Something trained dancers have that is hard to fine in many others is that built in clock. They can count, count, count with total consistency while accomplishing something else at the same time. It can be priceless!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

My assistant is my girlfriend. But we had some sort of argument about that. She actually considers that I am her assistant. How annoying.

When I first started in Magic my daughter was my assistant and she was a dancer. When she moved on I went to her dance school found some one I thought would work and approaced her. Much to my surprise it worked. Maybe I got lucky that first time but since then I have gone back, I always ask for permission from the owners first, and have found that right person. Dancers are trained in movement and of course they are performers.

lol... leave it to me to drag back some old post but I just saw it!

Rob, the reason I hire dancers is not to have them dance...half clad or not. It is that they are accomplished at moving on stage and they have the right lines to make you and the props look good. In spite of the fact I was a professional dancer for years, even I don't "dance" on stage as I feel it takes away from the magic. On the other hand it gave me a comfort moving on stage that I would never have had otherwise. It is the same for the people I hire.



I'm guessing you would be great on stage! This is just a personal preference but as someone who has choreographed both modern and ballet, I must admit that I prefer girls with a ballet background as their turn out is a more flattering line for most routines. Even for jazz or modern numbers I will typically be more likely to cast girls that have some ballet as their carriage and support is better in general.

Even better is someone with a ballet background that has some showgirl experience. One of my girls was a dancer who had also been a showgirl in Vegas and she had the best lines on stage. I never had to teach her to bevel or how to cross on or off. It was just innate at that point.

Not every show has the same demands however. Sometimes a model is fine for just bringing things on and off stage. Let your act be your guide!

Quote :I am fully against dancers in a magic show...but that is just me. I pay to see magic not some half-clad lady dancing on stage: unquote

a half clad assistant can be a great misdirection asset drawing attention where you want it and away from where you don't.

Im a firm believer in the maxim 'a magician is an actor playing the part of a magician.' Therefore your assistants are also actors playing the part of magical assistants.
Depending on the dramaturgy of your show a dancer/assistant can be eye candy, colour and movement and/or a roadie to schlep the props and scenery. Its your show (presumably) so hire the people who fit the character.

As for the topic of modern vs classical dancers. Seriously guys!? Any dancer worth their shoes will have experience with both styles and then some. The quality that the dancers/assistants will bring to your performance comes down to the director and choreographer. I cant stress enough the importance of using an experienced and 'clued in' choreographer if you are going to use dance and dancers in your act. Once you have the 'magic' organised and slick it can all fall to pieces if the staging is amateurish and cliched.

Well said

Most major cities have dance programs in the Universities. There is always a message board that lists auditions. I highly recommend that you bring in a "dance choreographer" to run the auditions for you. This will give you credibility and make the auditionees feel comfortable. What ever you do be professional, during, before and after the audition. Nothing will ruin a reputation in the dance community that they felt they were put in a creepy or non professional environment.

At first the professors and dance instructors will be a bit wary of new people auditioning their students. But once feed back comes back to them they will be more then willing to recommend the jobs you have to other of their students. I have found once this trust is given to you, a phone call asking for recommendations is the best way to get the best and most reliable dancers.

Until trust is gained with your assistant, always travel with a group to make sure no misunderstanding happen.

Good Luck

If there is anyone still frustrated over sourcing dancers just PM me.
Im more familiar with the european dance market but the dance world isn't that huge and I can probably help with the US and South American markets.
For the MCafés readers' information, Im a balletmaster with over thirty five years experience in theatre. There's not much I havent encountered and even though I say so myself you wont find better. Better suited to your individual vision/production maybe, but not better.

So before you even start searching for dancers you need choreography, before you have choreography you need a choreographer.
As I said before in this thread, decide what you want for your show (excellent dancers who provide colour and movement but also appear in your magical effects, roadies who schlep your equipment, or co-conspirators with a good understanding of illusion techniques, or combinations there of) and cast accordingly.

Maybe this deserves to be an extra thread considering the US market but I feel the need to comment on "Audition Fees."

If you hold an audition for dancers and charge them to attend I will be very, very angry with you.

I do not care how much the audition costs you to host, nor how much time you invest in planning the audition, if you feel you should charge potential cast members to ask you for a job you are running your business badly.

Perhaps this diversion on the topic of dancers seems illogical in a magic forum but for the dance world the prevalence of audition fees is a disease that is centred in the US market.

Maybe there'll be a new thread started under "Helping Hands" but in the mean time Im available to PM regarding the topic.