I've known this move for quite some time, but haven't been putting in much practice with it until recently. I realized that I was practicing to become a one armed manipulator and I wanted to do some fan productions with my non-dominant hand. Anyway, I'm having some trouble with the timing of this move in conjunction with classic b***p*** fan productions with the other hand. Is it better to produce a fan in each hand, then do the split/drop with each hand or should you produce with one hand, split/drop then produce with the other hand? Has anyone played with this move?

Another point about it is that the front hand split can't really stand alone, I think. It both provides misdirection for b***p*** productions and needs the misdirection they provide to look pretty. If all the attention is focused on the hand doing the front splits at the wrong time, it just doesn't look magical.

Other thoughts? Perhaps this is too narrow a topic. Has anyone tried other "front" fan productions that differ from the Baxter move (as taught on the McBride tapes)?

I use the front hand split. It is a bold move, and I do it when I look at the fan I produce in my right (dominant) hand. In the meantime the right hand has split. I can drop the 4 or 5 cards and split in my right hand; drop them and the audience is never the wiser of your stock of cards in both hands. I would then produce the left hand fan first.

If you need any specific help, PM me.
Thanks,
Yours magically and mentally,
Kevin.

I basically split both at the same time. People will watch the cards fall from the back hand, so it'll be covered well.

I do it alternating.

A number of points should be made here. First the Baxter FHS is actually two different moves. Like McBride says on the video, one for faces out and one for backs out. Just keep that in mind. (You can tilt the cards foward to cover the finger flinging for the back out split, as if you were "showing" the backs of the cards to the audience.)

To answer your question: according to proper stage movement, the audience can only focus on one movement at a time; therefore only one hand should move at a time. Produce with L, produce with R, split and drop left, split and drop right. Each action should be done by itself so as not to confuse the audience (how confusing can it be though).

That's the answer you'd get from a director.

My answer differs slightly in the fact that you COULD (not should) do the drop at the same time with both hands. This would allow you to not have to do the b**kp**m split as the front hand cards falling would cover this.

As a quick extra I actually produce R, produce L, drop L, drop R. I feel that the audience doesn't have to look back and forth so much (they are already looking at the left hand for the production and the right hand after the splits).

Finally, yes I do use moves other than Baxter's for the front hand. PM me for details.

Joe

I have to agree that alternating works the best as it is quick fire and misdirection is created for the other hand whilst the other hand is working!

so if you are using manipulation cards with skin coloured backs is it ok to have this flash when doing the front hand split?

there is really no way around it but i was thinking that if people were to see this they would be able to draw a connection between that and your hands being the same colour for cover.

any ideas or facts??

thanks

Although the cards are flesh coloured, I think this is no exception to flash! Practise this move until you remove all flashing... come on think when you first started back palming, I bet you (and I'm not picking on you... everyone!) flashed like mad. Give this move the practise it deserves, and even if you are not using it to produce fans continually from each hand, its a great way of getting a few cards into palm for other productions... snap or perfect for example.

I find this move quite easy, but I can now do everything in both hands (ambidextrous?), I am left handed when it comes to writing, but I learned split fans with my right, now I can do (and I do do) split fans in both hands.

Thanks for your time,

Good luck with those splits!

thanks The Scot but,

i don't think you understand what i am asking, i am not talking about flashing the cards that are going into palm because or course you wouldn't want that, but when you have to fan the second time in the baxters move the faces are showing on the fingers side not thumb(if you know what i mean) but to put stock into palm you must turn the fan around for cover to do the move, and when the cards are turned for cover the audience can see there backs are skin coloured.

i don't think there is a way around this but i think some people would see a connection between the cards and hands being the same colour.

is this alright? i am sure when baxter came up with this he was not using skin-tone cards but red.

is there a left hand production, back of hand to audience, where the backs of the cards aren't shown in the palming process?

thanks for the info