestingly, there was a magician in Spain, Gabriel Moreno who was captivated by these same philosophies in his magical work. He took the ideas from "Zen in the Art of Archery" and applied them to magic. His ideas of letting the elements, the cards themselves, do the action , so we don't have to, are brilliant. Gabriel Moreno thus developed a whole theory on the practice of magic and non-action, in order to convey that absence of action to the spectator . I recommend reading the wonderful article about Gabriel published by Miguel Muñoz in Maese Coral 2 . More recently, Giancarlo Scalia set out to study magical techniques, or rather the needs of magical effects, from the perspective of non-doing , or almost non-doing, in his work on the Bluff " Much More Than Nothing" . In it, he exports the philosophy of the bluff pass (or non-pass) to many more techniques and concepts. For example, understanding the tensions and forms of normal actions, to mask non-actions , like shuffling without shuffling. In this case, it responds to a pragmatic philosophy, from necessity to action, bottom-up, rather than a top-down paradigm imposing action. And that allows us to understand a bit more the power of non-doing itself. In a way, it's the closest thing to the philosophy of magic itself. It should appear that we're doing nothing, "the best technique is the one that doesn't exist," as Ascanio used to say. The less it exists, the better. In fact, this idea was what drove Gabriel Moreno in his magic, and it resonated especially well with the Zen he discovered later. Another approach, as I've mentioned, is Giancarlo's, who masks his non-actions with "virtual" actions. Simulating an action, like in a false shuffle, where we pretend to perform a real shuffle while moving cards up and down, controlling them, but reaching the extreme of not acting at all , not moving a single card, even though it appears we are. Brilliant. Here, Gabi also comes in. I believe one of his greatest contributions—and I've always said Gabi is much more than fictional magic—is the distillation of magic effects. His ability to perceive the needs of effects and strip away everything unnecessary. Gabi quoted Saint-Exupery : "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." What a profound statement; it's crucial to keep it in mind when performing magic. Magicians have a natural tendency to create more and more techniques. As Gabi himself said, the internal life—the technique—is overdeveloped compared to the external life in magic. I believe this tendency arises because often the audience we perform for most often are other magicians . And wanting to fool other magicians, we rush to find new methods. As Darwin Ortiz says in "Strong Magic" , if a magician doesn't catch 10% of an effect, they applaud us for having fooled them. We strive to achieve that 10% for magicians, neglecting the other 90%, and it turns out that—again, as Ortiz says—if a layperson catches 10% of an effect, they already believe they've caught us, and the magic is lost. Another reason is the misunderstood way of adapting an effect to our personality. Sometimes it will be necessary to change a technique because it's more favorable to us, or to adapt it to our vision of the external life, but not always. It's not bad to have our own style; in fact, it's good, but we don't have to obsess over it . Sometimes we can adapt only the external life to make it our own. We also have the feeling of being a better magician if we use more techniques, always trying to put a new spin on things. I believe that's inevitable, and it's a path almost all of us take, but it's part of a "magical adolescence" that should eventually pass. It's true that the more technical baggage we have, the more effects we can perform, the more routines we can build, and the better the technique, the less it will be noticed. But we'll feel the need to cram those techniques into effects even when they're not needed, creating a baroque internal life and also a lack of clarity in the external life. On the other hand, the magicians I've mentioned who seek simplicity are in fact very technical people—Gabriel Moreno, with his legendary abilities, would be the pinnacle of technical skill—but as Ascanio used to say, "to conquer the princess of simplicity, one must first defeat the dragon of difficulty." Once we've reached a certain level of magical maturity, we can look back and remove everything superfluous, introducing only the necessary technique and what best resonates with the effect. Ascanio also used to say that technique is only 10% of an effect, but it's an essential 10%. Like salt in a stew, it's small in comparison to the other ingredients, but it's a vital component. The criticism of over-technique is based more on its abuse, on the saturation of moves, on not understanding magic as an effect/phenomenon seen by a spectator, but rather as a display or self-gratification stemming from the internal life. There are some effects, like Bannon's Spin Doctor , where suddenly an extra card appears—which, to make matters worse, reveals the method—just to keep adding effects in a "more is better" mindset, which, in my view, destroys the fiction, the illusion, and the experience, all for a magician's desire to inflate their own ego. It's an effect with four Aces, but then you reveal you have an extra card, then they're colored backs...As Vernon, said, confusion isn't magic, and some believe that confusing with a thousand effects is magic. Another reason I believe we add too many techniques is guilt, we reiterate, over-shuffle, over-display (Ascanio's Spreads, Elmsley Counts,...), when it's not needed. In an effect a friend taught me, there was a display with an Ascanio's Spread, and it didn't convince me; it didn't feel organic from the perspective of the external life. I removed it, and no one noticed, nor did the magicians who saw it question me—"a display here to corroborate... Nothing." If there are 10 black cards and I've shown them, why do I need to show them again if nothing in the external life has suggested they've stopped being black? The purest magic, and here Ascanio comes in again, is the contrast between a clear initial situation and a clear final situation and the less that happens in between, the better (or the less it *seems* to happen, thanks to actions in transit). Gabi's 'Incauto' effect, for me, is a paradigm of the search for simplicity (among many others, like the palindrome deck or the attention test). He takes an effect with a multitude of duplicates, counts, palms, etc., and reduces it to its minimal expression. A multiple turnover, an Ascanio's Spread (which I actually remove too), and a simple lap. And it remains the same effect, but much cleaner, simpler, and all-terrain (borrowed deck, incomplete, impromptu). As Joaquín Matas says at the end of A Fuego Lento Vol. 2, we need to learn to differentiate between classics and "magician-pleasers." They're not the same, and that happens because we don't listen to the audience. There are effects that blow us away as magicians because the technique or method surprises us, and we think it's going to be a bombshell, but it turns out the audience is much colder to it than to the incredibly simple and brilliant "Double Prediction" (the first effect in Fundamental Card Magic ). As Juan Tamariz comments in The Magic Rainbow , classics are, putting aside the allegories to primal desires, effects that are conceptually simple from the spectator's point of view. The broken and restored thread, the Linking Rings, The Miser's Dream,... Not changes, transformations, transpositions, productions without rhyme or reason. We need to listen to the audience, simplify. What's important, as Wonder put it in other words ( The Books of Wonder Vol. 1) is the external life. Visualize the effect exactly as it would be if you had genuine magical powers, and try not to stray from that vision. The further we stray, the worse the effect will be. Similarly, if it's an effect we already know, we should seek its essence and distill it until nothing is superfluous and nothing is lacking, as Saint-Exupery said. It should have the least possible noise, the greatest clarity, and the greatest economy. Although these are sometimes antagonistic concepts, I believe there's a point where both can be enhanced equally . We need to reach the point where improving one compromises the other. If both can be improved, it's our duty to do so, because otherwise, it's not a good effect. Bibliography Meditation: Advice for Beginners. Bokar Rimpoche. Dharma Publishing The Magic of Ascanio Vol I. Jesús Echeverri. Páginas Publishing The Books of Wonder. Tommy Wonder & Stephen Minch. Páginas Publishing. Maese Coral Vol. 2. Strong Magic. Darwin Ortiz. Páginas Publishing. A Fuego Lento. Vol 2. Joaquín Matas. Mystica Publishing The Magic Rainbow. Juan Tamariz. Frakson Publishing. Tao Te Ching. Trans. Thomas Cleary. Edaf Publishing The Tao of Jeet Kune Do. Bruce Lee. Eyras Publishing

Hey everyone! This is the perfect spot to introduce yourself and tell us a bit more about you. We want to get to know you! Here are some ideas you can use (or not). What's your name? Do you have a stage name? Where are you from? Why do you love magic? How did you get started? Which magicians inspire you? What effect would you love to learn? Do you have social media? Where can we see your magic? Do you belong to any magic associations or clubs? We all have a story, and you can share yours here whenever you like. Thanks!

I was thinking it would be a cool idea to set up a card deck tournament to see which one's the best and get everyone else's opinions. Here's the tournament bracket: Alright, so please vote: Which do you prefer? Bicycle Bee In a week, I'll check the results and post the next round. Let's see who wins!

First off, since this kind of DIY project involves tools, I STRONGLY recommend that any minors ask for adult supervision and help if they want to tackle this project. A quick recap: This was one of many projects I'd been meaning to get around to. The other day, one of my magician friends brought me a few old decks to try some on them, and honestly, the decks came back to life in an incredible way; even a lot of the grime on the edges came right off. At that moment, my friend commented... "Man, all these cards need is a press, and they'd practically be new again..." As soon as he left my place, my brain started hearing the tick-tock of DO IT NOW! . 😁 Materials needed: Acrylic sheets; Dimensions: Width: 120mm x Length: 150mm x Thickness: 5 mm Price (including shipping): €24.07 / 10 = €2.407 per sheet. In my case, I 10 sheets, since the shipping cost was the same, and the more sheets I got, the cheaper they were. Cost for 2 sheets = €4.814, rounded up to €5 5mm bolts (€0.9), 5mm wing nuts (€0.85), springs (€0.8), and washers (€0.40) – around €2.95 Total material cost (€5 + €2.95) around €7.95 + labor. Tools needed: Cordless drill. A wide-fluted, polished, and helically ground drill bit (a metal drill bit works perfectly) Support board for drilling (a kitchen cutting board works perfectly) Clamps to secure the sheets while drilling. Needle-nose pliers (to tighten the nuts securely) Assuming we have ALL the materials ready, the next steps are pretty straightforward. First off, you'll want to create a template. Something like this. I'm assuming it goes without saying how to make a template, right? 😅 Just in case..., here's how you'd do it: First, trace the outline of the acrylic sheet, then center a deck of cards within it and mark its perimeter. The holes will be drilled along the remaining outer edge. Next, secure the acrylic sheet onto the template, and both onto a support that can withstand the drill bit (meaning, don't drill directly on an unprotected table). Everything should be securely clamped down (you need to prevent any movement of the sheet while drilling, both to avoid cracking the sheet and for safety). From here on, we'll use the drill with the bit I mentioned and run it at the LOWEST speed. We'll just drill enough to mark the holes. This way, we won't damage the template and can use it multiple times (if you want to use it again; otherwise, it doesn't matter). Then, remove the template, re-clamp everything just like before (but without the template), and finish drilling the holes. The slower, the better. If you notice the drill bit getting too hot, you can use petroleum jelly (regular or even scented) to lubricate and cool the bit. Once you're done drilling the holes, it's time to assemble the bolts, and you're all set. Easier than IKEA furniture, for sure!!! 🤣 And you're done!!!! You've got your card press . If you want to extend the life of your decks , especially your special editions, I recommend getting at least one of these. As always, I'm delighted to share ideas with the community. Greetings everyone, and happy magic!!!

Hey everyone, lately I've been learning quite a few tricks from these two courses. Thanks to them, I put together a routine with some that, in my opinion, flow pretty well. But of course, there are more and more tricks, and I'm trying to figure out how to keep track of them. So here's the question! What systems do you all use to organize your tricks so none of them get forgotten? Thanks!!

A 100% random triple card coincidence. It's a self-working trick; it always hits and is impossible to mess up. Add a good patter, and you'll have a really solid trick to amaze your audience. Julio explains it here:

Hey everyone! I was wondering how friends and family react when you suddenly start doing magic. They're usually your first audience, and the toughest to face because they know you best, so they see you and treat you differently than a typical audience. If you suddenly want to show your friends an effect, even in a casual, relaxed way, do they still take you seriously afterward? Or do they look at you differently? Thanks!

Hey everyone! I just got my 'Te Falta Calle' kit. Does anyone know what to do with the marker? I can't find any tutorials or anything for it. I thought, 'Okay, at least I can use it to sign cards,' but it's totally dry and won't write... If anyone can help me out, I'm really not sure what to do with the kit, I can't access any product tutorials, and I don't know how to use anything. Thanks so much for any help! Help!

Do you guys have any recommendations for magic apps for phones? I currently use one, but I'd love to start incorporating more, like calculator tricks, time changes, forces using phone notes, etc. I'd really appreciate any suggestions you have. 😄

In this first look at the structure of magic, I'll try to explain some concepts to get us all on the same page, a starting point from which to build a common language within the theoretical framework of magic, so we all speak the same language when we talk about this performing art. In Greek, the word 'theater' means "a place for contemplation." It's the branch of performing arts related to acting, which presents stories performed in front of an audience using a combination of speech, gestures, set design, music, sound, and spectacle. It's also the literary genre encompassing works conceived for a stage before an audience. The two Greek Muses, Thalia and Melpomene, daughters of Zeus, represent the world of dramaturgy with their joyful and tragic masks. 2500 years ago, buildings were constructed in classical Greece for public enjoyment, and Greek myths, tragedies, and performances are well-known to all. We could say that performance is as old as civilization itself, and from then until now, philosophers and thinkers have debated and redefined the conceptualization of this major art form. Let's fast forward a few centuries. In 1817, British poet and philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge made a significant contribution to the conceptualization of the performing arts by coining the term “suspension of disbelief.” It’s an expression referring to the viewer’s/reader’s/player’s willingness to accept the premises on which a fiction is based as true, even if they are fantastical or impossible. Suspension of disbelief or “suspensión de la incredulidad" is such an important term that it continues to be used in other modern performing arts, like television and cinema. It refers to the audience's ability to immerse themselves in the fictional world presented to them and engage with it without interruption, without leaving the created scenario because they find something in it unbelievable. Thanks to the suspension of disbelief magicians can create an alternate reality where, for the duration of the magician's performance, and solely by their sheer will, the audience can believe a playing card can change color, a ring can invisibly travel inside a padlocked box, or a rabbit can appear from a top hat. But let's not kid ourselves; this doesn't just depend on the audience's capacity or ignorance. It depends on a skillful, creative magician and their arduous work of planning, practice, and creativity. Without straying from our objective, we face a dilemma when approaching magic; let's call it a “meta-magic” approach , beyond tricks, illusion, gimmicks, or suggesting emotions beyond mere astonishment. I consider it fundamental to understand the ground we're on to define our boundaries when constructing a magical experience. There will be time later to discuss who we want to perform magic for. Magic is a theatrical discipline . It's a performance offered to entertain an audience. Bernard Beckerman, director of the Performing Arts Program at Columbia University, proposed a classification of three basic types of spectacles: Glorification Spectacles: parades, festivals, etc. Skill Spectacles: circus, juggling, acrobatics, etc. Illusion Spectacles: theater and magic. Notice the last classification. Theater and magic are so intrinsically related that they are grouped together under the same type of spectacle. The immortal Robert-Houdin defined the magician as “an actor playing the part of a magician,” and a fundamental aspect of the magician's theatrical persona is that they possess magical powers. The audience may or may not believe in them, but visual, sometimes tactile, and even sensory evidence demonstrates that the impossible happens at the magician's command. Many magicians believe their job is to present flashy tricks in an entertaining way to fool the audience. I believe this attitude does more harm to magic than anything else . If someone is fooled by a magic effect, they feel they've been messed with, or even worse, that they've been taken for a fool. If they are astonished by a magic trick, they might feel cheated because they know there was a trick involved at some point and they didn't see it. Framing magic as a competition where the magician is the smartest person in the room is to completely sacrifice the magical experience, subverting the emotional appeal of the miraculous to the strictly intellectual appeal of the puzzle. It is, as we'll see from a neurological standpoint, exciting the wrong hemisphere of the brain . Not every audience member is willing to enjoy the experience; not everyone has an X-Files poster on their wall that says “I Want to Believe.” Just as there are people who don't like theater (or superhero movies, or romantic comedies) and prefer Iranian cinema in its original version or the * nouvelle vague* genre, where protagonists experience everyday things while feeling lost in a homogeneous world they don't understand, there are also spectators who don't like magic because they conceptualize it as a puzzle, a riddle, a deception, a challenge—all situations in which they lose. Don't bother with them (as Juan Belmonte said, "there have to be those who fall "), don't try to evangelize them into magic and illusion, and instead, focus on the spectators who *are* interested in magic. The best situation for your audience — those who will watch you with expectations but whom you haven't yet earned the right to call your own , is to find some kind of balance between magic's mythical appeal (right hemisphere) and its puzzle-like appeal (left hemisphere), just like a bow and arrow, and from this tension, create a unique magical experience. If, as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote half a millennium before the birth of Christ, “beauty and truth are found in the tension between opposites,” then perhaps this is where the magical experience is created: in the tension between heart and head, between emotion and intellect. The magician's job is to make the audience enjoy the impossible *because* it's impossible, not because they believe it's true. Magic is not deception; magic is the control of perception for entertainment purposes . Engrave it in stone, tattoo it, write it on a blackboard—do whatever it takes not to forget this premise, and don't question it; treat it as a dogma of faith. If you alter it, you'll be doing something else, but it won't be magic. It is fundamental that the audience isn't aware they are being deceived, as, paraphrasing the painter Picasso from Malaga, if all art is a lie that tells the truth, the art of magic must ensure that the audience achieves that suspension of disbelief, under the rules the magician imposes, for the duration of the show. The magical moment. American magician Simon Aronson noted: “there’s a great difference between not knowing how something is done and knowing that it *cannot* be done.” Only the latter of these situations satisfies the audience's appetite for wonder, their deep desire to believe in magic. It's to that point one must arrive to offer a unique magical experience: “I don’t know what he did, I don’t know how he did it, but it’s impossible.” Now, though.... Is that the only way? Absolutely not. Just because magic is a branch of theater doesn't mean it doesn't have its own language, its own rules which, by their very nature, can and, I emphatically state, must be broken . In fact, the greatest innovations in the last 100 years have emerged from breaking those rules tacitly imposed in the 19th century, inherited from Robert-Houdin or Hofzinser—authors whom I doubt intended to impose a doctrine. During this time, other disciplines have been incorporated, such as spiritualism (so reviled by Houdini, in the form of mentalism, séances, etc.); escapology, by Houdini himself; gambling demonstrations, Oriental magic ( supposedly Oriental, Okito and Fu Manchu were British-Dutch) or close-up magic (which emerged due to the proximity of cameras and the ability to view the effect from various angles). On the other hand, magic shows had to adapt to the speed demanded by the audience, who, with the rise of television, no longer tolerated hour-long theatrical performances, and magical gimmicks had to become smaller and more portable to save on transport costs. Regarding the structure of the magic show, amidst the artistic upheaval of the first third of the 20th century, German playwright Bertolt Brecht decided that the suspension of disbelief was useless if it didn't change society . He coined the term * Verfremdungseffekt* , translatable as “distancing effect,” to define his artistic intent. Brecht aimed for the audience to remain aware that they were watching a performance, and therefore, from time to time, his actors would address the audience directly to remind them that they were indeed actors. The goal was for the audience not to get carried away by their feelings, not to be emotionally moved by the story itself but by its meaning (anti-war sentiment, for example) to motivate their action. The use of the distancing effect in magic is a technique sometimes employed to place the audience where the magician wants them and even to enhance the subsequent effect. Who doesn't remember the renowned Anthony Blake reciting his mantra: “everything you’ve seen is a product of your imagination,” as a demonstration that he is beyond the audience's credulity, giving us a final jab. Putting aside Gabi Pareras' classifications (another great magician whom I doubt intended to indoctrinate, something his followers seem not to realize) regarding the magician's attitude toward effects (to be covered in other articles), the magician's persona can and should be unconventional in their performance. Let's remember that in magic, there is no fourth wall , that we perform for an audience who lives, feels, and is moved by our actions every step of the way. Any stylistic device is acceptable within a context that enhances the performance, making it different and unique, ensuring that the memory, the magical experience, the suspension of disbelief, or the very affirmation of the impossibility of what is happening, arises from motivations different from our own person, from feeding our own vanity. The right to wear the magician's cape does not come from knowledge, practice, or specialization, but from the ability to evoke emotion and be credible, leaving the spectator with no doubt that what they have witnessed is impossible, astonishing, and entertaining. That it is pure theater. Bibliography Biographia Literaria (1817), Samuel Taylor Coleridge Theatrical Presentation (1990), Bernard Beckerman Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, author and conjurer (2023), Robert-Houdin, R. Shelton Mackenzie Shuffle-Bored (1980), Simon Aronson A Little Organum for the Theater (1948), Bertolt Brecht Mystery School (2003), Charles Reynolds

Does anyone know any tricks with ESP cards (or Zener cards)? Thanks!

Hey everyone! I'm Juan (a beginner), and I've been in this magic community for about a year and a half now. Here's my question: I'm wondering if anyone could share a trick/effect, or a specific routine and/or patter, to really 'shut down' an especially annoying spectator? Something that makes them lose all desire to keep bothering me. ?? Let me explain... I've run into a spectator who, from the get-go, made it clear their only intention was to be disruptive. Right from the first effect, they kept interrupting, asking constant irrelevant questions, asking for the deck even if they weren't the volunteer, asking to examine it, asking to shuffle it... even offering to do a trick themselves. Constant interruptions that end up throwing you off and making you lose your patience. On one hand, it's clear you need to grab the audience's attention and keep them focused on the current routine with a couple of strong opening routines. But in this particular case, it's a spectator who, from the first minute, made it clear their entertainment comes from being a wise-ass and constantly interrupting, showing zero respect. I've done more or less short shows (40-45 mins) for groups of kids (family and strangers) and for groups of adults (friends, family, and strangers), and only in this case have I encountered someone so intent on being annoying. Not even with kids have I experienced anything like this. After making several more or less subtle comments with no result, I came to the conclusion that their intention was truly just to be annoying... In my opinion, in these cases, the appropriate thing to do might be, since the spectator is proving to be especially obnoxious and showing a lack of respect towards the magician and the rest of the audience, to bring them up as a volunteer and have them directly participate in a routine where they are exposed for what they are: an obnoxious, disrespectful person (not to mention a complete jerk), and get 'shut down' in public. So here's my question (sorry for the long preamble)... is there any routine/patter to really shut down an especially annoying spectator? So they lose the desire to keep bothering? Thanks in advance!