Performing too clean and flashy.

[JarrettC2]

As I look at the bricks (hyperbole) of various gorgeous decks i’ve collected, and my hands in the mirror, getting each sleight tighter and less visible... I realized through a simple demo of a routine with my skeptic friend that performing everything so neatly and even using something that isn’t flat out recognizable like Bikes, he said to me “You look like too much of a magician. Those cards automatically make me think you’re good with them. Your shuffling is almost robotic. So it’s hard to suspend disbelief”.

This brings me to the question, do you go through a little bit of a purposefully dash of adding some sloppiness to your routine if your strolling and performing for just a casual audience? I think I recall a DVD I watched mentioning with some false and injog shuffles to make them look more natural and messy. The card thing is just common sense, but nicer handling cards are fun to play with.

Just a rambling question and a thought.

 

[ID4]

Depends on what kind of character you want to portray. David Acer said something like "There are people who argue showing skill with cards works against the magician because the spectators will know it's sleight of hand and not real magic. I know of very few performers that portray themselves as "real" magicians. Personally, I have no problem showing skill with cards."

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

My first thought is that there's no need to change how you perform based on one person's input. My second thought is, maybe you are robotic when you do those things.

Third thought is, it depends on how you perform.

So, when I do card tricks, which isn't super often, I am confident and controlled but in no way flashy. I have handled cards regularly for years - of course I'm familiar with them and confident in handling them, but my personal opinion is that blatant displays of skill are a sure fire way to kill any chance of a magical feeling to the performance. People just assume, "He did something while he was moving those cards around crazy."

The important thing is consistency, I think. Guys like Lennart Green can handle a deck of cards as if they are a klutz - it fits their image and persona. My character couldn't pull that off because it would seem inconsistent. It would stand out from how I normally act.

You have to adjust your sleights to suit your character and style.

 

[JarrettC2]

@ChristopherT tagging due to mobile quote splicing being a pain. That is a valid point, to him being able to in hand false or real riffle and bridge without even looking at the cards most of the time + hold a conversation or patter comes off as how he described. I’ve also seen plenty of other good and bad magicians alike do the same though and never thought that.

I guess I need to figure out my mask for a lack of better words while performing. I’m still learning the ropes and haven’t delved hard into that aspect of who I want to portray myself as.

 

[DavidL11229]

I have been pondering the same issues. I have come to the conclusion that 'invisible' is the level of proficiency that comes before 'natural'. I am trying to add casualness as opposed to sloppiness, but that may just be a matter of how we phrase it.

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

I handle my cards in a similar way to @ChristopherT it seems. It looks like I know what I'm doing but it's not so perfect or "robotic" as you put it that people think I'm some sort of card sharp. This comes mostly from the fact that I'm not at an expert level of shuffling/handling cards so it's just how I naturally handle them.

 

[JarrettC2]

I handle my cards in a similar way to @ChristopherT it seems. It looks like I know what I'm doing but it's not so perfect or "robotic" as you put it that people think I'm some sort of card sharp. This comes mostly from the fact that I'm not at an expert level of shuffling/handling cards so it's just how I naturally handle them.

However, a take away from that post is... the card shark could be your persona if you wanted to. Sort of like Richard Turner, even though I don't even classify him anywhere near a magician. He's transcended card mechanic even. Regardless, whatever that man is, his demos are fairly brilliant and he takes on a persona like that. So I guess it all falls into the court of the entertainer.

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

However, a take away from that post is... the card shark could be your persona if you wanted to. Sort of like Richard Turner, even though I don't even classify him anywhere near a magician. He's transcended card mechanic even. Regardless, whatever that man is, his demos are fairly brilliant and he takes on a persona like that. So I guess it all falls into the court of the entertainer.

It could. But that's not my persona so I don't do it that way.

 

[RealityOne]

I think there is a difference between competently handling the cards and being flashy. The most flashy I get is a thumb fan and a swing cut. I try not do do any excessive handling of the cards. I want the audience to remember that I didn't do anything out of the ordinary.