Youth group magic

[Lionsden123]

Well, last night was youthgroup at the church I go to, and I decided to bring some simple magic for walk around.
Everyone just kinda hangs out and plays games after, so I thought, ehh, bring some cards just in case, doubt I'll do anything though.

So I bring my hopping half set, some normal half dollars, a normal deck, and an invisible deck. (May sound like alot but it's really not)

So at the end, someone saw me holding my invisible and came over and mentioned it. Just cause it was off the cuff and I kinda blanked, I said "Here, I'll show you something, name the first card that comes to mind." He told me one and I showed him it was the only face down one. He wanted me to do it again, and a few kids heard him and came over. Right there I had around 8 kids hudded around me, trying to catch me with all their might. So I did it again, and got a great reaction from them as a group, but now they wanted to see if I could ALWAYS get it so they had me do it again, and again, and again. Now I'll say right here I decided that since it's youth group and I know and trust the people there I wouldn't mind breaking a few of magic's "rules" so I decided to keep doing it because the reactions got better every time, at one point the original kid ran around the whole room!

So anyways, some short kid comes up, takes a quick duck while a spread through, and yells out "I KNOW HOW IT'S DONE!", and then says something which was very off from the true working of it but... hmm hard to explain, but it involed me showing everyone exactly how it did work, and the reactions from them finding out how it worked were great too. So then my original group toted me around saying "Show the card trick to this kid!" and "Coin trick on them!" I ended up performing for around 25 kids last night, and it felt good!
(Oh, I also performed collectors by the bucks a few times, people thought it looked cool)

But my real question is, if I wanna do this every sunday night now, which I do, what would you recommend performing?

It's essentially always the same kids, and I know they're gonna ask for more next time. I'm thinking hindsight by Justin Miller'd be good, maybe Time and Space... but what would you recommend for the whole walk around and everything setup. These kids are DEADLY trying to catch me, with "Let me see those coins, or cards" And being all handsy with stuff.

So just any recommendations would be good.

Thanks,
Evan

 

[joshua barrett]

im sure other will go into more detail.... but beware having a regular audience. it won;t be long till the magic is lost to them and they just want to figure out what your doing. if your gonna do this. make it one a week. and make sure you got it down pat.

i learned this the hard way from doign magic for co-workers

 

[Ray]

So anyways, some short kid comes up, takes a quick duck while a spread through, and yells out "I KNOW HOW IT'S DONE!", and then says something which was very off from the true working of it but... hmm hard to explain, but it involed me showing everyone exactly how it did work, and the reactions from them finding out how it worked were great too.

Wait wait... You actually explained them how it works in order to proove the kid wrong?

 

[c3rb3rus]

thats what i was thinking as well .. if your going to break the "never repeat the same trick twice" rule at least never expose the method .. i remember a while back i did crazy man handcuffs for a group of friends... i did it maybe 4 times in a row, and they were amazed and filled with disbelieve more then the previous time they saw it, but i never exposed the secret no matter how simple it is. I guess i did it extremely well because one friend that would not let it go actually guessed the method but he convinced himself that what he had just said was not true because it looked nothing like what i was doing, i was doing it slowly for them all to see the effect so he insisted that his guess was wrong.... to this day he cant explain it.

 

[Dave Egleston]

, but it involed me showing everyone exactly how it did work, and the reactions from them finding out how it worked were great too.


But my real question is, if I wanna do this every sunday night now, which I do, what would you recommend performing?

So just any recommendations would be good.

Thanks,
Evan

Evan,

If you can't perform without revealing the secrets, maybe you should take up singing.

I realize you're a youngster and the pressure to be accepted in a group is tremendous, but compromising your integrity is a poor way to be recognized.

You've ruined that trick for about 25 of your fellow group members for the rest of their lives and every time the see another magician perform the Invisible Deck, they are not going to be amazed, they'll probably tell whomever is watching with them how it's done. You will not be remembered as fondly as you hope to be remembered.

I hope you'll rethink performing again for that group, you've already diminished both your skill level and integrity in their eyes.


Good advice was given to you by Barrett, if you must perform, select only one trick a week, with the promise of doing one more each week thereafter.

Dave

 

[Ray]

I also think that with this attitude you won't be "the magician" in their eyes, but more "the guy who knows all the tricks and explains them to us if we bother him long enough".

Well its up to you what you want to be... I'd take "the magician" though.

 

[harapanong]

I don't agree with his actions, but maybe we should start thinking: Is it possible to expose an effect and yet audiences are still amazed by it?

Gregory Wilson. on his On the Spot DVD, says he exposes the jumping ring trick. It's simple, he does it well, people get fooled by it - why does he expose it? Maybe Gregory Wilson needs a career change too.

- harapan. magic!

 

[joshua barrett]

yes, but if he trying to form a regular audience... his action are gonna lead him on a pth he's not gonna want to be on

 

[harapanong]

Ahh. I get what you mean now. Thanks for the clarification.

Exposing effects, in my opinion, is a double edged sword. Sometimes its good, sometimes its bad.

What do you guys think?

- harapan. magic!

 

[Ray]

Exposing effects, in my opinion, is a double edged sword. Sometimes its good, sometimes its bad.

What do you guys think?

I'd like to hear when exposing is good?


@topic:

These kids are DEADLY trying to catch me, with "Let me see those coins, or cards" And being all handsy with stuff.

I recommend:

Don't perform for them.

As "the magician" you got this incredible bonus:
YOU can decide whom to show your magic art... and YOU only.
It may sound very arrogant, but it is a privilege(sp?) for someone to see your magic, not something "normal" or "common".

 

[joshua barrett]

my general rule, unless someone is paying you and your performing out of fun or whatever if they can not offer you some respect, then don;t do it. if not, your gonna become the youth groups "pet magician" that they can abuse

 

[harapanong]

Very true, I hate being pet magicians.

Joshua, if you don't mind, I can't exactly answer your question properly now. I am currently exploring this area of magic, and I am still forming my thoughts.

Next time, I'll answer you properly, maybe through a PM or something.

- harapan. magic!

 

[Sharog]

I remember seeing David blaine performing STS a while back on TV and he then revealed a fake methode of how it work and it was awsome.

but yes as ppl said, dont make it a regular habbit, it is ok to say "NO", that counts for everything in life, it is ok to say NO <---.

 

[Lionsden123]

I guess me saying I told them was kinda inaccurate. The kid that saw the deck then flipped it over as he was doing it, yelling "double faced cards!" so then they all said, double cards?! You cheater! And then grabbed the deck and looked through. I didn't say, "no, THIS is how you do it!" I just explained that it wasn't double faced cards. I don't go around revealing stuff, sorry it came off that way.

Thanks,
Evan

 

[The Dark Angel]

Well, I wouldn't do the ID for them again, you've already amazed them with it, it'll start to lose it's appeal soon.

 

[BlueBackedBikes]

So then my original group toted me around saying "Show the card trick to this kid!" and "Coin trick on them!" I ended up performing for around 25 kids last night, and it felt good!

Let this be a lesson of what not to do. Don't be their pet magician, showing them tricks at their command to whoever they want you to (which is actually exactly what you were doing). As a magician, you have a special talent. With this special talent comes a super-cool ability; you can perform to who you want, when you want, if you want. Don't feel up to it? Think the kids just want to see something to expose it? There is nothing (and I stress: nothing) wrong with saying "No". It'll teach them that your art and talent is to be respected, and it will make the times when you do perform for them even more special.

 

[Magic9002]

I think there is better ways dealing with a heckler then giving in and telling every one how its done.even though you shouldnt argue with a heckler , saying somthing like "not even close" or even saying somthing like "the secrect is magic" might help.anyway it seems like you did good performing.

 

[The Dark Angel]

There's been times where even if the heckler guessed the method, I've lied and said "No, I guess that you could do it that way, but that's not the way that I do it."