talkmagic.co.uk

OK, just asking for a bit of advice here.

I've been offered the chance to work for a company that arranges entertainment for kids parties (aimed at 2-6 year olds). Already quite proficient with balloon sculpting and juggling, I am now contemplating which magic tricks to take with me to the audition to nail the job.

I'm confident I'll get the job, but, I'd rather do it in style and have them at least be surprised at how prepared I am, if not bowl them over entirely with an outstanding performance.

I want to buy 2 new tricks, and I've got about £50 to spend (but obviously I don't have to spend all of it...!)

I look forward to your comments.

Oh and by the way, the audition's gonna be on March 24th or 25th. So I've got just over three weeks.

Magic Colouring book is cheap, easy and, if presented well, a big winner with kids.
Most dealers sell a version of it.

pm me about rope tricks.

with the age range your looking at go for tricks that involve coulour and or shape change, sponges work well.

a change bag and some silks spots on / off type.

Well since you already do balloon modelling I would suggest some balloon magic but in a quick search I can't find any books or videos on the subject so I can only suggest something like needle throught balloon or the like.

If you aren't adverse to a little card handling then Jay Sankeys 'Airtight' is a nice effect where a pack of cards penetrates into a balloon and then you visibly pull the spectators chosen card out through the rubber. I wouldn't advise this if you are completely new to magic though as it does involve some palming and misdirection and a lot of confidence that it will work, I just mentioned it since I was talking about magic with balloons.

Nick

Thanks guys - a real big help there.

As it's an audition piece I don't think I'll go for the cards as a single card trick on it's own would look better with a routine of card tricks to go with it - and I don't think they'll be looking for card magic.

I'd never thought about balloons in magic before - now trying to conjure up some kind of balloon animal ventriloquist patter or even having my balloon animal actually 'do' some magic itself.

Mmm... having thought of it, the latter would be best.

Thanks for the tips so far!

Definitely try to use some rope tricks if you can. Things with normal playing cards be a bit boring for kiddiewinks but some tricks can be done with home-made jumbo cards with pictures of animals or nursery rhyme characters instead. Needle Thru Balloon would be good and you could work this along with the balloon sculpting - a larger diameter balloon than the usual modeling ones would be more visual.

Whatever you end up doing, can we all wish you the very best of luck and please let us know how it goes!

Use picture cards, as suggested. Have each one showing a particular animal. Then get the child to choose an animal and keep the card hidden so you don't know which one it is. Sculpt the balloon animal equivalent of the one on the chosen card.

You could either force the animal card, or, if you have a range of different creatures you can make, you can give the child a free choice and find out which one has been selected.

Next, introduce a second set of cards showing colours, perhaps, or shapes (or, depending on how you did the first effect, you can use the animal cards again, which would be even better). A card is chosen by a different child. The balloon animal finds the child's chosen card and comes up with it stuck to its snout. I'm sure you can think of a way of working that, but if not, you could PM me.

Kenton Knepper did an effect where there were four cards, each showing a clown drawn in a different colour. The magician turns round and tries to think of which one has been chose. When he turns back, he is wearing a clown's nose in the matching colour. I think this was out of stock when I last looked on his site, but that would have been last year, so he might be selling it again, or there might be dealers in the UK selling it. It wasn't too costly, either. I think you'd get it in time and I doubt it involves much practice.

Use a production box. Produce streamers, confetti, that sort of thing. Of course, some parents would really love you for that. Not.

You can buy whinnie the pooh svengali decks from practical magic if you want to envolve cards

I spoke to the lady today who's gonna audition me and asked her what she wants me to bring along. She said that if there's anything that I want to bring and 'show off' to her, she will see how they can incorporate it into the act...

Now, by my reckoning, this gives me the confidence that the job's mine, which is wicked!

From your help so far, I currently have these in my shopping cart:

- A change bag
- 'My favourite rope trick'
- a 10" silk streamer (to use with the change bag...good idea or not?)
- squaring the circle FYD (cos it sounds like a cool instant effect)

Now, does anyone have any ideas or routines that makes good use of the change bag? I'd like something with a bit of a surprise ending, as I'm sure she would have seen one before.

OK...

I've spent far too long on the computer tonight.

Thought I'd let you all know that I've just bought 25ft of rope.

(and treated myself to a couple new bike decks too)

I'll let you know how I get on...

Watch the Reviews forum for my 25ft Rope review. Hehe.

zack do cut and restored rope trick, then cut a piece of rope into three pieces and tie them together add to change bag and produce restored piece of rope and three knots.

pieces of tissue paper turn into 10" silki streamer .

As you like balloon modeling you might like to try this effect - "Knitty Knitty Bang Bang" it's available at http://www.practical-magic.com for 22.50p

This is a nice effect that uses a spectator. Loads of business here - 3 phase routine- and will let you show them how talented you are as an entertainer as well as magician. At the end you can give the child that has helped you a model balloon.

Cliff

If you are going for the cut and restored rope - make sure that the rope you switch for has knots that you can blow off using the audince / a helper

Cliff

Cheers for the link above Cliff - real helpful and has inspired my imagination somewhat too.

Do you mean "pop knots", Cliff? I think they'd be better than the kind that just disappear. You could even give the knots to children who've helped you as a reminder of the day.