Include flourish in your card magic...?

[Slicke]

How do you guyz include flourishes while performing card effects, do you flourish at all ? in between tricks ... ? Would you rather do a flourishy false cut to convince the spec. that their card is lost in the deck or would you just do a simple false cut ... ?
How do you use the flourishes you learn ?

 

[MillionaireMike]

I DON'T use them in magic. The only flourish i would use would maybe a fancy Double lift but only in certain tricks.

 

[SKSleighofHand]

I never use them in card magic. By the way, it should be posted on card magic forum.

 

[ace-magic]

I always use flourishes in my card routines, but that is just my style. I like making the spectator think something is about to happen when it has all ready happened. also it goes great with my line " Yeah, I know... I was grounded for a long time when I was a Kid." ha

and yes this should be in the card section

 

[amkov]

i use flourishes during my card routines, though not too much...
lets say, i do a fancy flourish b4 i ask the spectator to shuffle the cards because it shows dexterity, your audience around u will totally take u seriously now because u look like u know what you're doing- a pro... and will enjoy your performance a lot more...
also, about a flourishy false cut, its always fun to do and say something like "so lets shuffle the pack and give it a simple cut" - the spectators laugh at it saying "simple cut? ye right..." and u get to show off a bit... so i guess its fun and entertaining both ways...
but always make sure u don't exaggerate with too many flourishes as it can annoy the audience and they find it difficult to follow...
hope this helps

 

[reality//barred]

always

i will always use flourishes in my routines, however only simple ones such as a sybil, or if you have dan madisons rebel i will do a rebel cut then a sybil helix. nothing to fancy thou because it could end up taking away from the magic itself. dont just do a one handed false cut if you wanna flourish but do something that will make them look at you and say "hey this guy knows what hes doing". or if you do alot of walkaround magic, then instead of walking up to people in the streets as people are usually busy, see if sitting in one busy spot and flourishing gets spectators to come and ask you about your magic or where you learned that.

works for me, just my thoughts on the subject

 

[joshrobarts]

i believe what really matters is the context and type of flourishes that you use. Is it wise to do the Jackson 5 in the middle of an ACR? hell no. But people forget that flourishing also includes things like the Spring, the Waterfall or even to some degree a aerial diving board double, all of which i have used. Adding a little flare isn't always a bad thing. To begin you have to know how your audience is receiving your magic. Its not a good idea to throw in a flourish if your already coming off as show offy. However if they are interested and burning your hands, sometimes a flourish can make them step back and go wow just long enough to pull a move they would have seen otherwise. Sometime's on an offbeat i'll spring the cards or do a lepaul to make them look a certain way and then back up and my face and pull a pass. Interesting double lifts are fun but you have to be careful. Dont overuse them and keep it simple like a Spin Doctor, or something, the ginistaire can be fun but dangerous. For triumph effects or to lose a card i often use a sybil or similar multi packet cut to "mix" the cards. There is a video of Dave i think, might be dan, at blackpool doing a Guy hollingworth triumph with the idea of "unmixing" the cards by doing a false sybil. it plays really well. Also, flourishes can hide sleights such as the Waterfall and the Miller Cascade Control. Flourishes do have a place in magic as long as you think about it, dont over do it and make sure they fit well. A few final examples include, using the lepaul whenever a card need be selected, a diving board double to reveal multiple cards, a tg deck flip for either covert or overt flipping, a ribbon spread and turn over for table work, a faro to waterfall for a reveal (see ricky jay's multiple card location) a long distance spinner for a reveal, hot shot cut for reveal,... the list goes on, just be creative and make it work.

 

[CorbinB]

Often times I will be flourishing and someone will ask me if I do magic. I do not mix the two. The fanciest flourish I will do when performing is a stylish double lift... Say you're shuffling the cards and you breakout in to a false sybil. In a spectators eyes I assume that looks very fishy. The flourishes I perform when doing magic are: The thumb fan, The giant fan (I do this while shuffling using a faro shuffle), and a spring. Thats all I need.

 

[Randomwrath]

A few people have said that they wouldn't go any further than fancy double lifts, but in my opinion, they're one of the worst flourishes you can do in a performance. It's one thing doing flashy cuts, springs, spreads and the suchlike to highlight and emphasize certain points, but the actual moves are the bits that should be under-exaggerated as much as possible. In fact, a well timed flourish could do just that - under-emphasize the actual sleight. Showing off when you're performing the move is just stupid though; it's like shouting a secret code word.

 

[jok3r]

I used too, i have come to the conclusion that it can hurt your magic.
BUT! I think it depends on how you are presenting your magic.

if you want to make them think your really good with cards, Then go ahead and flourish. if you want to look like a card shark you will.
If you want to present your magic, as REAL magic. Any sign of skill can take away from that.

With that said, there are situations where a spectator will believe whatever they want, flourish, or no flourish.
I have had people say he's just really good with cards just because i can do a in the hands riffle shuffle.
Other people have said nothing about skill, even when i did some fancy cuts.

I say you do whatever you want to do, and whatever you enjoy!

 

[canadamagic]

I use flourishing to attract attention. If I am in a crowded area, say the mall, when you perform some flourishes than I find that people are interested and want to see more. At this point you can easily perform an effect with their interest.

 

[CorbinB]

I use flourishing to attract attention. If I am in a crowded area, say the mall, when you perform some flourishes than I find that people are interested and want to see more. At this point you can easily perform an effect with their interest.

Exactly. I do the same thing.