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how long long should a sponge ball routine go on for?

They're so versitile and improptu - keep it going as long as the specs are enjoying it

I agree with Pitto.

Have a nice, lengthy routine worked out and ready to go - then adapt it to the situation. Some people could watch spongeballs for days - and you can do a really long routine. Others will lose interest REALLY fast. Just watch your reactions and go from there.

I also agree. As with all magic, at the point where you think that it stops being entertaining, move on!

yeah thanks guys, il post a vid on file sharing of my routine then you can see it and tell me wat u think,
thanks,

just wondering on sponge balls I know do it for as long as they are interested but i was wondering would it make a difference if it was for table hopping how long should you do it for. Should i keep the act at the same length you said above or should i keep it 2 to 3 minute per trick. What do you think? Thanks if anyone can answer my question.

This may seem like a deviation of the topic, but do Sponge Balls have a place in the perfoemance of "real"* magic?

*Let me define "real" magic; I don't mean you pretending you have magical powers, but I'm talking about magic that has a purpose or meaning. Sponge balls are a completely alien item to anbody but a magician. Therefore, using sponge magic in a real performance environment, such as a restaurant, is at best going to ellicit reactions of "Wow. How did you do that!?" or "You're very clever." from the audience rather than stunned silence or awe struck wonder. That means that you will never elevate your performance past a display of skill rather than an experience of magic.

Let me also say, that I am as guilty as the next magician of doing exactly that, but its something I'm working on at the moment, whilst reading Absolute Magic for the second time.

GoldFish, in my opinion they are excellent. Kids love them, they are fun and yes the fact that they are called "sponge balls" may make them unique to magicians but everyone knows what a ball. At a pub / bar I go to quite a bit, they have a magician a few nights a week who does table magic and he went through a stage of starting his routine with a sponge ball act and as a family bar, the kids loved it. He also linked it very well by making the sponge ball vanish and change it to a large red dot on a blank face card.

AJ82 wrote:GoldFish, in my opinion they are excellent. Kids love them, they are fun and yes the fact that they are called "sponge balls" may make them unique to magicians but everyone knows what a ball. At a pub / bar I go to quite a bit, they have a magician a few nights a week who does table magic and he went through a stage of starting his routine with a sponge ball act and as a family bar, the kids loved it. He also linked it very well by making the sponge ball vanish and change it to a large red dot on a blank face card.

Thats cool, and I agree, that they have a definite appeal for kids. But to be honest, the question that GooGooDolls asked was based around the idea of using them in a restaurant. Personally, my experiences with table hopping in restaurants has shown me that the majority of the people in there aren't children. Having said that, my table hopping routines are very light hearted, but I'm getting to the stage where I'd like them to be a little deeper, because I think getting an emotional response, rather than an intellectual one (i.e. how did you do that?) is far more memorable for the audience.

The reason why sponge balls appeal to children is that they ellicit an emotional response, because children are quite happy to accept that it is possible to make little sponge balls disappear and reappear. They don't grasp the concept of sleight of hand like adults do.

They don't grasp the concept of sleight of hand like adults do.

Then if adults graps the concept of slight of hand why do they still all go "wow" when a magician performs a card trick! If they go wow at cards why not at sponge balls?

I'd argue that cards are just as bad as sponge balls in most instances. There are very few card tricks that could be classed as meaningful magic. I'd suggest that the "wow" response is more of suprise than anything else. Card tricks have definite culturally bound connotations; the old example of Uncle Charlie doing the 21 card trick is a prime example. It's only magicians who understand that there is so much more possible with a deck of cards. When a "lay" person sees cards to pocket or the Ambitious Card they are suprised because the likelyhood is they've never seen something like that before. It's not the fact that they don't grasp the concept of sleight of hand, but more that they never consider such a thing was possible. I'd suggest that when most people think of sleight of hand they think of the ability to hide or control an object in some way. We, as magicians, know that there is alot more to it than that, and so when we employ these other techniques it suprises an audience.

Also, is "wow" an emotional response? I'd say no, it's an intellectual one. In my experience, "wow" has always been a precursor to "..how did you do that." or something along those lines. Just because they haven't got around to saying "how did you do that" doesn't mean that they aren't already trying to figure it out in their head.

but that must be the same with all types of magic. You are basically saying people know their is no such thing as magic so why do any of us do magic?

No, thats not what I'm saying. I'm saying that certain types of magic, such as sponge balls and a lot of card magic come accross as being wholly dependant on the magician's skill purely by the fact that they have no meaning. What is the emotional hook to sponge balls multiplying, or four aces turning face up one by one? There is none. However, the levitation of a small object can become something elegant and beautiful, if it is handled correctly. Similarly the vanishing of a coin at the finger tips can be embued with a real sense of wonder. I think thats what we should be striving for when choosing magic to perform professionally. Don't get me wrong I love sleight of hand with cards but I'm dubious about where they fit into a professional set if I want to really give my audience the best performance I can give. And by that I mean one that really connects at an emotional level not just a light hearted time filler.

Ok I can see your point and it is a very valid one.