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Well I like aspects of both. I aspire to be a stage performer because of the grandeur and spectacle of magic on a stage. Its so much theatre and perfomance and done well can really get an audiences pulse going.

Street magic or close up magic though has its own merits. By performing "in yer face" so to speak the illusion of your apparent abilities is reinforced considerably.

I'm sorry, I'm sitting on the fence for this one - BTW, anyone got some wire cutters the barbwire up here really hurts, OUCH - LoL

Barbed Wire, whenever I sit on the fence it's always got glass on it and it hurts a lot, but if you need a pair of cutters I can lend you some!

I havent preformed on a stage so I picked street. I dont have specail props so I can only pretty much do street magic.

A good post by Goldfish which pretty much sums it up for me.

Personally, I'd class a table magician the same as a street magician as it's close up stuff and intimate but often with the good fortune of being able to sit down .

as for performing, it's a joy to watch a skilled close up magician and also a joy to be able to perform a good close up routine.

jbmagic wrote:

GoldFish wrote:What style of Street Magic are you refering to here, just to clarify?

Hit and Run (David Blaine) Style

or

Traditional Pitch (Gazzo) Style

Then what catogory would you put the table to table performer in? I think he is a bit in between both of these!

Personally I wouldn't put Table Magic into either of those categories. I think Table Magic and Street (Hit and Run) Magic are both off shoots of Close Up magic, which has many forms. The most noted of these are:

Table Magic; a 5-10 minute routine for spectators seated at a table.
Street (Hit and Run) Magic; a 30sec plus trick to a stranger on the street.
Strolling Magic; a 5-10 minute routine to a group of spectators, standing (e.g. at a champagne reception, party, etc.)
A Close Up Show; Anywhere between 10 minutes and 1hr 30 minutes worth of close up magic with a seated audience, centered around a table where the performer sits or stands.

I'm sure there are other varitations on these but when it comes down to it they are all off shoots of close-up magic which has been around for thousands of years.

I hope that answers your question, they're just my opinions

Goldfish, I see your point and agree!

I'm not a great lover of the 'hit and run' approach, one trick to a stranger etc. and would say that it's my least enjoyable type of magic to watch.

I think hit and run magic , is in danger of killing magic off completely.

Why?
99% of the stuff performed by the hit and run man looks exactly the same.
You have little or no time to build up a raport with your victim, and quite often they are left standing thinking " What the f***was that about?"
Its a band waggon that to many bad kid magicians jump on to, which exposes lays to c*** (not the best) magicians..

dat8962 wrote:Goldfish, I see your point and agree!

I'm not a great lover of the 'hit and run' approach, one trick to a stranger etc. and would say that it's my least enjoyable type of magic to watch.

I would have to agree with this view, as although I enjoy watching all magic, and I particularly perform close-up magic in my professional act, I would say that I have never performed and probably never will perform the hit and run style of magic as I think it is my least favourite type of magic.

I will add that the only time I have had the opportunity to perform a close-up show ie. seated or stood at a table for a long routine, is at a magic society, performing for other magicians.

In my professional act I specialise in Table to Table or Strolling group to group magic performed, as Goldfish described, a 5 or 10 min act perfromed to groups of people either seated at a table or standing in groups

daleshrimpton wrote:I think hit and run magic , is in danger of killing magic off completely.

Why?
99% of the stuff performed by the hit and run man looks exactly the same.
You have little or no time to build up a raport with your victim, and quite often they are left standing thinking " What the f***was that about?"
Its a band waggon that to many bad kid magicians jump on to, which exposes lays to c*** (not the best) magicians..

I can't aggree more. But similarly I feel like a bit of a hypocrit saying it because I know that it was shows like David Blaine and Paul Zenon which got me back into magic and inspired me to look at it further.

But now that I have a deeper knowledge of magic, I do think that this type of magic really is detrimental to magic as a whole. I'm not sure if its in danger of killing off magic but it definately isn't doing it any good.

I would say that I have never performed and probably never will perform the hit and run style of magic as I think it is my least favourite type of magic.

In an amendment to the above statement.....I add, of course if a TV channel was to offer me millions like David Blaine probably earned, then I may be persuaded to change my mind on this!

I like them both street and stage. I like street magic because you can do tricks to anyone at anytime and i also like the big spectacular stage illusions.I like David Blaine for his street magic because he gets great reactions from the streets of New York and i like David Copperfield for his astounding stage illusions

Im a stage magician and only do stage tricks, because i used to do some close up but everyone is too close, if you know what i mean. You always get some @rse try to ruin your trick, but on stage no one since i have been doing it, has stood up and said "i know how to do it" or try to ruin it.

But i feel with stage your incharge and and everyone respects that. The audience is with you and they "want" to see you, else they wouldnt have come.

I thought if i posted it might keep the poll going.

This poll has probably run it's natural course and really didn't give much useful information anyway - polls rarely do!

Just FYI, the guy who started this thread was subsequently banned from TM and MagicBunny - http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/sutra43710.p ... ght=#43710 .

Banned - in true hit and run style