What IS Normal?

[MitchellStafiej]

What's normal?
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When performing, there is a big difference between what's normal to YOU, and what's normal to your SPECTATOR. There's a fine line between doing a simple overhand shuffle, and doing some ridiculous six packet cut. What will be going through your spectator's mind in each of these situations. Do you have a point to do a six packet cut?... No? Then why do it? What will you achieve when doing this? Nothing, instead of putting your spectator's mind to rest (as should be done with shuffling), you're just arousing their suspicion of you. You have to choose the right situation to try and show off to your spectator, if not, you can potentially damage your performance.

Discuss...

Mitchell

 

[BlueBackedBikes]

What works for some won't work for others.

Personally, I wholeheartedly and respectfully disagree with you. I can do all the 6 packet cuts or one-handed shuffles I want to, because I'm a magician. I handle cards with a style and grace that a normal person would not. I'm not normal, and people know that I'm not going to do the same sloppy shuffle as they do because I have skills with cards; me handling the cards flashily (is that a word? ) actually reinforces that belief. Everyday spectators have no idea what's normal for a magician, so you can use this greatly to your advantage. If they see me doing the flashiest double in the world, they won't think twice about it because they know that I handle cards more artfully and gracefully than they would.

Some magicians, on the other hand, prefer to dumb their card work down. They only show a beginner level of card skills so that their audiences don't expect the amazing climax of the trick, and it hits them with more of a surprise than it would have if they were doing Jackson 5's all over the place. Dai Vernon is a perfect example of this - every magician knew that his flourishing skills were very good, but he played down his card skills for a reason. He was known to magicians for handling the cards like a normal person. It's not that he didn't know how to flourish; it's that he chose not to in his performances.

It comes down to whatever fits your style and works for you.

Food for thought,

Ryan

 

[Whiskey]

Agreed.

The effects you perform, your style of presentation, and also your assessment of the situation(ie spectators, locale etc.. You're not going to be doing hot shot cuts in the wind... and if you are.. I'm telling your mother.) Could easily play a hand in how you decide to routine your act.
Some people insist they can contact the spirits, and elvis rises from the dead to show you the chosen card. Most likely not going to be the Tudor style performer, and probably doesn't even know a J-5.

I might do something flashy up front to get attention, before I do a trick. Or I might use a fancy false cut to find a card. It depends on my mood, and even more, who I'm performing for.
I'd rather be able to read someone, and cater a performance that would be interesting to them, than just perform my way, and pray to the baby spirit of elvis that they like it.

 

[KeenanG]

It depends on what you are trying to show yourself as.

If you want to show yourself as more of a magical performer, I wouldn't reccomend doing any six packet/flashy cuts or the such.

If you want to show yourself as a guy/girl who can do some cool stuff with a deck of cards, I might reccomend to do the fancy cuts and such.

When you do these cuts and fancy flourishes, it will arouse suspicion that what you are doing is just some sleight of hand. It shows that you are very good with cards, so why couldn't you be able to switch my card in less than a second if you can hold 30 packets in your hands?

I think a fan, a riffle, and a simple over hand shuffle will do. BUT, it all comes down to what YOU want to perform and what YOU want to be and THAT will take a lot of time to find out.

Keenan

 

[cardangel]

i definately agree with you guys

but heres my opinion:
a little flourishing here and there is gonna add a little spice to your performances. things like a simple switch, card springs, dribbles, riffles, and some flashy, short false cuts arent gonna arounse suspicion with your spectators. it just adds some flare and reinforces that you definately know what your doing with cards.

on the other hand, if you pick a card any card and then do some minute longs sequence of cuts like the jackson 5 or something from daniel madison, and then resume to have their card appear in your pocket or something, not only does suspicion arise, but as a spectator, i would wonder why the hell you just did all that stuff. lets not forget that laymen and even hecklers dont understand that the point of jackson 5 is a demontrate your skill with cards through flashy cuts, they think your just trying to cut the cards...until you have 18 different packets from waist to neck.

all in all, i agree that flourishes add some flare to your magic and should be used in accordance with your own performance style. but i do think, however, that there is a thin blue line between performing xcm/cardistry and performing magic

 

[StreetMage]

If I'm just standing around while a spectator is signing a card, examining something, etc., I'll do a few fans or something if I'm not doing a sleight. Other than that, I only flourish if I have a reason to that fits with the trick.

For instance, I end my ACR with some transformations rather than top-jumps, so as patter I say, "I could make this thing jump to the top all day, but that's boring, so I like to mix it up so the card gets confused." I then do a Marlo rotational cut followed by a few very basic packet aerials (I think it's taught on Dream of Aces) as if I'm trying to make the cards dizzy or disoriented.

Another example is during split-sevens (a trick where I split the seven of clubs into two 3.5 of clubs and back). Before I reveal the two cards, I do a four-packet cut VERY slowly and say I'm looking through the deck for their card.

Other basic examples include fanning the deck for the return of a card or revelation of an upturned card, stuff like that. So yeah, I basically believe that there are appropriate times to flourish, as long as you justify it and make it fit what you're doing. I mean, spectators KNOW you're manipulating the cards somehow, or at least adults do, so it doesn't matter how you handle a deck of cards. . . the spectators will still assume you're good with cards.