|
|
Ado Inner circle New York City 1033 Posts |
Hi there,
After meeting with a local magician here, I've been suggested to pratise my chops by doing magic to people in public spaces. Basically, doing street magic or busking (honestly I don't fully grasp the difference) at a given place. We've also decide that I should rather start without a table, and that I could stick to three or so effects for a ten minutes show, most likely for groups of half a dozen people. I plan to do effects coming from the following selection, and wish to have your opinion regarding this effects in a busking context: - Ambitious card routine: signed card comes back 5 times to the top face down, and a sixth time, face up to conclude. - Card to pocket: signed card, three times back to pocket. The fourth time, the whole deck went to the pocket. - The time machine (Giobbi, Card College). - Twisting the Aces (Thomas Hierling's version). - Dr Daley's Last Trick, because if I have the four aces in hand, I'd be a fool not to do this great trick. - Crazy Man's handcuffs, rubber band through thumb - Color changing and vanishing balls: if I dressed adequately, I could do something à la Carl Cloutier in order to attract people (like play with a ball, make it change color, pass it to someone, "oh! it vanished! well, would you like to see something with cards? I have 52 of them left!") Cheers, P! |
D. Yoder Veteran user 376 Posts |
It would help to know what sort of place you are going to perform in before saying what you should be doing.
Assuming that you are on the sidewalk or on a street outside a market, you may want to rethink not having a table: For myself, having a table helps to establish that I'm there to perform and not just to talk with people. It says to people who are walking by that I have a sort of permanence and it establishes a performing space that I can manipulate by either moving forward into the stream of foot traffic to increase my visibility, or back out of the stream to increase the size of my performing area. Some performers do it with a rope on the ground. Others use a wet line made by squirting water on the ground. I like the ease of moving my table. It also establishes to other performers that the area is temporarily my space. I hope busking goes well on your first try. If it doesn't, see it as an opportunity to grow. Assuming that you are targetting small groups that are walking by, try to stop after a "good" group. It makes it a lot easier to go out again the next time. |
Nick W Special user 515 Posts |
Are you wanting to open your hat at the end or just build experience? If your wanting experience, just go out and perform whenever you want. you'll get chops, we promise. But if its money your after...whole different story.
also if your busking, the mindset and way people treat you will be differnt as opposed to them knowing your just out there showing some tricks. if they think your gonna hat them their expectation will be higher. in any case, KNOW what your beginning middle and end will be. build from that and come back after 100 mini shows;) |
Ado Inner circle New York City 1033 Posts |
Thank you both for your comments.
I do not plan to ask for money (although I will gladly accept anything that pays for the bus ride and the signed cards!) and wish rather to work on gaining confidence and experience. I though I could have a small piece of cardboard with written on it "this is my Nth performance so far" as well as something stating my status of magician if needed. I prefer not having a table for two reasons: the tricks I know that require a table are to difficult for my current level of self confidence, and I'd rather not perform those tricks than expose them by mistake because of some kind of stress while performing (I'm thinking of tricks like variants of Reset, or The Acrobat Family, where there are too many occasions where a count or display might go wrong). Also, focusing on standup tricks allows me to polish my impromptu magic skills, for when I can't perform with a table... As for the location, my idea was an indoor public market, with quite a lot of tourists and buskers. But I'm not trying to draw crowds. I'd be satisfied having a wall behind me, and five people per session in front of me. I reckon it gives more control than doing magic to people when I am walking on the sidewalk myself and stop people to show them tricks. Not being in a performance setting makes it harder to stop an act, and doing it anywhere might lead to beoing surrounded and overwhelmed. But maybe I'm just dreaming and thinking too much... P! |
Paddy Inner circle Milford OH 1571 Posts |
Ado, hat lines are part of the performance. If you use hart lines and get good money, you KNOW your act is good. If you use the hat lines and get a small amount of money, you know that you need to work on the act.
|
Yellowcustard Inner circle New Zealand 1334 Posts |
First up it hard than you think to show some one magic for free. People are very wary of this. Also if you say do you want to see a trick they can say no. I am also a juggler. There have been time that when I want to see how a new magic effect would work. I will go across to the park and juggle people stop look and chat. Its these people that stop and chat I try my new magic effect on. May be you could adapt this to suite you.
Were ever you set up you will basicly be street busking. People wont expect you to be there. So you have to attract them, keep them. This is different to a doing stage show or a corporates function they usually expect or know your there mind there are ecptions to the rule. It is said that if you can do it on the streets you can do it anywere. But doing out in public when no one expects it is a whole pile of sk ills you have to learn as well. I think you should but that's my opion. When you perform have a small jar or boxs. something that makes a noise when money drops in it. Have it there with some money in it. If you do good just say thanks for the applause money is also welcome. Also don't do tricks for free if there buskers around performing. Do speak to them they will help. One more thing is look at the tricks are on me section. You migth want to do free session at rest homes or hospitals. Good luck form a table free busker.
Enjoy your magic,
and let others enjoy it as well! |
Devious Inner circle 2120 Posts |
First of all, Bravo for having the courage to get out there and hone your skills!
Now for some of my unsolicited thoughts, Kids are the primary reason folks stop to watch your act. It offers some momentary relief for the parents from a whining or crying kid at low or "free" rate. Guess what though? You don't have anything for the kids to do or "Play" with. You have no flash as it were. If you open with a card effect you may get this look, Try to limit your card effects and rethink where they fit within your program. I also see very little to no audience participation in your chosen effects. I am quite certain that others will chime in here shortly mate. If you heed some of their advice, it may save you some discouragement. p.s. This is going to come across as harsh, but for heaven's sake do not under any circumstances utter the phrase, "Hey wanna see a card trick?" The answer is a big fat NO!!! Oops, I almost forgot, Some adults become bored with too many card tricks as well. Your Mileage May Vary, The Culinary Conjuror |
Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
Ado, you say you don't know the difference between street magic and busking. Well all Busking (performing magic on the street in the open) is street magic not all street magic is busking.
A busker has an act, performs that act, and expects to get paid for the performance. A street magician (the breed spawned by David Blaine's TV spots) accosts random people and shows them a trick hoping to blow their minds. No pay is expected. The skill of a busker is stopping a group of people, getting to stand still for a few minutes, entertain them, and then get some money from them. The skill of a street magician is to not get punched out. It seems you really just want to practice your magic and hone your "chops". Your local magician was right in his recommendation. The best way to hone your skills is to perform for people. I would argue the ONLY way to hone your performance skills is to perform for people. Real audiences/real people give you subtle and not so subtle feedback as to what works and what doesn't. Plus it increases your comfort zone (reduces performance anxiety) when you do a trick for the watchful eyes of an audience. So get out there and foist your stuff on the unsuspecting and unwanting masses. Every bus trip, every line you stand in, every fast food restaurant becomes your theater. You'll probably get punched a few times for intruding into private space, but no pain no gain. If you really want to busk then there are dozens of threads in this section that provide a graduate course in busking theory. You have to get out there and do it to properly learn.
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
|
DoctorCognos Elite user 413 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-03-18 06:28, Paddy wrote: If your goal is simply to show that you know a few magic tricks. Or simply to "get some experience", why not also try to get paid? I totally agree with Paddy. How do you know you were any good, if there is no gauge? You don't guess at the amount of air in your tires, you use a gauge. So if you want to find out whether or not you are any good, ask for the money. And if you are afraid to ask for the money, then practice enough to build your courage. Just because you are starting out, doesn't mean that you not ask for money. My hat lines are part of the entertainment. I make them early and often. So at the end, nobody is surprised when I put out the hat and tell them it is time. And if the hat is thin, I know that I didn't do my job. Decide what you want to accomplish. If you want to be Busker, be a busker. If not, there is nothing wrong with that. And there is a forum for street performing too. Doctor Cognos
The Doctor Knows.....
|
Ado Inner circle New York City 1033 Posts |
Well, I'm not sure I'm legally allowed to get paid/tips, since my work permit is bound to my employer...
With all your pieces of advice, I think I'll keep the card to pocket, do an ACR, the professor's nightmare, and something like a card to tie (signed card gets visually pinned to tie). I'll keep more technical card work for other situations, maybe to attract people, or for crowds that ask for more (if any!). But I must say that the kind of busking that I aim at is more like that of Bebel (http://youtu.be/KZ_DTIX_Moo for example) but I'll need all kind of experience before feeling confident at a table like that, hence my desire to start standing up. Cheers, P! |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The side walk shuffle » » Selection of effect for first-time busking (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.04 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |