Hello everyone. I perform about 200 shows a year for senior communities. I have recently thought about adding a sponge ball routine to my show. Most of the routines I've seen are either childish or need volunteers. Are there any routines that any of you are aware that do not need a volunteer to come to assist and will be appreciated by seniors? As always, I appreciate all your help on here!

The 'advantage' of a sponge ball routine is being "in their hands." The disadvantage is revealing method and reducing "must be magic" to a puzzle or game.
So, curious as to why you want to add such a routine for seniors who might appreciate magic over "gotcha?"

However, when I was performing for such groups decades ago, I always has a couple of close-up effect "at the ready" for a single resident
unable to come to a main show - often with mobility issues. A SB routine might work there even if they can only cover the ball(s) with hand on a tray.
A modified "two-in-hand" routine using their hand can be enough, with a story line adapted to them personally.

Goshman's "Then There Were Four" routine need not be childish with many possible storylines suitable for a Center and Seniors -
and different enough fro those familiar with SB and, they will not roll away if dropped.

Look at Duane Laflin's work with stand up (parlor/platform) sponge balls. It is stand up, no speaking/patter, no assistant, very visual, series of effects using sponge balls of varying size and colors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0SsZUf-S1A

There is enough there to start you brainstorming.

IF, you wanted a short standup sponge ball routine AND would be willing to have an assistant (older ladies make wonderful assistants). Then look into Ken de Courcy's "Stand-up Sponges" (found on Library.com) or harder to find Billy McComb's "Stand Up Sponges" routines. Both designed for stage and Cabaret performing. Both do rely on an audience member volunteer assistant.

Ken de Courcy's "Stand Up Sponges":
https://www.lybrary.com/stand-up-sponges-p-923930.html


Similar in nature to de Courcy's and McComb's is Michael O'Brian's "Pursenal".
https://www.obrienmagic.com/store/p117/itspursenal.htmll

Daryl made a series of Sponge Ball tutorials on DVD which are still being marketed via Murphy's (sadly no relation) that will get you perking and thing about taking various elements and melding them into a suitable, routine for you.

I don't believe that any of these are childish (maybe some selections on the extensive Daryl videos).

I'm a "senior" (80, still working and living independently) and have worked in Nursing homes and Senior citizen communities and found that sponges play as well there as they do in elementary schools. I've table hopped in nursing homes/senior care facilities etc. using "Papa ,Rabbit Hits The Big Time" among bunny routine (Daryl).

I could ramble on and on but that's a start.

Benson Bowl routine?

Thank you Harry! Great suggestions and I will look into them.
Levi, I totally forgot about the Benson Bowl routine! Thanks for the reminder

I was asked to provide an early afternoon show at a local care facility yesterday. One of the nurses working there is a friend. The residents are old folks many with mobility issues and several with cognitive issues. I did include a sponge ball routine. I used my version of Ken De Courcy's "Stand Up Sponges". The lady assistant from the audience was wheel chair bound but angled such that the audience could clearly see what was going on. The routine played well.

As an aside, out of 40 - ish residents, only 7 were older than me. One gentleman asked me how and why I was still "out there" on my own. I told him that my body was a well maintained 80 (although out-of-warranty) and the mind believed that it was 40 (clearly delusional). I also mentioned that performing magic wasn't as arduous as roofing houses.

Harry, I'm happy to read you're still out there doing magic, especially for senior communities. I absolutely love performing at them. Next week is National Nursing HOme Week,and I have 9 shows booked right now. Unfortunately, haven't added any sponge ball routines for seniors yet. I used to do Eugene Burger's sponge balls all the time but now only perform Tommy James' Sponge Ball vision test for children. I will see if I can find the De Courcy version though. Thanks!

Sometimes the most bare bones sponge ball routine can be a crowd pleaser if the presentation is strong.
Here's an example of a sponge ball routine I did that I think will go over well with an audience of seniors:
My agent got me a gig representing the Perry Ellis Company for their men's cologne at a trade show put on by _Gentleman's Quarterly_. One of the routines I did was a sponge ball routine with only two sponges. It was the patter that pleased both Perry Ellis and my agent--and got a great reaction from the people who stopped at my booth well.

I showed two sponge balls that I named "Sam" and "Janet." I dabbed some of the cologne on "Sam" and put him in a spectator's hand. I put Janet in _my_ hand and --because "Janet" now found "Sam" irresistible because of his cologne--she jumped from my hand into the spectator's hand!
The punch line kicker was this joke:
"Knock! Knock!"
"Who's there?"
"Sam and Janet!"
"Sam and Janet who?"
"Sam and Janet evening... you may see a stranger! You may see a stranger across a crowded room!"

The fact that "enchanted" is a synonym for "magical" was an extra subliminal touch.

A senior audience would likely get a kick out of both the "Knock! Knock!" joke and the pun on "Some Enchanted Evening" from the musical "South Pacific."

The only down side of that presentation was that the cologne started to wear away some of the red die of the Tenyo sponges. Having replacement sets of sponges helped take care of that.

For anyone under 40, here's Jay and American's cover of "Some Enchanted Evening":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSoeyiwtkEo

---- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez