Justifications for the Ball and Vase: (black ball) I just won a bowling trophy. It's kind of cute. It's a little cup with a little bowling ball inside.
(red ball) I found something special under the Christmas tree last Christmas. No, it's not this little container... that's just what I keep it in because it is so precious. Look! Rudolph's Nose!
(blue ball) *** censored *** something about a divorce *** you figure it out ***

Adds no time at all, invites interest, provides "some" justification.

Divorce....hilarious. Lovely idea. May just work with this idea. (Almost said "play with this idea")

“To justify, or not to justify: That is the question.” The ultimate determinant of the intrinsic value of any magic routine or performance is the response of the audience. On numerous occasions I have performed my four minute silent act (the dancing cane and card manipulations) in venues where most of the crowd is more interested in drinking or scoring than in watching a magic act. Nevertheless, from the moment I stepped out onto the stage, I had the audience in the palm of my hand with a short silent, manipulative act--and there was no “justification” inherent in any of the effects. The performance engendered in the audience a sense of wonder that they rarely encountered elsewhere. They took pleasure in suspending their disbelief for the few minutes that I was onstage, and expressed that pleasure in genuine, enthusiastic applause and vocal exclamations of wonder. (Personally, I don't think most audiences give a d--n about whether a magician's tricks are "justified." The only thing they really care about is being entertained.)

----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez

P.S. I see nothing wrong in using the word "trick" when presenting a routine. The word "trick" does not in any way diminish the audience's enjoyment of a magician's performance. In the real world, non-magicians speak about "the Indian Rope Trick" and it does not diminish the awe of just thinking about that _trick_. I still say that magicians themselves invent things to obsess over that the lay audience could care less about.

----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez

Learning to develop and deliver patter that builds a routine with justification is just one of the differences between an entertaining magician and an magic trick mechanic.

Ok now I am confused. I am not sure if I am an entertainer or a mechanic. And that is not meant as a joke. This really makes me take a second look at what I am doing in my routines. This thread is helping me.


Steven

Steven, this is the real issue with magic (and all of life). Those that are natural entertainers tend to need to work on their mechanics. The mechanics need to work on entertaining. Performance requires both. To be a professional, you need to add business sense, marketing, etc. This is what makes magic wonderful. The same could be said for any profession that someone takes seriously. Because we are all human, we tend to spend some time on mechanics, then entertainment, back to mechanics, etc.

Did you ever believe that we would change the name to 21st Century Silks? In the 60s that seemed forever away.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Did someone say 20th Century Silks???

http://youtu.be/EUCLMDFxkI4

Very visual and nice combinatons.

Thanks Bill

Rice is nice!!!

Scott, I recognized many of the Rice routines, except the silk toss, are you marketing that idea, or is it in the books.

It is indeed in Rice's but not workable as printed. Puck and I retooled the "Prisoner's Silk" concept so it was a practical working piece. We are in the process of putting this routine out as an entire stage routine with all the necessary silks. Should hit the magic shops by May's end.

I am sure it will be a winner, I like the sequence of effects, so much better then vanish and then appear between. Is that the old Marconic Prisoner Silk your were referring to?

Have you looked at Peter Scarlett's Silk routine in his lecture and notes. It is sort of a Prisoner Silk effect, very visual in that the silk flies from severat feet and appears between his silks. It looks very magicial as well. He sells it on his lecture notes and lecture CD.

Yes, Bill overlooked because of impracticality but this handling is really simple.

Haven't seen Scarletts routine. Sounds neat.

I enjoy my routine with 20th Century Silk for "I Don't Do Blue Material". The Blue center silk is not available to all. Fortunately that is no problem for me. It is also a good 18" pure silk set that allows all silks to be shown full square.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Bob, I just received a set of your 20th Century Silks, and the quality is great. What you say about being able to show full-square is important; my old set of silks was done on the diagonal ala Tarbell, but your setup is much stronger. Also just got the DoveLite Silk to Egg Walkaround version. Beautiful. Thanks!

Two possible themes not mentioned yet are:

A Christian one based on "Whenever two or more are gathered in My name, so also will I be there."

and "emergence" -- "We can only hold two thoughts in mind at once -- to compare, contrast or order. Yet, the result of such pondering is often a new idea having elemnts of both -- or neither. It's elemental magic wihin each of us."


I most profound 20th Century presentation I have ever worked on -- (crafted rather than performed) is to have the single silk slowly disolve to nothingness in your hand as it gradually appears between the hands of two gently tugging spectators. I think such an effect would need no justification beyond, "Watch as these two witnesses perform a miracle."

Sadly, the person for whom I developed the methods of execution never told me of the audience reaction to this effect. Since it has been years -- perhaps any idea of "proprietorship" is gone and I can write it up. Is it his effect or mine? His email addy no longer works. From his idea and my methods a new "silk" could emerge into the 21st Century.

Maybe I should work it up and perform at "The Ranch" if I ever get back there.

funsway,

Our feelings would be hurt if you did not come!

You are invited to attend and take part. October 5 & 6, 2012

http://magicvalleymagic.com/

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......rt=420#5

Bob Sanders (205) 755-6882 or Bob@MagicBySander.com