Performing for groups/Repetition of a trick

Hey,

Now I've often run into the following situation recently and so I wanted to hear your opinions/solutions for this "problem".

When I was at a party, some guys asked me if I could show them something and well me as I magician of course I didn't say no. Now I've showed them a few tricks and then after a while one of those guys (which I had already seen a few of my tricks), was talking to some other people and I went to these people as well since I wanted to talk to them. And then after a little bit somebody of them asked me if I could show them something and so of course I did. But then after one or two tricks, the guy who had already seen me do some other tricks before said "Come on show them that awesome trick which you performed to me and my other friends before" . And so I wasn't sure what to do. I mean there is that rule in magic which says, "Don't repeat a trick" (Unless it is a trick that is construed for repetitions). What would you guys do, I mean this often happens to me and most of the people of the group I'm performing that trick to has never seen it before, but the one or two other guys who told me to show that special trick to the other may then see it the second or even third time and I don't know if this actually gives them the opportunity to figure the trick out and tell the others (even if the performance is just top notch and flawless...).

Please tell me what you would do. Perform that trick or just say "No" and do something else or what kind of excuses or recovers would you use.

I hope you understand the text I wrote and I can't wait to read your comments.

Have a great day

Olaf177
 
I fully understand the problem, it happens to quite often as i perform in pubs and bars most weekends.
I find, if your material is strong enough then its not a huge problem someone seeing it twice. 3 or 4 times however can be. I think the best solutions is simply to have a lot of material so you always have something different to perform.
Another solution i've found is to have at least 2, maybe 3, tricks that lead on to each other increasing in power. This means you can say 'ok, but ill take it one step further', or something along those lines. The best example is to perform control 2.0 by Wayne Houchin, and only if someone asks (which they probably will) be ready to perform STOP by Danny G (also taught on the control dvd for this purpose). OR with cards, you could perform a simple transposition, then be ready to take it further by perform here then there, a much more powerful transposition.

THere are some effects, however, that you just have to say no to, like Pressure. Never, ever, perform pressure twice to the same person. its too easy to figure out when seeing it a second time. In these case i just brush it aside and launch straight into another effect.

Hope that helps
 
First of all, thanks for you reply, this already helped me quite a bit. But when I perform a few tricks for a group or something then I most of the time perform the tricks in a row which leads from the not so powerful ones (I don't want to say by that that the tricks are in any kind of way bad or something, but as you know some tricks just happen to get even stronger reactions than others, although they seem to be equal for magicians, but that's what live performances will make you realize.). And well for me I like to finish of with French Kiss by Wayne Houchin as it always gives just insane reactions. And most of the time people then later ask about this effect and in that case I'm not quite sure what to do. I mean the advice you gave is quite good and I've already heard about that. Some magician which I saw one youtube said, that if somebody asks you to do that trick again, then you should have some kind of variation which maybe starts the same but has a totally different ending or just a different handling or something. I mean if you do a Ambitious card routin, then it's not to hard to change that up if somebody asks you later on to do it again.
Maybe you have some solutions for this problem...
 

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
"You've seen that one already, let me do something that none of you have seen."

"That is one of my favorites too but I really like this one... let's see what you think."

"Do I look like a trained monkey that does tricks on request? I didn't think so. But I'll do it again for you if you give me a banana. What? You don't have a banana? OK, then I'll do something different."

Well, maybe not the last one.
 
Haha, the last one is pretty funny.
Great answers I definitely have to remember these and use them. But what would you do if that is one of your strongest effects that you definitely always do as it just gives so good reactions? Or what would you do if they just keep asking you and don't stop?

Thanks for that comment, really helped me already...
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
Haha, the last one is pretty funny.
Great answers I definitely have to remember these and use them. But what would you do if that is one of your strongest effects that you definitely always do as it just gives so good reactions? Or what would you do if they just keep asking you and don't stop?

As funny as that last one sounds it is very true. We are not trained monkeys and we owe it to the art not to be. As long as they keep asking you can keep declining. It's okay.

I was messing around with a coworker about a year ago and as a joke I performed the Baladucci levitation. To my surprise I got a David Blaine like reaction. He was ecstatic and wanted everyone else to see. It has now been over a year and through constant begging, I have not repeated the feat to anybody. It's too much of a risk. As soon as I do it again I'll fall flat because of the method. Besides the continual talk about it at work makes it sound like I levitated a foot off the ground for 15 minutes or so and I'll never be able to live up to their expectations.

BE STRONG MAN!!! Right now you are all powerful don't give it up because of peer pressure!
 
Great story, and your are totally right about the monkey thing. But still I assume that this levitation is nothing that you have included in your regular routin when performing. What would you do if he asked you to perform a trick which you regulary always do as it is just so good ? Would you still never perform it then for those people ?
 

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
But what would you do if that is one of your strongest effects that you definitely always do as it just gives so good reactions? Or what would you do if they just keep asking you and don't stop?.

1. Find new strong effects.
2. Find new spectators.
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
1. Find new strong effects.
2. Find new spectators.

Exactly, I got requests nearly daily to levitate. I just use one of David's lines, or say "I was working on something new, it's a little different tell me what you think". Sometimes when they ask you to do it again or they ask you to do it for their friend they just want to see more magic. They don't know what else to ask for besides what they already know you do.
 

j.p

Jul 10, 2012
62
0
Birmingham
www.twitter.com
I had this sitaution and I'll say one thing- DON't DO IT! I was performing a trick involving a force (Topsy Turvy), and some people said it was insane. I performed it a second time and no one noticed again- I was lucky. But then I performed it a 3rd time to different people but with the same people around me and one of them goes 'you just took the top card'. He wasn't a heckler at all (he said 'it doesn't matter' straight afterwards) but people will eventually work out tricks. I usually say 'OK', but then perform a different effect anyway.

My friend once performed card to mouth to the same audience of 3 literally 4 times until they noticed though. But it's best to be safe!
'Once it's a trick, twice it's a lesson.'
 
Sep 1, 2007
1,395
8
37
Belgrade, Serbia
I had this sitaution and I'll say one thing- DON't DO IT! I was performing a trick involving a force (Topsy Turvy), and some people said it was insane. I performed it a second time and no one noticed again- I was lucky. But then I performed it a 3rd time to different people but with the same people around me and one of them goes 'you just took the top card'. He wasn't a heckler at all (he said 'it doesn't matter' straight afterwards) but people will eventually work out tricks. I usually say 'OK', but then perform a different effect anyway.

My friend once performed card to mouth to the same audience of 3 literally 4 times until they noticed though. But it's best to be safe!
'Once it's a trick, twice it's a lesson.'
This is a good point. I once did "Ash on Arm", 4 times for the same audience (I don't recommend this btw), so I had to force a card 4 times, and I did it in 4 different ways. So I would recommend you to learn couple of different card forces, just in case.
 
'Once it's a trick, twice it's a lesson.'

Absolutely. Couldnt agree more.
Another classic phrase 'always leave your audience wanting more'. Its also very true. The more someone wants to see a trick again, the more they're likely to talk about it/you to other people, the more people that hear about you the better
 
May 9, 2012
202
0
New York
usually when i've done an amazing trick and later someone says "do that awesome one again",i'm like, "no, that ones not good let me show you a better one". then you've made an excuse and you seem like an even better magician because you acted like an incredible trick was nothing.
 
Dec 18, 2007
1,610
14
64
Northampton, MA - USA
One thing I've not seen in this list that's important; if someone is promoting you and a specific routine you should be listening.

When I was doing close-up many, many moons ago there were two effects everyone asked for; my sponge ball routine (the Magic Ding Dong to be more specific) and Cigarette thru Quarter, they were "trade mark" type bits that were directly associated with me and for years these were two bits people asked for the most.

Sure, I had other material and some of it was quite popular. I managed to get a rep for doing coin magic which meant I had to have certain pieces at the ready, including gaffed sets that I could easily (and secretly) bring in and out of the performance. The point is, I paid attention to what my public was demanding and by doing so, got the bigger tips because I did play the trained monkey to a limited point. . . which brings us to what most others have pointed out and that's "getting out" from the squeeze a.k.a. the rut.

I might move into a requested routine but will deliberately change it in some way in order to make it fresh to those that had seen it before. You see. . . sometimes they want you to do it again so they can study your moves and figure things out, by changing up on them you screw with their heads and everyone wins. Basically, you break their focus and as such, confuse their thinking.

You've seen some solid points in this thread, but I encourage you to consider what I've shared as well.
 
One thing I've not seen in this list that's important; if someone is promoting you and a specific routine you should be listening.

When I was doing close-up many, many moons ago there were two effects everyone asked for; my sponge ball routine (the Magic Ding Dong to be more specific) and Cigarette thru Quarter, they were "trade mark" type bits that were directly associated with me and for years these were two bits people asked for the most.

Sure, I had other material and some of it was quite popular. I managed to get a rep for doing coin magic which meant I had to have certain pieces at the ready, including gaffed sets that I could easily (and secretly) bring in and out of the performance. The point is, I paid attention to what my public was demanding and by doing so, got the bigger tips because I did play the trained monkey to a limited point. . . which brings us to what most others have pointed out and that's "getting out" from the squeeze a.k.a. the rut.

I might move into a requested routine but will deliberately change it in some way in order to make it fresh to those that had seen it before. You see. . . sometimes they want you to do it again so they can study your moves and figure things out, by changing up on them you screw with their heads and everyone wins. Basically, you break their focus and as such, confuse their thinking.

You've seen some solid points in this thread, but I encourage you to consider what I've shared as well.


Thanks for this great post, this definitely helped me quite a lot and it was really informative...Thanks
 
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