Saturday Night Contest - Something Unexpected

[j.bayme]

Over the past several weeks, many of our Saturday Night Contests have been more on the lighter side. We try to keep a healthy balance with our Saturday Night Contests-- having a smooth mix of funny ones, serious ones, hard ones, easy ones.

So for this week, we wanted to switch things up and focus on the real reason why all of us are here: we perform. The topic of this week's SNC is just that. As anyone that performs regularly and truly engages with their spectators may know-- performing is an active process. It involves both stimulus and reaction, and sometimes things go aerie.

For this week's SNC, our challenge to you is simple. Tell us about a recent performance of yours, and tell us one thing about it that didn't exactly go as planned. More importantly-- how did you react to it, and what did you learn from it? Sometimes a mistake or deviation off plan during a performance can make the impact 10x better.

Tell us about a recent performance of yours. Who were you performing for? What happened? Did anything go wrong? If so, how did you react-- and what did you learn?

Best true submission as determined by our crew receives a signed deck of Bicycle Centurions by the theory11 team. Submissions must be in by 11:00pm EST. Winners posted on or before midnight.

Let's hear it...

 

[DannyT]

Sounds great, I'll get to typing!!!

 

[sky_lark]

Awesome! I can't wait to hear all the submissions!

 

[DavidMisner]

I like this challenge. It doesn't require a camera or the destruction of cards.

Alright, here's my story.

About 2 weeks ago, I was downtown doing some magic, and a group of girls about my age asked me to show them something.


I had a fresh loop around my wrist, so I decided to put it into action. I started to perform Nathan Kranzo's Haunted Deck routine from the Loops DVD set. Everything went as planned up until I had to actually cause the deck to move.

The loop was set, and I had everything positioned, so I started to cause the deck to split. After it was about halfway through it's motions, for some reason the loop popped off the deck and went back into my wrist. One of the girls noticed this, and commented that there was something on my wrist.

Another girl must have thought it was a hair, so she decided to pull it off my wrist. Maybe she just wanted to touch me, but I'll never know for sure. What I do know was that the loop broke as she was pulling on it, and now I had a half split deck and no way to finish the effect.

Because of the nature of the effect, the deck really had only split about half an inch from the rest of the pack, and I really didn't want to pull out the card as a lame reveal.

I was about to admit defeat and manually remove the card, when I had an awesome idea. Why not finish the movement myself? As corny as this sounds, I picked up the deck in dealer's grip, and using my left middle and ring fingers, I pulled the top half the rest of the way.

I thought for sure it would look horrible, but to my surprise, the deck slipped around a bit as I was moving it and looked even better than the loop reveal! After the top half had pretty much gone as far as it could, I had one of the girls remove the card it cut to, revealing her chosen card.

The reactions I got from that were by far the best I have ever received. Because my stress and efforts were genuine, the effect's strength was heightened. The girls were freaking out. After the performance, one of the girls told me her brother was a magician, and that she had heard of loops, but she had no idea how I did my effect.

Overall, I lost a loop, but gained the confidence to not worry about messing up on the trick. This experience really helped me expand my creativity, and now I have a killer haunted pack in the works.

Think, all this because a girl wanted to touch my arm...

David

 

[tsarothpaco]

I may not be really good at magic but that does not affect my performances;
A recent one I had was at the 8th grade Youth Center about two weeks ago. I planned to do a random pick-a-card trick but my spectator made a mistake which allowed me to do an even better trick. I fanned the deck and they picked a card and I knew exactly what it was. The fan was even spread and even for another magician they would say this couldn't be a force. So then they put it anywhere in the deck and I used the break and did a series of false shuffles and cuts. Now here I mess up...I lose the card on accident. My face didn't cringe or anything so they thought nothing went wrong. Regardless I knew their card but regardless to that I riffled and picked up about to do a cut and that card was at the bottom of the cut. I then shuffled to the top and had a seemingly hour long discussion in my mind of what to present the revelation as and I got it in two seconds. I did a top change then showed the top card not to be theres. Next I did a double shapeshifter (it switches back to the origninal card) and it flashed their card and they gasped ( I said watch as this card will try to see what your card is). Then seeing as their mind was boggling I was able to palm the card, allow them to look for theres and revealed it.

This was just one part of my performance but played as strongly as a whole one to my friends (they were the spectators). I freaked out when I realized I lost the card but kept cool and luckily it went the way I thought it couldn't be. This has taught me to always be ready for change, your performance isn't whats guaranteed to happen. I learned I had to be like the comedians on Who's Line is it Anyway and just make up stuff in 10 seconds and go with it.

~PaCo

 

[AjDeF3]

Me did the magics of illusions. Me mehssed up a lot. Peehpul dihndt cach me. they gave I handshake. Me got really hahpey. I Lyked how dey make me feel good wen I do mahgic. I wike magic awot. Do you wyke magic gys and cootie ihnfestied girls?

 

[Close-Up Expert]

Aw man...I got a big bag to pull from for this one!

Fortunately, I already have one in mind. I'll start typing soon...

(I like this contest...haha..awesome!)

 

[illusioner13]

My very unexpected performance

Yesterday I was floating a french fry and the eating it out of thin air at McDonalds . this caught a groups attention. They came over to me and asked to see a trick. I asked if i could use there car and they said yes. I started the routine of Chaos and when I started to ''pull'' the card through the window it ripped. They heard this happen and looked over to see I had half of there card that i pulled through the window. I thought quickly and took hold of the cards one guy was holding and secretly hid the other half underneath. I told a spectator to check the bottom of the pile for the other half. when they found it there reaction was huge. Now whenever i preform this trick I rip it on purpose the reactions are extravagant. I have now found out it can be good to screw up.I should do it mare often! JK

Hope u Enjoy

 

[dejavu05]

Ha Ha. That is funny that this is the contest because something just happened today. So yesterday my friend came over and we had a sleepover. He asked me to show him a trick and I showed him dejavu and then we did some other stuff. I think he liked dejavu, he said he had no clue how I did it. Then today in the morning he told me to do a magic trick. So I did a trick called Word in a Million where the spectator can pick a word from a book and I can tell what it is. I am not going to go into detail about the trick. But anyway he picked a word and I actually didn't know what it was, I think it was like the only time that I have messed the trick up (or something went wrong in the trick). So I was telling him that he could have picked any word on any page, and then I did something to try to figure out what his word was (the secret of the trick). All of a sudden I didn't know what the word was. I couldn't tell what it was and immediately in my head I was just like "Ohhhhh man". I realized that I didn't have a backup plan for if I messed up the trick. I didn't know what to say or do. I kind of just had an idea and threw it out there and was wrong (it was pretty much a guess). But anyway, I did not handle the situation like I should have. Sure some people may be reading this and say "you have to have a backup plan!!! what were you thinking", and that is exactly why I am posting this because that is what I learned. I have been thinking that I need a backup plan because magic tricks are going to go wrong. I learned a lot out of this. But here is the finale, he asked me to do it again. I couldn't believe I did. I performed it one more time only to fail again. These were pretty much the only two times I have messed up that trick. I got the word wrong again and I couldn't believe it!!! I learned a lot from this also. I learned that if you make a mistake, don't try to do it again and hope it works. Rather, take the time to fix it and make sure that you have it down and have a backup plan if something goes wrong. I hope people that are reading this are also learning something from my mistakes. Best of luck to everyone in their performances!!!

 

[VagueTheory]

Well, I recently ordered some sponge balls. When I got the hang of most of the sleights that I learned, I decided to bring them to school to show my friends and classmates.

My performance was for a group of kids. I didn't know them that well, but they were still in my class. I started off with the usual, they hold a sponge, I hold a sponge, and it magically appears into their hand. Everything was going well until my last phase, where I try to make three sponges appear in their hand while they were holding two. I false transferred, and loaded the third sponge into the spectator's hand. I guess I must've flashed a little because he said, "I saw that." So I asked, "Saw what?" He replied, "You put three sponges into my hand." I got a little tense, but then I said, "Yeah, you're right! Look! (I opened up my hand and pointed to it.) "It jumped from my hand into yours!" The rest of the people gave some great reactions, like the usual, "What the ****?" and "How in the world...?"

I made a small mistake, but I think that the experience helped me realize not to get so nervous when I do flash or do something wrong. Instead of just standing there looking foolish, I can play it off like, "Oh..you caught me." or "You got some good eyes, but did anyone else see it?" I just came up with the excuse off the top of my head. I guess you just can't go wrong while performing.

Thanks for reading!

;D

 

[Amirshaw]

well i was performing the famous trick THIS N THAT to my friends, i accidently pulled out the other card way ahead of when it was suppose to be produced, my friend then started crying, i said why are you crying he said, that was just so amazing, i ended the trick right there, and now i now know that you dont need to go through the whole proccess of THIS N THAT, you can simply produce the othe card whenever you wnata nd still get the same reaction... =]

 

[Ben Long]

A while back I posted a thread about what I thought was (and still think is) a great presentation for Triumph. In effect, when performing for a large group, I get a confederate to tell somebody else to just flip over a packet while I'm shuffling. Then I "shuffle" and realize what has happened and I build it up to this spectator who has "ruined" the trick. I reveal that the deck is not in order (you all know how it goes), and it theoretically will get a huge reaction in that I have actually thwarted a heckler. So that's the general idea.

Now, some people, when I posted this, warned me that it could be potentially risky. I acknowledged it, but basically went about doing it anyway. I had already done it once with a magician buddy of mine and it had gone great.

So I maybe did it this way one or two more times over the course of a few weeks at some parties, etc.

So a little while later, my friend and I are at this shindig and somebody requests some magic, So I decide to do a short routine or two. First I do (I think) Interlaced Vanish, and then I move onto Triumph. My friend's there and he actually flips the packet while I'm distracted.

Now, I'm not quite sure what happened inside my head, but instead of just doing a Zarrow shuffle like I usually do, I do a full table riffle and actually do mix up the cards face up to face down. I'll usually do a few regular shuffles before the face-up to face-down one, so I guess my mind was still at that phase. There are about six people watching and they all see this. I still haven't quite gotten it until I break the pack to do another shuffle.

So I curse and they see that I've seen my mistake. I hate myself very very much at that point.

Now, luckily for me, the selection is still on top, face-down. I spread the cards to show everyone how screwed I am.

I would, at this point, like to extend my sincerest thanks to Paul Harris for publishing Strange Exchange in AoA, thus forcing me to learn the one-handed top palm.

I palm the card and reach into my friend's jacket and pull the selection out and then just look at him. Then I say, in an annoyed tone "stop stealing cards."

He's of course helping me out by acting incredibly surprised. The other five people seem to be having a pretty good time too.

What saved me here? Technique, a little bit. But mostly acting mixed with some real bona-fide anger. Everyone thinks I'm pissed about the deck being mixed up, but I just show that I'm pissed about the card being transported into somebody's jacket. Showmanship can really salvage a sinking boat. You've got to practice improv and and thinking on the fly. The sleights will follow.

That's my story. I'm an idiot, I know, but it worked out in the end.

 

[PhilTheMagician]

Ok...I was at a bar and was doing some tricks for friends. I was practising some flourishes in between tricks, and I dropped a whole bunch of cards on the floor, and onto my friend's purse. I bent over to pick up the cards, and that's when I noticed the ironically AMAZING thing that had happened. I usually keep a duplicate card in my deck for verious effects, and that day was no exception. I couldn't believe it when I noticed the duplicate card actually fell IN her purse. I left it there and continued on to gather the other fallen cards. I then joined the table again, and was thinking how I could make the best of this insanely perfect situation. I decided to try a very clean card to purse effect. I simply forced the duplicate card on her, and then did some colour change + double lift thing which made her card dissappear from the deck. I then spread out the cards and acted quite surprised. I let it play out for a few seconds and then I asked her if she had any pockets or a purse. She said yeah, and I asked her to check her pockets....nothing....I then asked her to check her purse.....she looked inside and screamed some profanities. It was the best trick of the evening, and it was PURELY unintentional.

Lesson to be learned: take your time when setting up a trick, even if it was an accident. If I had stood up and immediately done the trick, she might have found it fishy...but she didn't even remember that I was bent down on the floor a few minutes back.

Doubt I'll win, but I thought I'd share it anyway

 

[Antney1234]

cool contest!

 

[Gomeriffic]

So, I was at school doin some magic. I had a card selected. I controlled the card to the top from the middle. Then a quick shuffle so the card was second from top. I was gonna do a Top Shot with a Duck change after. When I did the Top Shot, the top card was shot into my hand, while the second card got stuck under someone's binder. Then when I did the duck change, the people told me that wasn't their card. I just noticed the card under the binder. Then I said that was because the card wasn't in the deck. The spectators went through the deck, only to not find their card. Then I revealed the card under the binder. Best part, it was the spectator's binder! This heightened the effect, while I will never be able to duplicate it.

 

[Tyler Johnson]

I go to a pretty large church and after performing for my youth group, word got around that I was a magician. After church one day, everyone was standing around in the sanctuary and this older lady came up to me and started talking to me. I had the gimmick for a trick I created ready in my pocket, because I was going to perform it for a friend after church. The old lady started talking to me about my magic and asked if I could do any for her. The only trick I had on me was my own, so I stuck my hand in my pocket and slipped it on as I told her, "Sure, I'll perform something for you, let me grab my ring out of my pocket." So I pulled my hand out holding my ring, I handed it to her and she inspected it, then gave it back. I then told her to watch closely, blew on it, and it disappeared visually right in front of her face. She was so shocked that immediately after it happened, she grabbed me and started patting me down! It was very weird, being a 17 year-old guy, to have an old lady feel you up! Anyway, I learned about controlling the space between your audience and you. I finally realized that when she felt me up. Before I realized this fact, I performed and had some kids grab the card that was supposed to be theirs, but really wasn't, and that messed up the whole trick. So now, I stand just out of reach length from all my spectators. Unless I'm using them for something of course. But, thanks to the old lady, it got into my head and made me realize that. Cause I never want to be felt up by an old lady ever again! Or anyone for that instance! (lol)

Tyler Johnson

P.S. Good lucky everyoney!

 

[AjDeF3]

@Antney Erm.... Are you serous? That doesn't sound like a legit story to me...b

 

[jdstyle]

I have a really good one thats been haunting me for decades lol.

About 4 years ago , i was 14, I was with my cousin on a plane to Miami to go visit a college he had applied to. So were on the plane ; I'm doing some cuts and stuff when suddenly cabin crew comes towards me and asks me to do a few tricks for them. A 200 passenger plane and only 6 crew people which were around me. I start of with a two card monte , then an ambitious routine and so one, about 45 min of tricks and the pilot announces we are getting close to land in the airport.
I thought thats it no more tricks but no they ask for more. Being still small and naive i say ok. The plane lands and me without my seat belt i completely fall down . Everyone is laughing and apologizing for not having told me to put on my seatbelt. I get up and notice something. I was previously doing a think of a card effect but haden't finished to previous reasons . I forgot to mention when i fell i let go of the cards and they flew everywhere. strangely enough one card landed in a mans champagne glass. The lady then goes " THATS MY CARD ; ITS THE CARD I WAS THINKING ABOUT." I haden't even made her choose a card or anything . It was really creepy.

Thats not the end: Normally when a pilot lands a plane safely everyone starts applauding . Well in this flight they did. I was still confused with the trick and the coincidence and all i thought they were clapping for me. My cousin then goes " Dude its not for you"; I was about to cry because the people sitting next to me were laughing there a**'s off.

 

[conjure_pitch]

As soon as I saw this thread I knew what I would post.

It was at a corporate X-mas party/dinner for a local bank. I walked up to my first table, all went well and I went through my routine. I went to the second table and did another routine I had come up with, ending with a strong ambitious routine with a boomerang finale. The wierdest thing I could ever fathom happened at that point.

I finished the routine flawlessly until the boomerang, The cielings were high so I thought I could try something crazy. I approached the boomerang as follows:

Cut deck in half, spread left hand packet in a fan and wave it across the front of the deck and card flys out from behind.

I decided with high ceilings I could shoot a high one so I fired the card hard. I mean real hard. The card was face down in the deck on top, so I unfortunately could not see what it was. Somewhere during the control I lost track of it because the card that flew out was nowhere close to the selection. As luck would have it I accidently popped the next card off as well but it hit the fan I had in my left hand (the fan I wave over the deck) and fell immediately downwards.

The specs eyes watched intently as one card soared through the air. The card that fell went completely unnoticed and happened to be the selection. The gods were clearly shining on me that day because the selection slid right down into the 1/4 inch wide opening at the top of one ladys purse.

I caught the boomerang card and finished my patter (one card jumps out of the center and that card is.....insert selection) ending it with a questioning glance and saying, wait a minute I swear you chose the 7H not the 4C (boomerang) which is impossible because I don't even have that card in this deck, as I hand the deck to be searched.

A real tough heckler watched my hands to make sure I didnt pocket it. I kept my hands on my head and she reacted quite surprisingly. "What the ****!!!! where did it go"

I looked her right in the eyes, cleared my throat and said I never even had it with me. Remember, I left it in your purse. With that I turned, and left to a LOUD reaction compiled of cursing, applause and one girl called her father and literally begged him to hire me for thier house party which, after the show, she proceeded to do.


It was by far the luckiest thing ever. I could not believe nobody noticed me drop the card. That experience gave me several things: An automatic booking, one of my best reactions ever, a great lesson in my magical life and a new incredible closer for my ACR.



Thanks.
Trent.

 

[bentley]

I was performing "Do As I Do" from Royal Road to Card Magic. I was looking at my card and he was looking at his. I totally forgot that there were people behind me watching me and the card I chose (which for the illusion is a big no no) and he was picking his card. We put them back and switch decks and we look for our cards in the deck (which for the illusion is that they are the same card.) Well we actually picked the same card without knowing it and people behind me started to scream that was the card (insert my name here) chose. HOW DID YOU DO THAT.

I learned that you need to watch your angles and keep your mind and eyes everywhere so that something like that wont happen because I may not pick the same card they do like that again (except for the ending of it of course). Not really funny but is a lesson learned.