Hello friends. I am interested to find new openers for a solo act.

OPENER which grab the attention.

Usually I use the fire hat to dove.(the only negative factor is that I have to seat up and sometimes I don't have any cover for that, especially when I work in public spaces)

I also use floating sunglasses.(the negative of this is that the thread is visible in day light because the sunglasses is kind of heavy and even the thread is invisible still can be seen)

The best opener I use is vanishing cane to silks. (this is great because I can use it anywhere and also I can prepare this a long time ago at my house or in the car). Unfortunately this effect is a part of my act where I use it in the middle and I don't want to have it as an opener any more.

some ideas that I have is:
- torch to cane
- gloves to flowers or doves

QUESTION: what other effects do you know where can be good openers? I am interested most for an opener at a very strict environment BUT IF U HAVE ANY GOOD OPENERS FOR STAGE LET ME KNOW TOO.

Why do you not start with Candle to Dove?
Or Candle to silk to Cane, then Make a flash light and produce the dove...
There are many interesting ways to open your show...

REGARDS
Nick Jegor

Thanks for your input but since I already use this effects in my act I look for something else for an opener.

How about -

Kabuki Streamer Opening - pull streamer back and appear a cane

and for a continuity of this 10 -15 seconds opening

Stroke the head/top of the cane to appear a silk and then split the silk into 2 silks and from which you can appear a ...

Dove, or Candle, or another Cane, or flower bouquet, or fountain silks, etc

Are you in a tux and tails? Is this a classical act?

I say you produce a silk and go right into an effect where the silk is used? The pop silk production from Vito Lupo is beautiful, (you reach into the air and literally a silk materialises at your fingertips, looks so impossible) but you need sleeves that have some room...

Simply come out smile at your audience, make eye contact, and as your scanning your audience to give everyone personal attention something catches your eye, you look closer and take a step forward, reach into the air and POOF a silk is seen hanging from your fingertips. You could even add a puff of fire, or smoke, or a flash of light for heigthened effect.

DJ

Considered Weller egg followed by silk to egg? Ending with real eggs is real magic! (And cheap!)

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

My sugestion is this Whatch FISM 1997 - FISM 2000 and FISM 2003...
You will find what you nead, and you will get many ideas fro it...

Regards
Nickolaj

This is something of mine published in Jeff McBride's Secret Art Journal

The ABC's of opening an act

Get a short, silent, parlor/standup act that doesn’t use a lot of props or specifically require the knowledge of one language. Learn it. Know it. Repeat it in front of live audiences.

Not just paying shows where everyone expects a magician there. Do it out of your pockets, in bars, at festivals, anywhere people gather. Talk with the owner of a bar or club, and ask them if you can come in and present your bit. Try to get a few drinks or some food in trade. But, get out there and do it. See if they’ll play your music, but be prepared to have to work with the dj’s music that is already playing. Try to get an announcement from the dj, but do whatever it takes to create an act that:

A. Gets immediate attention from the audience.

B. Holds their attention and creates expectation.

C. Establishes expertise and dexterity. You say that you’re not a juggler? You could only aspire to be a juggler. Don’t be afraid to be perceived as someone who has put in some time. Or as someone who HAS put in the time. Watch Viktor Kee’s performance, and then come back and tell me that you’ve made ANY sacrifice for your art.

D. makes you a time machine. When you are done, they look at their watch, and realize that the last 10 minutes (or whatever amount of time that you do) went by in what seemed like seconds. The greatest thing to happen is for someone to miss their appointment, because they caught caught up in your act.

E. is silent and leaves the audience wanting to get to know more of you.

F. Establishes your character and your character.

G. Starts with something that is so unique and original, that when the audience talks to other performance artists in your market hear about what was done at the beginning of your act, they immediately know that it was your act.

H. has so much consistent conditioning to make the audience watch that you will catch their attention, no matter how preoccupied they are, and no matter when they get a glimpse of you on the stage, they will start watching.

I. expresses a unique part of your soul in some way.

J. breaks through the glass wall between you and the audience. Have some kind of audience participation that lets them know that they are NOT watching TV.

K. leaves them wanting more. Not unsatisfied, just wanting more.

L. makes people say that they saw the greatest live solo performer that they’ve ever seen

M. travels small, legally (see ‘no fire, no birds’)

N. makes ex-performer/critics look for ‘excuses’ to dislike your act that have nothing to do with what you are doing on stage, because they feel helpless to ever have that level of appeal.

O. makes you AND the audience have fun.

P. Puts you and your audience in the present, in the now.

Q. makes everyone in the audience wish that they knew you.

R. makes everyone in the audience feel that they know you.

S. is timeless. No matter when they see this, whether it’s 2000 years ago, or 2000 years from now, they will relate and feel that it is happening in the current time and space. On video it would appear that it was filmed yesterday, no matter how many years ago it actually was filmed.

T. leaves them laughing, if possible, that makes their day, either way.

U. isn’t offensive, if possible. However, some performers are just more offensive, by nature, than others. Know yourself, know what you can get away with in ALL situations, because, remember, this will be your intro for EVERY show. If possible, just make it universally presentable… that is the major constraint of this proposal.

V. establishes a rapport between yourself and the audience.

W. makes other performers hate you, just because you own them

X. uses props that need no explanation, universally recognizable.

Y. uses elements of mimes, European clowns, Keaton (both), and Chaplin. Study and feel them.

Z. makes you smile, even if your character is an angry French mime clown, at least inside.

Depending on the venue...
If the conditions are right, the dancing cane gets a great reaction. Patrick Page pointed out in the DVD "Visions of Ken Brooke" that Ken opened with the dancing cane to attract the audience's attention and establish himself immediately as a magician--then segued into other effects.

Channing Pollock sometimes opened with a bare-hand silk production as seen in this youtube video of his 1966 Hollywood Palace appearance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePyZHCMxBzk
Likewise, in his "European Nights" appearance, he opened with producing two silks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khQT5HP3zfU

On his "Festival of Magic" appearance, Cardini started out with card fan productions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhZ_DYGK6xY

In general, any good production would make for a strong opening effect.

----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez

Might change according to what is known about the expectations of this "audience of the moment."

What has the been the attention of the group before you start? Several different "openers" may need be "at the ready."

The question was once posed, "There will be the three act for the venting: a Mentalist, a Juggler and you, a Conjuror.
If you have the choice of being first, middle or last of this set, which would it be?"

Here we might add, "What opener would you use in each position?"