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| The ACE of MAGIC - Magician Cesar Domico |
Magic with cards and Close-Up Magic: Are they easy magic tricks?
I wonder if the same thing has happened to you that happened to me.
My first introduction to magic was seeing a magician performing at a kid’s party. I can’t remember exactly what magic tricks he was doing, but what I recalled was that he was the center of everyone’s attention! Ha! As little boy, I told myself: I want to do that, I want to do the same as he is doing, and it looks easy. On the way home, sitting in my seat on the bus, I started walking a coin inside my fingers. Little by little, I began moving that coin between my hands, without knowing that was the introduction to the fantastic world of magic.
Still a little boy, I didn’t stop there. I wanted to know more! It took me months to find books about magic tricks. I walked through the downtown of my home city, Bogotá, Colombia, visiting every bookstore possible asking for books about magic, but with no success. Then I went to spend time at the main library, named Luis Angel Arango – and there, I was so happy to find books about magic!
That day I spent the whole day at the library making copies of those books, most of them from Spain and a few from Argentina. Arriving home with those book copies, I didn’t want to do anything else. I locked myself in my room and began reading those books. Some were about the history of magic, others about techniques, and others about card tricks.
The reality about easy magic tricks!
I was fascinated – but I also quickly became overwhelmed.
Unlike what I first thought, this was not easy to do! Of course not! It took me
months and months just to master a few "easy tricks with coins and cards". Every day I
worked at it, again and again, making mistakes over and over.
It took me a long time to really understand that magic is more than a simple and easy trick.
It was the practicing techniques of magic with cards, coins,
spoons, everyday objects that made me understand that to be a magician was not
easy and there is not such thing about easy magic tricks. It meant not giving up! I continued to practice my tricks and read my
magic books every day, even right through my years at the university – every
afternoon after classes. (I miss those times).
As I was practicing the hard techniques with cards and
everyday objects, I realized that others tricks were more easy to do – those store-bought tricks that anyone can pull
off. I started buying those, and then I realized that the hard part to do those
tricks was the presentation! After you present an “easy trick” if you are lucky
enough the audience responds with an applause. But most of the time what
follows is silence, and an uncomfortable feeling inside that makes you quickly
move on to another trick. But when I was presenting the hard complicated tricks
– those that required more practice and time – I saw the audience become more
engaged and amazed in the magic shows and events. Then I knew that all those years of practicing this difficult
type of magic with card tricks and close-up magic had been worth it: the
pay-off was the reaction from the audience. That paid for all the effort and
time mastering techniques and learning concepts and magic history.
Card tricks and close-up magic are not easy to do!
From the perspective of the magic world, when it comes to card tricks and close-up magic, there is a big difference between a professional magician and someone doing tricks as a hobby. A professional magician is a passionate performer and actor who spends years of devotion mastering difficult techniques – delivering a well elaborated routine with cards and general objects – and making it all look easy.
You are definitely correct that a "professional magician... making it all look easy." Card tricks can be extremely difficult and acts can take years (or lifetimes!) to put together. BUT... young enthusiasts, don't let that stop you on your journey. Instead, let it inspire you to follow your passion.
ReplyDeleteHere are some great card magicians showing what they do their best https://www.carnivalofillusion.com/best-card-magicians-of-all-time.php. Enjoy and be inspired!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! You are right. For those who love magic, we magicians need to encourage them to learn, practice and perform magic tricks. And we need to be clear about which tricks are best to start with or easier to learn for beginners and which are more difficult as they advance – so that we don’t overwhelm them and their expectations.
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