In talking about Ambitious Card Routines:

"I find sometimes when people do the ambitious card... a card rises, ok there it is... boom, boom, there it is. They treat it as if it's a nothing. Now, if it's a 'nothing,' it will be appreciated as a 'nothing.'"

-Tommy Wonder

To me, that says it all. To create "real magic," we should put sleights and apparatus out of our head for a moment to think about the gravity of what we are supposedly doing. Give it weight. Give it meaning. Give it emotion. Make it magical.

ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!!!

I perform in a variety of venues (kids, seniors, strolling, corp, etc.) and I always follow up after the show with a brief feedback inquiry. Usually, it is a couple of questions asked during a follow up call - hopefully making another booking.

Without fail I am constantly surprised by the answers given to the question - "So which effect do you think they (the audience) liked the best? ...and "Why?"

It is rarely an "amazing" effect that displayed my technical prowess or high degree of sleight of hand (ok...maybe I should practice even more?). It IS almost always the effect that I "connected" with the audience the most. Many times it is when the audience was "part of the magic" or I was "fully engaged" and having "real fun" in every magical moment.

I like what pearljamjeff said about "Give it weight. Give it meaning. Give it emotion. Make it magical"

So I say 80% entertainment / 40% amazement...

...AND that extra 20% (attitude/effort/engagement) is what will make it all "magical"!