Panic-ed

[ManningMagic]

To start, a story:

28 February 2008

I told a kid who I worked with over the summer that I'd do a trick for his table sometime this week. I've been working on Panic for about tow-two and a half weeks and thought maybe I'd show it to them. I walked into the lunch room today and an uneasy tension biult up in my body. I didn't know why. I had performed for most of these guys before, what was it? I got my lunch and told them to call me over when they were assembled. I washed my hands in the bathroom to get the stickiness off, and returned to my seat.

"come on over." the words echoed in my head as i stood up turned around and headed for the Senior boy table at the other end of the aisle. My heart beat faster, then suddenly it slowed. "Now guys, If I'm gonna do this trick-it's gonna be good. It's gonna be quick, it's gonna be amazing" I didn't know what I was saying, I jsut wanted to get them ready. "here look. Four kings." i started into Panic. My nerves were back to normal, the performance was just like the mirror had seen the dozens of time before. Screams followed. When the table screamed, cure words flew, kids started appluading, chaos errupted as 8 minds(and egos) were torn to shreds.

I said thanks a lot, retured to my seat and ate lunch. My friend were in awe too. Practically everyone who watched it was. As i ate, four. Count it one, tow three FOUR people came up to me. "Can you do a trick for my table now?" "I swear there's five girls who want you to do a trick" "Do that one i saw in spanish freshman year with the sharpie" "how did you do that?"

To say the least, I was saved BIG time by Panic. When I was in a Panic, I was able to ease the nerves, and hit it big. So now whay did I write this? Well the next step. I differed the other requests until tomorrow, for I was not ready to do much else(and I wanted to eat!). So tomorrow, I show them tricks, great then what? Well here's my problem/question/discussion topic: how do you keep magic as something you do for the the enjoyment and not for personal gain.

I realize magic, to some is life-the bills get paid by it. But me, I'm a junior in high school, I've done a few shows at work for our big Pool day, I've done tricks in classes since 7th grade and I'll be in the talent show. I'm not a big shot magician like some, yet I am a magician who can entertain and let people enjoy it. So where's the fine line of using magic to enjoy and using magic for personal gain. My problems may arise in the future performances. Also, how do you say no to requested tricks. Furthermore, how do you control the rumors? I know that sounds silly. But last year I did a cheesy balducci levitation in spanish. One kid saw it, said something to someone else, who said something different to someone else, who in turn asked me to repeat my feat of levitating across the room. Rediculous. But already I've been asked an additional 3 times to show my "squeezer trick" Where to go from here.

Any comments/replies to this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[b.boulton]

To start, a story:

28 February 2008

I told a kid who I worked with over the summer that I'd do a trick for his table sometime this week. I've been working on Panic for about tow-two and a half weeks and thought maybe I'd show it to them. I walked into the lunch room today and an uneasy tension biult up in my body. I didn't know why. I had performed for most of these guys before, what was it? I got my lunch and told them to call me over when they were assembled. I washed my hands in the bathroom to get the stickiness off, and returned to my seat.

"come on over." the words echoed in my head as i stood up turned around and headed for the Senior boy table at the other end of the aisle. My heart beat faster, then suddenly it slowed. "Now guys, If I'm gonna do this trick-it's gonna be good. It's gonna be quick, it's gonna be amazing" I didn't know what I was saying, I jsut wanted to get them ready. "here look. Four kings." i started into Panic. My nerves were back to normal, the performance was just like the mirror had seen the dozens of time before. Screams followed. When the table screamed, cure words flew, kids started appluading, chaos errupted as 8 minds(and egos) were torn to shreds.

I said thanks a lot, retured to my seat and ate lunch. My friend were in awe too. Practically everyone who watched it was. As i ate, four. Count it one, tow three FOUR people came up to me. "Can you do a trick for my table now?" "I swear there's five girls who want you to do a trick" "Do that one i saw in spanish freshman year with the sharpie" "how did you do that?"

To say the least, I was saved BIG time by Panic. When I was in a Panic, I was able to ease the nerves, and hit it big. So now whay did I write this? Well the next step. I differed the other requests until tomorrow, for I was not ready to do much else(and I wanted to eat!). So tomorrow, I show them tricks, great then what? Well here's my problem/question/discussion topic: how do you keep magic as something you do for the the enjoyment and not for personal gain.

I realize magic, to some is life-the bills get paid by it. But me, I'm a junior in high school, I've done a few shows at work for our big Pool day, I've done tricks in classes since 7th grade and I'll be in the talent show. I'm not a big shot magician like some, yet I am a magician who can entertain and let people enjoy it. So where's the fine line of using magic to enjoy and using magic for personal gain. My problems may arise in the future performances. Also, how do you say no to requested tricks. Furthermore, how do you control the rumors? I know that sounds silly. But last year I did a cheesy balducci levitation in spanish. One kid saw it, said something to someone else, who said something different to someone else, who in turn asked me to repeat my feat of levitating across the room. Rediculous. But already I've been asked an additional 3 times to show my "squeezer trick" Where to go from here.

Any comments/replies to this would be greatly appreciated.

Wow...I think that we need to talk sometime. You sound like my long lost twin.

I have been preforming since 7th Grade
I am also a Junior in High School
I perform and lunch, and yes in Spanish class.

Now to the point.
If I were you (Sounds like a possibility) what I do when different people ask me to repat a trick that I just showed to someone else, I tell them Ok, but let me show you something better! Then just go on with a different trick. Odds are that they will forget about the previous request when you tear their minds to shreds.

-Brad

 

[DannyT]

To start, a story:

28 February 2008

I told a kid who I worked with over the summer that I'd do a trick for his table sometime this week. I've been working on Panic for about tow-two and a half weeks and thought maybe I'd show it to them. I walked into the lunch room today and an uneasy tension biult up in my body. I didn't know why. I had performed for most of these guys before, what was it? I got my lunch and told them to call me over when they were assembled. I washed my hands in the bathroom to get the stickiness off, and returned to my seat.

"come on over." the words echoed in my head as i stood up turned around and headed for the Senior boy table at the other end of the aisle. My heart beat faster, then suddenly it slowed. "Now guys, If I'm gonna do this trick-it's gonna be good. It's gonna be quick, it's gonna be amazing" I didn't know what I was saying, I jsut wanted to get them ready. "here look. Four kings." i started into Panic. My nerves were back to normal, the performance was just like the mirror had seen the dozens of time before. Screams followed. When the table screamed, cure words flew, kids started appluading, chaos errupted as 8 minds(and egos) were torn to shreds.

I said thanks a lot, retured to my seat and ate lunch. My friend were in awe too. Practically everyone who watched it was. As i ate, four. Count it one, tow three FOUR people came up to me. "Can you do a trick for my table now?" "I swear there's five girls who want you to do a trick" "Do that one i saw in spanish freshman year with the sharpie" "how did you do that?"

To say the least, I was saved BIG time by Panic. When I was in a Panic, I was able to ease the nerves, and hit it big. So now whay did I write this? Well the next step. I differed the other requests until tomorrow, for I was not ready to do much else(and I wanted to eat!). So tomorrow, I show them tricks, great then what? Well here's my problem/question/discussion topic: how do you keep magic as something you do for the the enjoyment and not for personal gain.

I realize magic, to some is life-the bills get paid by it. But me, I'm a junior in high school, I've done a few shows at work for our big Pool day, I've done tricks in classes since 7th grade and I'll be in the talent show. I'm not a big shot magician like some, yet I am a magician who can entertain and let people enjoy it. So where's the fine line of using magic to enjoy and using magic for personal gain. My problems may arise in the future performances. Also, how do you say no to requested tricks. Furthermore, how do you control the rumors? I know that sounds silly. But last year I did a cheesy balducci levitation in spanish. One kid saw it, said something to someone else, who said something different to someone else, who in turn asked me to repeat my feat of levitating across the room. Rediculous. But already I've been asked an additional 3 times to show my "squeezer trick" Where to go from here.

Any comments/replies to this would be greatly appreciated.

Wow, that's a great story. I hope you enjoyed yourself, sound like you did. Performing at school is always fun, I'm in my senior year at my high school, so I kinda know what your talking about.
On to the questions . . . .

Where do I begin.
I think if your enjoying yourself doing magic, others are enjoying it as well. If your having a good time, their having a good time. I think self gain would be if you were to mess with a spectator/make fun of spectator, say if you trick them or something and everyone is laughing with you, but at the spectator. It seems like, Oh I can trick him for our entertainment. That seems like personal gain to me because it looks like your trying to be funnier by messing with a spec that only wanted to see a trick, but your only making fun of him to get a laugh out of the rest of the audience.

Saying no to requested tricks is something that always happens to me whether some other magician in my school did something, and they want me to repeat that trick for them and I don't have the material. When they ask, I usually say something along the lines of "Right nows not a good time, maybe tomorrow I'll try it." And have the trick ready by tomorrow, only if I can do it, I just needed a prop or something.
If there's no way I can perform it (levitate across the room), I would say, sorry but I don't do that anymore. Last time I got hurt. Something like that if it's for a levitation. If their asking to see a simple card trick that sounds familliar, but you don't think it's anything you've learned, try out something that sounds like their trick their talking about. What do you have to lose?

Rumors . . . . .
Actually, that's what makes your rep. If you did a simple balducci levitation, and their saying you levitation around the room, congrats. That's how David Blaine got famous(people who've seen him perform). You want people to believe that you can do the impossible.
I remember my aunt bragging to other people how she picked a card, put something in her hand , like a rock or something, and the rock changed into her card. The actual trick was her picking a card, me putting the wrong card in her hand, and the wrong card changed to her card, how she got a rock from that, I don't know? But after all that bragging about you, perform a trick that will amaze them, that will lead them to believe that you can do just about anything.

I hope I helped you out,
-DannyT

 

[adjones]

A great story, and I'm glad your performance went well! Good job!

 

[AllanLuu]

I love hearing success stories, they make me want to go out and perform right now.

Good to hear it all went well.

 

[ManningMagic]

Thanks for the comments guys. I'm definitely going to try some of these ideas out.

Thanks again!

 

[dejavu05]

Wow, very nicely written. Also, great job. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Frodo]

I like the post and like the other guy said you sound a lot like me I'm a junior in high school and I've been performing, since 7th grade too haha. The only thing I would've changed about how you performance went or atleast you said it went is instead of just starting out saying "Look 4 Kings" or whatever do something else that leads into it, such as Four or whatever. But you seemed to have got great reactions so I'm guessing it worked out just fine for you.

Also if you don't have it *This goes to everyone reading this* I HIGHLY! Recommend Fraud by Danny it's incredible! I performed it in 2 classes and in my Biology class sophmore year the class did'nt settle down for over 15 minutes. Like your levitation the word spread and I've got guys in football with me who are like "Dude I heard you moved that letter thingy across the dollar!", Even my coaches have heard about it, and people who I've never even seen before.

 

[ManningMagic]

yeah. well I don't know if that's exactly how i started it, but that was something i said along the way. I know what you mean though.

I have had people that I have never spoken a word to say, "hey you're the kid who does magic" or "You can do coin tricks-here take this quarter and pull it outta my ear"

Thanks for the replies.

 

[b.boulton]

yeah. well I don't know if that's exactly how i started it, but that was something i said along the way. I know what you mean though.

I have had people that I have never spoken a word to say, "hey you're the kid who does magic" or "You can do coin tricks-here take this quarter and pull it outta my ear"

Thanks for the replies.

Wow...the same thing happens to me.
After we have about 30 minutes before wrestling practice starts, so we just pretty much roam the halls and I'll get kids that come up to me that I didn't even know existed. They usually say....Hey arn't you that crazy magic kid?

Pretty cool eh?

 

[Glenn West]

Oh, I remember these days.

If you are getting paid to do magic, don't turn down the opportunity to do casual impromptu performances. Don't let yourself get taken advantage of and have an "impromptu" performance turn into what should be a paid "show."

Showing a few tricks around school would not constitute what should be a paid gig. Getting brought into a class to do 15 minutes of magic for the whole class, although fun, is more something you should try to avoid getting sucked into doing for free.

Now, volunteering to do that for free is different. These types of opportunities can be great learning experiences.

Similarly, the impromptu performances, for me, were the best learning experiences for audience management, and misdirection.