Hi Losander,
I was wondering if you could tell us more about Salvano, your relationship with him, and his influence on you. I can see a lot of the same smooth sophistication in the bits of your act that I have seen in Salvano's act. His "cocktail act" with it's production of full cocktail glasses is one of the most beautiful routines I have ever seen, and it inspires me. Could you point us to some sources to learn the techniques and methods involved in this type of an act?

Thanks for being here at the Café.

Salvano was a great friend and teacher for me. I met him the first time 16 years ago. We were touring with a show through Germany, and we instantly became friends. What followed was a wonderful time. I learned so much from him. But not only that, he was one of the best magicians I have ever met.
He was wonderful as a teacher. He did not try to force his ways on you. Instead, he saw your potential and worked with you on that level. Very rare to find in a teacher. I will never forget when I first asked him what he thought about my act. After about 3 weeks, I finally had the power to ask him. He said, "If you really want to know, your act is not a good act." I was totally depressed.
Now keep in mind, my act was not like you all know it now. I asked him if he wanted to come with me, as I had a performance for a birthday party that night and did my full evening show. "Yes," he said. After my show, I asked him again what he thought. And the to my surprise, he said, "Let me tell you, in all these years in magic, there was not a single magician who impressed me like you tonight."
I was confused and asked, "How is that possible?"
"Well," he said, "now I know you took the end of a theater play and played it separately. See, in your show everything makes sense, but if you only show your bubbles and dancing hank, it is unfinished." So he said, "If you want to create an act out of that, we have a lot of work to do."
Couple years later, I invented the table. When he saw that for the first time, he completely lost it. He said, "That is the best levitation I have ever seen, but if you want to truly master it, we have to work on it a lot." One year later, it was finished; the routine most of you know and most of you perform.
So you see, if someone asked me how long it takes until they can float the table, it is hard to say. You can learn the basics in 5 minutes, but the rest will take a long time. The table is probably the only effect in magic what still looks ok even when it is performed bad. But that is the danger - magicians stop working on it as soon as it looks ok.
But coming back to my friend, when he taught me about how to use the thumbtip, I was so amazed what miracles you can do with it. Of course, nothing was easy. He explained the work of it month after month until I finally came up with my own routine and style. You can see some of that on my DVD 'Magic Anytime...Anywhere!' So we spent per year at least 3 months together until he finally passed away on my birthday. I can truly say that without him I would not be what I am now. Thank you, Salvano. I hope I can give this knowledge to you guys in one way or another.