In this thread I will explain how to approach people on the streets, what trcks to show people, how to get over stage fright, how to deal with hecklers, how to deal with people in general, and much much more.
So grab some cheetos and an ice tea becuase this is going to be a good read...
WHAT IS STREET MAGIC?
This is a very good question. There are many types of street magic. One of these is busking. Busking is like a live street show. For busking you would need permision from the town or buisness to have this street show. Busking is where you can have a whole 45 minute long routine where during the perfomance you may leave out a bucket or hat for tips.
However, this is not ideal if you are not old enough to aquire a street performer license and do not have a set routine. The "Street Magic" that I will be talking about is almost what David Blaine does. It consists of you and a few spectators. You approach them and proceed to perform a trick. At the end you may offer more tricks, pass out a buisness card, or accept tips if you have a license to do so. I will guide you through this type of street performance in this thread. Busking, however, is somthing I'll talk about some other time. So, without further ado let us dig right on in.
BEFORE I LEAVE THE HOUSE WHAT PROPS SHOULD I GRAB?
Well, for this type of street magic cards and coins are ideal. Also, the people you deal with will want to inspect everything and try to figure it out. That being said, gimmicks are not the best idea. If you choose to bring a gimmick then bring something good that can be used to your advantage such as a svengali or an invisible deck. the invisible deck can save you if you fail to find their card. you can ask them to name it and it appears facedown in a different deck.
Coin routines can be very interesting too. I am going to use silver dream, by Justin Miller, once I perfect it. Also, if it is a cloudy day or is not very bright out then D'lites, by Rocco, are a good choice. But obviously do not use a transpo box, ha ha, or gimmick that can not be inspected. Sponge balls are great for kids and adults also. Moving on...
WHAT LOCATION DO I PICK?
Location is very important when performing street magic. You don't want to be backed into a corner where you do not have room to hide a secret move. you also don't want to be in a desolate place where either noone ever goes or where onlt busy CEO's who have no time run by.
To avoid these problems try this. You never want to perform right in front of the door to a shop due to the fact that if you draw a crowd you will be blocking the entrance/exit to the store thus making the owner mad.
I usually perform on the main street by my house. Here people walk by every day ad there are some out door ice cream parlors where I can entertain people who are eating.
Try to pick a place that is in the middle between noone and as busy as Tokyo. Also find an area where the sun is not directly on you. This prevents you and the audiance from getting hot and developing skin cancer. just kidding but don't perform in the direct sunlight. Make sure you are not in front of a store's entrance. And make sure there is always a bench or somewhere to sit in case you have a moment off and need a break.
APPROACHING PEOPLE
The way you approach someone will make all the difference. When you approach someone don't wear jeans that reveal your underwear and a greasy T-shirt. Don't dress super- formal either tough. I wear my Hockey jacket and a plain white shirt as well as jeans that fit and a belt.
Now, when you walk up to someone do NOT be like: " Yeah dawg. Wazup in the heezy. so like I'm rollin around and um...like...uh, wanna see a neat magic trick homie?"
This is a guarunteed way to get an instant no. Instead try one of these:
"Hey there. My name is Dylan. Do you have a minute?"
"Hello there sir/maam. Can you help me with something very quickly?"
"Excuse me. I am a magician and I was wondering if I could show you something quickly."
"Hey there. how are you doing today?" Good or oh I'm sorry depending on answer. "I am a magician. i have a show soon and I was wondering if you could help me warm up."
Something like that should work if the person is right. Now never approach someone who looks suspicious, looks busy, looks late for something, is unhappy, or has been looking at ou strangely for a while. Pick someone with a smile who is seemingly happy and not going to drug you and bring you home with them. These people are usually open to having a good time and are willing to be part of somehing fun or cool.
GETTING REJECTED
It is unavoidable. Sometimes when you ask someone to see a trick they will say no. Sometimes they will be polite and other times they'll look at you like you are the devil. My best advice is DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. It happens to everyone. you should never stop tying because someone blows you off.
If getting rejeted is a common theme then maybe you should do flourishes or perform a hummer card to get people to come to you instead. sometimes after seeing a card levitate around you people will ask you to show them something or ask you how you did that. At that point you may introduce yourself and offer to show some effects.
WHAT TRICKS TO SHOW.
When someone is willing to participate you need to find a good trick. I feel that depending on what the person is like then that will tell you what trick to perform.
For example, if it is a very serious person then you too must be serious and do a trick that is powerful and strong like an ACR.
If it is someone who is loose and excited then perform a trick that is very funny yet amazing like a 3 card monte.
If it's a cute girl, (wink wink) then perform something that involves the touching of their hands or something flirty. Stigmata can be good for this because ou can have them hold your arm and while they are you can sort of lirt.
It all depends on the person.
DEALING WITH HECKLERS
At one point or another there will be a person who wants to publicly humiliate you. when someone like this pops up waht can you do? I will often finish my trick and ask this: "Sir. Yes you. It seems that you think you know how to do magic. would you like to show me a trick and we'll see if I can figure it out?"
Generally this makes him shut up but if it doesn't then i will finish the next trick and apologize to the rest of the audiance and say that I can not continue because of the disruptions in the audiance. when I say it a I gesture at the heckler. Everyone gets pretty upset with that person an he usually leaves or shuts up.
I reccomend coming upwith your own ideas on this topic though.
STAGE FRIGHT
Many people become anxious or nervous when asking someone if they'd like to see an effet. I use this method to get over it. I close my eyes, take a deep breath and think of my favorite place and smell. This makes your body relax then you are free to ask them.
If you are nervous when performing and either stutter or shake a lot ten there is really one piece of advice I can give you. KEEP PERFORMING FOR RANDOM PEOPLE.This allows you to get used to the idea of people and will helpyou smooth out your stage fright.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Now you have many resources at your disposal. What do you do now? Go and start performing. If you have read this andyou don't try street magic then you wasted a good chunk of yourm life reading this. so go out and apply these techniques to the world and have fun!
If there is a topic you want me to add here then PM me and tell me what to add and I'll do it.
Have fun!!!
So grab some cheetos and an ice tea becuase this is going to be a good read...
WHAT IS STREET MAGIC?
This is a very good question. There are many types of street magic. One of these is busking. Busking is like a live street show. For busking you would need permision from the town or buisness to have this street show. Busking is where you can have a whole 45 minute long routine where during the perfomance you may leave out a bucket or hat for tips.
However, this is not ideal if you are not old enough to aquire a street performer license and do not have a set routine. The "Street Magic" that I will be talking about is almost what David Blaine does. It consists of you and a few spectators. You approach them and proceed to perform a trick. At the end you may offer more tricks, pass out a buisness card, or accept tips if you have a license to do so. I will guide you through this type of street performance in this thread. Busking, however, is somthing I'll talk about some other time. So, without further ado let us dig right on in.
BEFORE I LEAVE THE HOUSE WHAT PROPS SHOULD I GRAB?
Well, for this type of street magic cards and coins are ideal. Also, the people you deal with will want to inspect everything and try to figure it out. That being said, gimmicks are not the best idea. If you choose to bring a gimmick then bring something good that can be used to your advantage such as a svengali or an invisible deck. the invisible deck can save you if you fail to find their card. you can ask them to name it and it appears facedown in a different deck.
Coin routines can be very interesting too. I am going to use silver dream, by Justin Miller, once I perfect it. Also, if it is a cloudy day or is not very bright out then D'lites, by Rocco, are a good choice. But obviously do not use a transpo box, ha ha, or gimmick that can not be inspected. Sponge balls are great for kids and adults also. Moving on...
WHAT LOCATION DO I PICK?
Location is very important when performing street magic. You don't want to be backed into a corner where you do not have room to hide a secret move. you also don't want to be in a desolate place where either noone ever goes or where onlt busy CEO's who have no time run by.
To avoid these problems try this. You never want to perform right in front of the door to a shop due to the fact that if you draw a crowd you will be blocking the entrance/exit to the store thus making the owner mad.
I usually perform on the main street by my house. Here people walk by every day ad there are some out door ice cream parlors where I can entertain people who are eating.
Try to pick a place that is in the middle between noone and as busy as Tokyo. Also find an area where the sun is not directly on you. This prevents you and the audiance from getting hot and developing skin cancer. just kidding but don't perform in the direct sunlight. Make sure you are not in front of a store's entrance. And make sure there is always a bench or somewhere to sit in case you have a moment off and need a break.
APPROACHING PEOPLE
The way you approach someone will make all the difference. When you approach someone don't wear jeans that reveal your underwear and a greasy T-shirt. Don't dress super- formal either tough. I wear my Hockey jacket and a plain white shirt as well as jeans that fit and a belt.
Now, when you walk up to someone do NOT be like: " Yeah dawg. Wazup in the heezy. so like I'm rollin around and um...like...uh, wanna see a neat magic trick homie?"
This is a guarunteed way to get an instant no. Instead try one of these:
"Hey there. My name is Dylan. Do you have a minute?"
"Hello there sir/maam. Can you help me with something very quickly?"
"Excuse me. I am a magician and I was wondering if I could show you something quickly."
"Hey there. how are you doing today?" Good or oh I'm sorry depending on answer. "I am a magician. i have a show soon and I was wondering if you could help me warm up."
Something like that should work if the person is right. Now never approach someone who looks suspicious, looks busy, looks late for something, is unhappy, or has been looking at ou strangely for a while. Pick someone with a smile who is seemingly happy and not going to drug you and bring you home with them. These people are usually open to having a good time and are willing to be part of somehing fun or cool.
GETTING REJECTED
It is unavoidable. Sometimes when you ask someone to see a trick they will say no. Sometimes they will be polite and other times they'll look at you like you are the devil. My best advice is DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. It happens to everyone. you should never stop tying because someone blows you off.
If getting rejeted is a common theme then maybe you should do flourishes or perform a hummer card to get people to come to you instead. sometimes after seeing a card levitate around you people will ask you to show them something or ask you how you did that. At that point you may introduce yourself and offer to show some effects.
WHAT TRICKS TO SHOW.
When someone is willing to participate you need to find a good trick. I feel that depending on what the person is like then that will tell you what trick to perform.
For example, if it is a very serious person then you too must be serious and do a trick that is powerful and strong like an ACR.
If it is someone who is loose and excited then perform a trick that is very funny yet amazing like a 3 card monte.
If it's a cute girl, (wink wink) then perform something that involves the touching of their hands or something flirty. Stigmata can be good for this because ou can have them hold your arm and while they are you can sort of lirt.
It all depends on the person.
DEALING WITH HECKLERS
At one point or another there will be a person who wants to publicly humiliate you. when someone like this pops up waht can you do? I will often finish my trick and ask this: "Sir. Yes you. It seems that you think you know how to do magic. would you like to show me a trick and we'll see if I can figure it out?"
Generally this makes him shut up but if it doesn't then i will finish the next trick and apologize to the rest of the audiance and say that I can not continue because of the disruptions in the audiance. when I say it a I gesture at the heckler. Everyone gets pretty upset with that person an he usually leaves or shuts up.
I reccomend coming upwith your own ideas on this topic though.
STAGE FRIGHT
Many people become anxious or nervous when asking someone if they'd like to see an effet. I use this method to get over it. I close my eyes, take a deep breath and think of my favorite place and smell. This makes your body relax then you are free to ask them.
If you are nervous when performing and either stutter or shake a lot ten there is really one piece of advice I can give you. KEEP PERFORMING FOR RANDOM PEOPLE.This allows you to get used to the idea of people and will helpyou smooth out your stage fright.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Now you have many resources at your disposal. What do you do now? Go and start performing. If you have read this andyou don't try street magic then you wasted a good chunk of yourm life reading this. so go out and apply these techniques to the world and have fun!
If there is a topic you want me to add here then PM me and tell me what to add and I'll do it.
Have fun!!!
