Performing for people on Thanksgiving

[lax047]

Hello everybody,
So a couple of years ago I was at a family friends house for thanksgiving with some of my family, and while we were there we played some cards and the fact that I did card tricks was brought up and it turned out that one of the other people there used to do magic as well. So I performed some magic for them which went okay as I wasnt fully prepared. I have been told that we were invited back for thanksgiving with them again this year and that they would like to see some magic again. I am hoping to improve greatly on my previous performance and I was just wondering what tricks you all would recommend performing. I'm still relatively new to magic so I'm still in the sort of beginner/intermediate level tricks. Any suggestions you could offer would be great thanks.

 

[TylerRouss]

French Kiss by Wayne Houchin
Single hardest hitting card trick ive ever performed. it routines very easily as well, and can be incorporated with many other effects.

 

[Craig Browning]

Think about what effects YOU ALREADY HAVE before spending the money in your pocket.

For instance, do you have a set of sponge balls or bunnies? What about Cups & Balls or even Books/Video on Improvisational & Bar type Magic?

Look for things that are simple, of genuine value and that work with what you already have on hand and that includes skill sets.

Step away from the cards in that you've done that. . . you might do one or two solid bits with them but segue into something else such as coins. . . start with a classic Matrix and then move to Coins Across or Coins thru Table. . . it's not that hard to go to the bank and buy four or so half-dollars and it's a heck of a lot less expensive than buying some new flavor of the month trick.

Look at your personal inventories, you should have at least two key lists; the effects that you already own and the list of skills you already possess that are at least half-way decent. If you're like most people that have done magic for more than a year, you have plenty of material on hand, you just need to look at it closer and create an act using it and your skills.

Magic Dealers hate me and old farts like me because we don't encourage buying, we encourage THINKING and PRACTICALITY. We've learned that you don't need a garage filled with stuff. . . I learned that the hard way, in fact. But if you simply dust off that "junk" that you ran out and grabbed up because it was popular a few months ago but now it's just collecting dust. . . if you do this and start playing with that piece, I'll lay money on it that you will find a way of making it "cool" once again in your mind and the sort of thing that will allow your family & friends ENJOY YOUR MAGIC over the holidays.

Maybe look at turning this into a brain storming thread tied to what you already have & know. . . Turkey Day is about 3 weeks away so time is another thing you need to consider; 3 weeks isn't enough time to honestly learn and deliver a new piece in a solid way.

 

[lax047]

yeah I've been doing that for a while now, its probably my favorite to perform cause it seems so impossible

 

[PurpleMustache]

Craig Browning is absolutely right. try to explore your own creativity before you go around buying stuff.