Any advice on where to find a good reference on sponge balls? I have one dvd and a small book...but those are mostly for beginners.

I'm not sure what a good overall reference would be. However, I have the video by Kenton Knepper (Close Up and Unpublished) that has a sponge ball routine on it called "Sponge Balls Like Never Before." I like the way Kenton handles the sponges. If you learn a couple of his basic moves, you can do almost anything with the sponge balls. It also gets away from the old ploy of..."here's a ball for you and one for me and, presto, they're both in your hand." The moves are also more natural than in other presentations I have seen. This has been the best source for sponge ball manipulation that I have found. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your help. I have found that sponge ball references are not exteremely common.

I would be curious what others (who have it) think of the Pat Page video on sponge balls. He did one on the thumb tip that I thought was excellent. The one on balls might be a good reference, too. As I think about it a little more, I believe there is a volume by Frank Garcia that has to do with Sponge Balls. I have a small booklet of his but was never able to get much that is usable out of it. Others might have an opinion about his work.

Sponge Ball Magic - Gabe Fajuri

Sponge Ball Manipulation - Audley Walsh

The Sponge Book - Frances Marshall

Video: 25 Tricks with Sponge Balls ($10 great value)

There are others as well, but these should get you going.

Also do a search. There are many threads on sponge balls

I started with "25 Tricks with Sponge Balls" and it got me off and running.

Mark Wilsons Complete course in Magic has a good standard routine perfect for any beginner.

I would highly recommend Pat Page's sponge ball video. He gives you his routine but more importantly, various sleights and ideas that will help you further develop your own routine.

Even though I had been doing sponges for several years before acquiring his video, I certainly gained from it.

Dwight Powell

One thing I have not seen much on are color change moves with sponges. Dr. Sawa has a couple of brilliant routines in the book on him by Kaufman and two of the three use color changes, IIRC.

That was one big disappointment with the Goshman Encyclopedia of Sponge magic - no color changes, no size changes, but a LOT of great vanishes!

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.
http://www.leedarrow.com

Slydini has a great sponge ball routine. You can find it in The Best of Slydini ... And More, by Karl Fulves (1976). This is still in print. You can get it from Tannens.

The Encyclopedia of Sponge Ball Magic by Frank Garcia is a must.

Bill, I agree that the Garcia Encyclopedia (which is out of print, last I heard) is an essential, but, IMHO, it is not encycplopedic in nature.

There is literally nothing on color changes, silk penetrations, size changes, switch outs, switch ins, substitutions or almost anything on the use of gimmicks like a dye tube or much on pulls.

IMPO, these are rather large areas that Garcia simply failed to address, and one which should be covered in any encyclopedic study of this particular prop.

It's like doing an encyclopedia of card magic and leaving out color changes and the diminishing cards, to be honest.

But, for all of that, it IS the seminal work on the subject, even so, and a superb jumping off point for anyone who is serious about doing sponge work.

It's just my quibble with the title, not the work itself. If someone is really interested in doing sponges, the book is essential.

Respectfully,

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.
http://www.leedarrow.com

However, it has been out of print for some time, is virtually impossible to find and costs a couple hundred bucks when you do find it!

Anyone else like Eugene Burger's routine on his Magical Voyages video? It's got a complete routine that ends with 24 balls in the spectator's hand. I do it just about exactly as it's taught (technically, not presentationally) and it gets terrific reactions.

Thanks. I will see what I can found out of all those suggestions.

One of the best routines for sponge balls is John Carney's "Current Classic" from "Carneycopia". I combined this routine with Roger Klause's "Sponge and Sleeve" from "Klause in Concert" or Michael Ammar's "Encore 3" (the better description is in the Kause book). This idea was mentioned in the Carney book mentioned above. It plays very well. Jay Scott Berry also has some fantastic sponge ball work in his lecture.

I put this in another a post, but it fits here as well.

Check out "Clones from Brazil" in Charllie Miller's "Magicana" column. (July 1983.)

The illustrations from "Magicana" are posted on http://www.thinklikeaconjurer.com/conjurers under FREE STUFF.

Best Regards,
Tom

I've been using Brad Burt's All About Sponge Balls video for the last week or so and have been extremely impressed with the depth of information. It's about 90 minutes. This is my first Brad Burt video and I only have good things to say about his teaching style as he is an outstanding instructor. He actually teaches rather than just shows and since a sponge ball routine is based on sleights, the slight variations are important. He gives different sleights, 4-5 vanishes, talks about using an empty purse frame, some switches, and gives 3 routines. There's some other stuff as well.

Also, Scott Guinn has a PB & J routine that has been reviewed in themagiccafe so do a search. It's a standard sponge ball routine with that uses a purse frame, vanishes, hand counts, and a Sanada gimmick.

I second what Jive-Turkey wrote about Scott Guinn's, "Peanut Butter and Jelly," routine. It's terrific. You can easily learn it from the manuscript included with the effect. However, even better is to see him do it (with instructions) on his video, "Great Scott! The only technical change I made to the routine is to have the first ball in my armpit (Ammar suggestion) and I steal it while they examine the purse frame by crossing my arms. This steal is not necessary, as Scott explains a very nice way to show both hands empty at the beginning of the routine.
Richard

I checked 3 other sources. If I would have purchased the Patrick Page video on sponge magic, then I would need no other if I was looking for a solid routine and instruction that covers the basics.

Kenton Knepper's sponge routine in “Klose Up and Unpublished” is excellent and I like his routine best as it is different. Knepper uses a classic palm a lot in the routine so it's taking much more practice so the routine can flow.

I also checked Steve Dacri's routine and it doesn't cover the basics, but hones a routine. He's an excellent performer.

If I could do it all over again, I would just need Patrick Page's and Kenton Knepper's videos, a sleeve of 4 super-soft and time for practice and I would be set.