A Successful Magic Performance

With a bit of luck, this blog is going to give you some pointers and ideas on how to polish your act if the opportunity arises for you to perform some of your magic in front of a crowd, or maybe you already do and just simply want some fresh ideas to bring into your act. The magic trick itself is what people want to see, having said that, a simple magic trick can be greatly enhanced by a good performance from the magician. It is important to remember that your audience have given up their time to watch you, therefore they deserve a bit of a performance rather than just a trick. And although your audience doesn’t know how the trick is performed, they are willing to let you convince them that you can successfully perform a miracle. Therefore it is almost your duty to give these guys a good show; here are some of our tips for a successful magic performance.

Practice, Practice And Practice Some More

Practice is the only way that you can get your tricks up to a top class standard. It isn’t the difficulty or simplicity of the trick that matters, it is making sure that you are able to perform the trick so well that the audience are left speechless. On top of this, you really don’t want to make a mistake or forget a trick halfway through doing it as it’s rather embarrassing, practice makes perfect and if you practice enough you won’t find yourself in any sticky situations. If you practice enough, you should be able to look at the audience and engage with them whilst performing, rather than having to look at your hands all the time!

Structure

Structuring your performance is much more important than most performers realise. By planning what tricks you are going to perform and when you are able to turn your performance into a story which each trick linking to the next, this really takes the performance to the next level and gives it a much more professional feel. You have to save your best trick till last, this will prevent an anti-climax. If you show the audience your best trick before the end then their expectations for the rest of the act would be of the same standard or even higher.

Misdirection

Misdirection is, without a doubt, the most important part of any magic performance. It is a skill that can take your act to the next level whilst giving it a professional feel.

For the best entertainment value for you magic tricks, it is important to learn to control everything going on during your performance. Even factors including where the audience are positioned, if you know where your audience are then you have an idea of what they can see. Misdirection is making sure that your audience stays fully entertained through your act so that they stay focused o your magic and just get distracted enough to start figuring out how the trick is done. More often than not this is not a problem as the audience are completely oblivious to the way in which the trick works.

Misdirection can come in any shape and form; it can be done physically with the use of props such as a magic wand or even tossing a coin into the air. Misdirection can also be much more subtle than this, running your fingers through your hair can be enough to move the attention of the audience elsewhere.

Time misdirection is another tool in a magician’s arsenal. This is where you leave a small amount of time to pass between the actual deception move and final revelation. A good example of this is used in the Cross Cut Force, which is one of the most effective card forces there is, whilst also being pretty simple to master. Obviously, we have only touched on the basics of misdirection in this blog, there are many ways in which it can be done and it is up to you to discover which way suits you the best!

Applause

Applause is obviously important for a magician, not only does it mean the crowd are impressed but it also creates an atmosphere. Applause should be earned and it is a reward for a well-performed act. The magician should be well prepared for the show, knowing and anticipating where the applause is going to be, this way he will know exactly when to start the next trick, a lack of practice and structure could ruin this which could give a bad impression of the magician.

Do not take the word applause and automatically assume that it means a hand clap, there are other ways in which the audience are able to let you know that they are amazed and amused such as a gasp or a scream. This is much more common in street magic and seen close up magic. Applause won’t always happen automatically, most of the time is down to the fact that the audience might not know when they should clap. There are various ways in which you can encourage an applause, the most effective one is to simply just create a momentary pause in your act which will invite the audience to applause.

The bottom line is, applause is the reward for a well-practiced routine and it should not be taken for granted.

Oliver B

Oliver B is a well-known close up magician in London, he has performed at a range of events for all kinds of different people including a few well-known names, such as Andy Murray. Oliver’s reputation continues to grow in the world of magic, especially as a close up magician! If you’re looking to hire a magician for your event then don’t hesitate to contact Oliver B!