Posted by Ian on 2009-10-10
in Trick
A little time ago I asked a number of my fellow Magic Circle members (via the wonders of the Internet) if they could recommend some tricks for family – as opposed to adult – audiences. What I found interesting is that most of the suggestions were tricks that you would normally associate performing solely to adults.
I apologise for those readers won’t know what I mean by some of these names, although you can probably make a stab at what the effect is from the title. But those tricks put forward included the classics of magic such as the Egg Bag, Equal & Unequal Ropes, Linking Rings, Sympathetic Silks, Miser’s Dream, Torn & Restored Newspaper, Cards Across and the Chinese Sticks.
Now admittedly my memory is a little hazy but when I was a child I can’t recall watching children’s magician performing any of these. I think the apparatus they used was much more gaudy and colourful - with decorated boxes, motifs of rabbits and breakaway wands predominating.
I suppose there are a couple of explanations: perhaps children’s traditional magic tricks are considered a little passé for the modern generation; or maybe the magicians giving me the advice were unrepresentative of the majority of children’s magicians - who do continue to perform the likes of Run Rabbit Run (one classic children’s trick I can remember the name of!).
Having recently attended a magic convention where two children’s magicians lectured, it would seem that the former is perhaps more applicable. However both magicians were clearly skilled in their art (one in particular performs an excellent show for adults); and one wonders whether those more comfortable with sleight of hand and handling props in a generally dextrous manner, are more likely to perform the classics of magic as opposed to doing the relatively ‘easy to work’ box tricks.
The answer is, I don’t know. A topic I might pursue more at a later date.
I apologise for those readers won’t know what I mean by some of these names, although you can probably make a stab at what the effect is from the title. But those tricks put forward included the classics of magic such as the Egg Bag, Equal & Unequal Ropes, Linking Rings, Sympathetic Silks, Miser’s Dream, Torn & Restored Newspaper, Cards Across and the Chinese Sticks.
Now admittedly my memory is a little hazy but when I was a child I can’t recall watching children’s magician performing any of these. I think the apparatus they used was much more gaudy and colourful - with decorated boxes, motifs of rabbits and breakaway wands predominating.
I suppose there are a couple of explanations: perhaps children’s traditional magic tricks are considered a little passé for the modern generation; or maybe the magicians giving me the advice were unrepresentative of the majority of children’s magicians - who do continue to perform the likes of Run Rabbit Run (one classic children’s trick I can remember the name of!).
Having recently attended a magic convention where two children’s magicians lectured, it would seem that the former is perhaps more applicable. However both magicians were clearly skilled in their art (one in particular performs an excellent show for adults); and one wonders whether those more comfortable with sleight of hand and handling props in a generally dextrous manner, are more likely to perform the classics of magic as opposed to doing the relatively ‘easy to work’ box tricks.
The answer is, I don’t know. A topic I might pursue more at a later date.
