talkmagic.co.uk

I posted the following on another board but as I'm interested in as much feedback as possible I thought I'd add it here as well.

Having recently performed some close up, I got the feedback I was too close lol

Basically I did a number of routines including sponge balls, the spec was female and was totally blown away, but did make the comment about feeling slightly uncomfortable on occasion with what had felt to her as an invasion of personal space.

I felt this was an interesting observation and it is true in close up magic you are likely to get closer to a stranger than you would in normal life. Actually this person was not even a stranger.

It's not an issue that I've ever had raised before and I wondered if it was one that others had come across?

It's definatly an issue that you have to be waryi of when performing close-up. I've never been told I was invading a spectators space before, but then again I doubt they would actually tell me to my face unless I asked them what they thought of it.

I suppose as far as distance is concerned I would try and stay at least a comfortable-conversations-width away from my spectators i.e. I wouldn't go any closer (or further away for that matter) than I would whilst casually talking to a friend.

Personal space is one of those unwritten rules that we adhere to through socialisation and generally we conform to what our culture says is the right distance to keep between people, depending on various factors such as context, relationship, number of people (can you tell I'm a Communication Studies student? )

Invading a person's space can also be used to a magician's advantage. Because personal space is an unwritten rule that everybody accepts if you were to"invade" that space you could initiate a type of pattern interupt, rendering your spectator slightly confused and looking for an answer towhy you just invaded her space leaving you free to create an atmosphere through suggestion and performance.

My first reaction to this was what a strange thing for her to say! Invasion of personal space is one of those trendy pseudo psychological phrases which people use almost so it makes them sound superior. Before any such invasion can be construed, the boundaries of that personal space need to be defined. If she meant you were standing or leaning too close for her comfort then she should say so clearly and distinctly.

If the effects you were showing were small scale thus needing to be offered close so she could see them then she ought to have appreciated why this was done and let you know if it wasn't acceptable for her.

Was it a case of being over enthusiastic on your part? You know, the trick is going well and you're enjoying it but just didn't realise that she wasn't sharing it as well as you thought?

I'm reluctant to ask this but I'm sure you'll appreciate my being frank (no name jokes please!) was it a question of personal hygiene? Had you been eating garlic or forgotten the Right Guard or something?

Was it that she wasn't really interested in the magic and thus missed the point of close up?

Again, I'm reluctant to ask this but - was she wearing a low cut top or something which might have made her feel uncomfortable about with your being so close?

I can appreciate that this is a right bummer as the next time you do anything you'll be worried about getting too close and may come over as being too distant - you can't win at times. Unless you take up stage magic!

It's an interesting and important point to have raised - when is Close Up magic too close up?

Ok to answer a few questions.

She didn't actually tell me she told someone that she knows well and is close to me.

There were no hygiene or sexual issues and her boyfriend was watching as well.

She loved the magic and told others how impressed by it she was.

There was no touching other than hands during the sponge ball routine.

OK, that's very reassuring but it just makes her reaction even more strange. I honestly can't think of anything else to consider but, if it happened to me, it would be a right blow to the ol' confidence. Would the person she confided in be able to shed more light?

Fortunately I have quite a bit of confidence, though if it had been an attack on my sleights I may well have wilted.

As far as I can tell it's just a case of some people are very sensitive to anyone coming within a certain radius and I had crossed that line. Had I had a choice of specs from a small group I probably wouldn't have picked her. However I was asked to do magic for her specifically, if I made a mistake I think it was in not judging her sufficiently well to know she needed a good deal of space. However it's useful I think to get feedback like this as it's always helpful to take a closer look at the way we perform and become more aware of how we are seen by others.

A valuable lesson there methinks!