Yin and Yang Magic

Hopefully you’ve read the April Issue of Roots and Branches, My Cards Lie Bleeding In My Hands. This month’s article is somewhat of a brother to last month’s. We discussed the fact that everyone has different tastes, and you can’t quite create a show that appeals to every single person, so rather than try, I suggested that you do the opposite: find effects that you specifically know will only appeal to a small handful of people. This month we’ll take it a step further.

Root:

Let’s remember our roots. This month’s root: Experimentation. Are you a card guy? Do you only do funny stuff? Is all of your stuff deep and serious and mysterious? Do you perform mostly coin stuff? Have you ever considered doing something totally serious right in the middle of your comedic performance? What about performing something completely silly and ridiculous during your serious and dramatic mind reading show?

Branch:

Let’s build our branches. Your challenge: Get out of your comfort zone. The only way to grow as a performer is to experiment. Your challenge is simple. Figure out what is the exact opposite of your character, persona, performance style, repertoire, etc., then do that. Yes, I want all you silly folks to do something totally serious and dramatic. You folks who take yourself too seriously, lighten up and slip in an effect that’s silly and out of character.

You might find that you’ll get a great reaction from your audience, if for no other reason than the fact that it was something totally unexpected. So what are you waiting for? You just might find your true self as you experiment with your opposite self . . . Superman did.

Now go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.