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davidlai308 Veteran user Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia 376 Posts |
Here is my qualm ,
In today's fast paced world , do you think `slow paced ' Mentalism routines are appropriate ? We'll put it this way , most of my shows are for corporate dinners , conferences or for big private parties . Most Mentalism routines do not work for these type of functions ( for me , if it works for you , GREAT ! ) . I realized that long dwindled routines just do not work . People will ultimately lose their concentration at these type of functions . As for me , I usually start off with something visual , such as metal bending then slow down the pace and get more intimate with my audience . What are your thoughts on this ? Should mentalism be performed at a fast pace during corporate functions ? -David Lai
An entrepreneur by day , a magician by night . Satiate my mind & you've won my heart .
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ravi Elite user Germany 413 Posts |
Hey, I can support what you are saying.
I was going through a book of my favorite mentalist "Phantini" recently and this is exactly what he was saying: ( I love Phantini's approach to mentalism and I go through his books very often. It may be over 30% of my close up mentalism repertoire that is based or influenced by his incredible work. It was the Eighties and he was already publishing books for the STROLLING MENTALIST. He has been lightyears ahead with his mentalism. Here is what he has written in Phantini's Greatest Mental Secrets": "Robert Dorian noted in a recent article that the state of the mental act in the 1980's is far from encouraging. The mentalist of our era are still presenting their acts much in the same pace as they were presented in the 1920's. While magic has progressed in the last ten years at a rapid pace in creativity and the production of marketable acts, mentalism has produced nothing really in step with the times." Oh yeah, this man published this in the Eighties and beside a small handful of performers, this hasn't changed much. There is a german saying: If you do not go with the time, you have to go by time. This is a new millenium. Behave and perform like this! You may not like the MTV style but entertainment should be for the audience not along the audience. Go and read everything of Phantini that you can get your hand on. hundreds of routines for stage and close up mentaism and far beyond a lot of the stuff that is published or performed today ( sad enough!) It will change a lot for you. And look around. Why are othres successful, even more than you? Actors, singers, musicians, theater etc... what do they do and why. Then change!!!!!! Ravi
I N D R I D C O L E
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Decomposed Eternal Order High Desert 12059 Posts |
I too understand what you are saying. But who says you have to do long drawn out routines? I know all of us have heard from performers that mentalism is boring. The performance may be boring but their are plenty of routines that are certainly not boring. My longest routine is kurotsuke but Im running all around and there is comedy etc. Sometimes I do BN and it has the chance of winning. Other then that, my routines are short and sweet. Certainly there are many long routines but you pick what you like for those functions. Or you can always mix magic and mentalism like many Pros do (I do and I am still a beginner:). Just do not limit yourself and tailor the routines to what works for you and the audience.
That's why I think openers are so important. Also, I love gigs where I get to do strolling before the stage/parlor performance and I try to sell this to the client prior to booking. I establish the most important repore with the audience prior to going up front.
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Blackwood Special user Mind-Play 528 Posts |
Whenever I have a question about the performance of mentalism, I try to find a comparison to the performance of music – a universally popular form of entertainment.
So, rephrased, your question might be: Are slow songs acceptable? Of course, the answer is "yes". In fact, if you look at it that way, slow songs are almost a necessity – too many fast or head-banging songs in a row would be as boring as too many slow songs. Varying the pace of any performance set is one key to keeping interest. Symphonies have slow movements, movies have lower-energy love sections, etc., to let the more intense portions shine in comparison. Or, another analogy: We're taking the audience on a thrill ride. In any theme park ride, the slow, almost agonizing ascent to the height is what builds expectation and lets the fast descent on the other side be more thrilling. That said, slower effects in mentalism are only effective if they are compelling, if you've involved and intrigued the viewers. They should probably be used after some fast, amazing demonstrations – and perhaps toward the end of your set. |
davidlai308 Veteran user Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia 376 Posts |
Blackwood ,Ravi and Candini thanks for sharing your thoughts .
Based on my experience , start with something slow , you'll kill your whole show . I always pace my routines on the fast side in the beginning and progressively increase the momentum towards the end not forgetting a `low dip ' or two in the middle .
An entrepreneur by day , a magician by night . Satiate my mind & you've won my heart .
www.superhumanz.online |
bahamagician Regular user 137 Posts |
The key is in the pacing of the routine. At no time should you have any dead time. This is true for all performances but especially for mentalism where the effects are mostly created in the audiences minds. This means that you must have worked through the routine and identified any areas where the performance will lull (specators writing down info, handing out paper and pens etc.) and created something in those spots to keep the audience interest. Just this week I have stumbled across some performance video of Craig Karges on YouTube. He is the hallmark for what a modern day mentalism performance should be. For example, he does a blindfold routine (lots of potential to drag) and kills with it. I think his secret is that he keeps the pace going. Something is happening all the time within the act. Even when spectators are approaching the stage, he still manages to fill the time with something to say.
Craig Karges Blindfold Performance Part 1,2,3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YQulDtes-8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6PMW0APQIk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni-0KY6hV68 Hope this helps. I know that just watching him perform has changed my approach to mentalism. -=Chris |
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