Party Magic

[medic91w]

I'm going to be performing at a few parties soon; just adult parties no kids. I've only done a handful so far and would like to get some tips from those of you who may be a bit more experienced.

1. How many tricks do you have ready for a 3-4 hour gig?
2. Do you try to drag out the length of certain tricks? I know Wayne does this on his Control DVD but what about other tricks?
3. Do you constantly do tricks non-stop or do you take a little break in between to let people absorb and talk about what you have already done?
4. What do you do if people are badgering you to do another right away? I mean what are your tactics?
5. Do you have a a set that you will stick to or improvise as well?

Any other tips would be much appreciated. Thx guys.

 

[Deryn]

1. How many tricks do you have ready for a 3-4 hour gig?

I have a handful of tricks for walk around magic. I also have a 30-45 minute routine where everyone would be watching. Remember, the host of the party will more than likely be treating you like a guest as well.. eats, drinks.. just take your time but don't lollygag.

2. Do you try to drag out the length of certain tricks? I know Wayne does this on his Control DVD but what about other tricks?

Yes Yes YES. Don't drag it out too much though. There's a fine line between showmanship and just plain "get it over with"

3. Do you constantly do tricks non-stop or do you take a little break in between to let people absorb and talk about what you have already done?

Take a break after a little session and have a conversation with the guests. Chances are, they'll be interested in hearing your bachground story. I tell my story and give a few examples with a few sleights.

4. What do you do if people are badgering you to do another right away? I mean what are your tactics?

Most party goers won't do this but some do. Remember YOU are in control. Just take a breather and do another one but slow it down.

5. Do you have a a set that you will stick to or improvise as well?

I improvise a lot. Sometimes, I'll just forget tricks. I'll do some freestyling until I can think of another good trick.

Hope this helps

 

[Aos]

Reduce Reuse Recycle , your tricks that is. But make sure to remember faces as to not show the same trick twice for a largely the same group. Make sure also not to have 4 tricks, you need enough tricks so that you don't hear "oh thats a good one, he did that on me" from every single group.

Make sure that you always have a few tricks that you don't show in case they pin you down for more (and make sure to let them know its the last few you will do), and those should be some of your best ones. If they don't pin you down you can just save them up until a very good opportunity (like for the guy who is paying you). Because you don't want to say "I don't know any more", or even worse try to do really lame ones or ones you are still learning.

Make sure that you know exactly which tricks you will do, practice them, and don't forget to do them. Write down their names, and if thats not enough then write down a basic description to jar your memory.

Take the drunkenness of the average person in the audience into account. It's all about maximizing the experience. You don't want to do simplistic tricks on sober people, and you don't want to do complicated tricks on drunk people. It's a balance.

Act natural, just like you are one of them. If you see a few people talking about something, walk up to them and sit in on the conversation. Maybe let them see you shuffle fancy-like until they ask if you're "the guy who does the card tricks". Do not rudely interrupt groups with "hey want to see something?". It's all about being casual.

I find that when I'm doing tricks for slightly drunk people it is crucial to have a light attitude. Do not try to be like these kids on youtube with them tigers and them technoes and black clothes. You want to have a smile, make a few jokes, be amazed at your own effects, and make sure to give them time to enjoy the trick.

This is a hot tip , spot out easily impressed people and/or people that might actually believe in magical things and do tricks for them while they're in a group. The best thing you can do is find somebody who will think you are making magic with your fingers and yell very loudly anytime you do something. I think that seeing a person be excited brings more excitement to the other people in the group, _especially_ if they know each other. I find that the easily excitable people are usually girls. Look for religious artifacts, thats pretty much a must (don't see too many atheists believing in magic).

And lastly, make sure that you know exactly what the person who hired you wants. They clearly thought about hiring you before doing so. Ask them what the reason is, and what are their expectations. I think you can't go wrong doing that.

 

[David Black]

I find that when I'm doing tricks for slightly drunk people it is crucial to have a light attitude. Do not try to be like these kids on youtube with them tigers and them technoes and black clothes. You want to have a smile, make a few jokes, be amazed at your own effects, and make sure to give them time to enjoy the trick.


i agree with the majority of that post, except for that part. I wear black all the time (mainly because its the only color of clothing i have) and use black tigers because of the "pop" effect they give a trick. ive used my routine for stigmata with both normal and black cards, and black cards get the best reaction because they jump at people. (by the way, im not a kid, so lets not go there)

 

[kevin]

I dont agree with using anything other then regular bikes.
People recognise them. you will here someone say, "I have that same deck at home." They wont distract from the presentation; magic is not about the complex sleights, maneuvers, ridiculous (although impressive) 18 packet cuts off your chin. Its about the way you present your magic and connect with your audience.

kevin

 

[Aos]

i agree with the majority of that post, except for that part. I wear black all the time (mainly because its the only color of clothing i have) and use black tigers because of the "pop" effect they give a trick. ive used my routine for stigmata with both normal and black cards, and black cards get the best reaction because they jump at people. (by the way, im not a kid, so lets not go there)

Do you listen to technoes? .
I just meant that you shouldn't show off. It seems to me that a lot of youtube videos are smug kids showing off their skills. I think they would be surprised to know actually how many people enjoy watching them...

 

[medic91w]

Thanks Guys!

Thank guys, all the feedback I've received definitely helps. I agree that showing off isn't impressive, but adding a flourish in while you are talking to people and not even making a big deal out of it is definitely impressive in my experience. It's like they see a flash of what you can do but are holding back. Yeah, I definitely wouldn't try out new tricks I'm still getting fast at. I do those for friends so that I can get used to performing them in front of people I can be bad with, so that when it counts to be good I'm ready. I must say that Silver Dream is hard for me to do even in front of friends; I almost have it down though maybe another month of sucking at it. I have about 15 tricks I'm solid at, so do you guys think that's plenty? Some simple, and some more impressive. I just learned Fraud which is one of the most awesome tricks I've learned so far; the method is genius, and I highly recommend it if you are going to do a party. Anyway, thanks again.

 

[mattjones]

lol. That's cool. Mr. Black mentions things that are black and wears black all the time.

There's a little "Black" magic irony for ya...

Ba Dump Psshhh...

Thank you, goodnight!