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Hello Everyone,

I so hope that some of you like baseball because I have a really fun vintage base ball illusion that I am working on. Oh, by the way, it was spelled with two words, base ball, back in the old days of the 19th Century.

So, what is Vintage Base Ball? Well, it's an American game of baseball played with rules of the 19th century. There are 5 sets of rules, depending on the years the game tries to follow, but being a girl, the rules women generally use is the 1860's rules since that was when women first got into base ball (it was a college thing in those days played by outlaw women base ball players playing in secret since at first it was not allowed for girls to play).

The outfit for girls in those days while they played was a long dress or sometimes a long full skirt, and often a wide brimmed hat. Girls were stylish then.

So, what does all of this have anything to do with magic? Well, it is my style of magic and this is an example of what I do and more specifically, what I am working on at the moment.

Well, the team is playing Vintage Base Ball down by the river when the ball (a soft, brown leather ball in those days, soft because that was the style and gloves had not been invented yet, and brown because the game was played in fields and there were no stands so the brown stood out against the sky). In any event, the ball is "accidentally" hit into the river and it begins quickly floating down stream. Now in those days, the tradition was to only have one ball so the ball had a major importance to the game, thus, rescuing it is extremely important.

So, I walk to the edge of the river, raise my palm toward the ball, focus my magical "energy," and the ball instantly stops in place even though the river is still rushing by. Okay, now what. What to do? So, since the team needs the ball and since I am wearing a long dress, I don't want to get my dress wet, after all, who would want to play in a wet dress, so I simply walk on top of the water out to the middle of the river, pick up the ball, bring it back and interestingly, the ball is totally dry so it can still be used. I toss the ball to my teammates and the game continues.

Now, before there are cries of witch and the stake starts to burn, let me say that this is all an illusion. For, among other things, I am an Illusionist. There are three tricks involved. One is the ball stopping in the river and not floating down stream any more, the second one is walking on top of the water, and the third one is that the ball is dry.

Now, since I am in a general area on this board, I can not tell you how any of it works, and besides, magicians are not supposed to talk about that kind of thing anyways. but I did want to share the illusion with you for it not only tells you a bit about me and the style of magic I like but it also has an interesting magic principle to it.

You see, my magic is about having reasons for things to work. Instead of pulling a rabbit from a hat simply because I can, I try to gear my tricks to having meaning behind them. In this show, it is a baseball game and we need the ball. That magic happens is incidental to the game as it is presented. The whole act is done casually and with my sense of surfer girl style, all in good fun, and as though nothing happened.

Now of course I realize that this is not "traditional" magic done on a stage with store bought props but it is simply my style. Some of you may not like it, and, that is fine. It's just my style and I have fun with it, nothing more.

I hope that you enjoyed learning a little bit about me and also a bit about Vintage Base Ball that you might not have known. It's a great game, by the way. Get an English team together and maybe we can play!!!

Oh, and, Moderators, I so hope that this was an okay place to talk about this sort of thing. If not, please forgive me and I will not do it again. And, if it was okay, then I so enjoyed sharing.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

Sounds like a lovely idea for a routine, I like your thinking!
A thought that you've triggered in my head is that you could perform it without the aid of the team as well. If there were signatures on the ball, you could act out a tale about it being your fathers pride and joy when you were growing up. One day you 'borrowed' it from his office and played with it in the garden, but then you threw it too hard and it ended in the river. You were terrified by what your father would do when he discovered it had been swept away, you ran to the riverside and amazingly it stayed exactly in the place it had landed, unaffected by the treacherous currents. But still you didn't know what to do, the river was very deep and you couldn't swim... But the fear of your father outweighed the fear of the water and as you couldn't swim you were forced to walk...
Just an idea old bean, hope it helps.

Amanda Angeli wrote:
I hope that you enjoyed learning a little bit about me and also a bit about Vintage Base Ball that you might not have known. It's a great game, by the way. Get an English team together and maybe we can play!!!

Hi Amanda. I think I'm right in saying that baseball was actually invented by an Englishman back in the day. I even believe (though I'm probably wrong) that he came from my hometown of Sheffield before moving to the States. We have a similar game over here called Rounders. It's played by school kids and girls.

I quite like your routine, though I do wonder how it would translate to actually being performed before people for entertainment. Are the team in on the act, or are you performing for them? In other words, who are the audience and who are the performers?

Hello Flash,

Thank you for your kind words and your story idea, it was truly wonderful. I really appreciate your input and that would be a fun way to present the act.

Oh, and by the way, I actually do enjoy playing Vintage Base Ball.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

[quote="themagicwand"][quote="Amanda Angeli"]

Hello TheMagicWand,

I had no idea who invented the game, thank you for that tip, now it makes me want to look it up in the books I have. That was very kind of you to share that with me. And that the man came from your home town, how totally cool is that. Hey, I just thought of something, I have a Sheffield Bowie Knife that I use in a magic knife throwing act as part of my Swamp Act. What a small world. I would so love to see Sheffield some day.

Also, thank you for telling me about the word Rounders. How interesting. I love that sort of knowledge. Thank you. Now I will have to look that up too.


>I quite like your routine,

Really? Oh that means a lot to me coming from someone with your skill and experience. Thank you.

> though I do wonder how it would translate to actually being performed before people for entertainment

The act is done during the Summer, of course, for that is when base ball is played. At parks near rivers. It can be done anywhere. It's just sort of a spontaneous sort of act done for special occassions like a cities summer festival or the 4th of July or whatever whenever people gather in groups. The act is done as a surprise, that is to say people come to see a Vintage Base Ball game played with all the outfits and such and then this "incident" just happens.

>. Are the team in on the act, or are you performing for them? In other words, who are the audience and who are the performers?

Yes, the team does indeed know about the Illusion. The other performer is the cameraman who I had not mentioned because I was talking in a General Section and did not want to give too much away. The audience is whoever happens to be along the river that day. I believe in planned spontaneous magic done for anybody who is in the area. If they see the show, they do, if not, that's okay too. I mostly do it for me because I simply love doing it. I realize that may sound commercially silly but it is simply the way I am. As for actual stage shows, that is what an act like my Swamp Act is all about. That is a large scale stage Illusion show that I am hoping to bring to England and hit all the cities.

Thank you for your kind questions. It is truly an honor to meet you.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

Amanda Angeli wrote:Oh, and by the way, I actually do enjoy playing Vintage Base Ball.

I thought you might be from the way you spoke about it. Glad you liked the idea, it's nice for me to be exercising the old creative grey matter. Good luck with your spontaneous shows me dear, sounds like it'll be a cracker.

Hello Flashy,

Thank you again for your kind words. Isn't creativity just the most wonderful thing!!! Helping others, that's what life is all about. And we, all of us on this wonderful site, have the greatest job in the world as entertainers. Oh how magic makes my heart race so with excitement.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

Amanda Angeli wrote:Oh how magic makes my heart race so with excitement.

Now normally such a statement would bring out the worst in me. However on Saturday night at my regular bizarre gig, one of the specs got posessed by a spirit during the seance portion of the show. It made my heart race, I can tell you. Twas pure theatre.

Good Lord. I'm warming to old Amanda. Must be the flood water.

Hello Paul,

I hope it's okay I just called you that. Goodness, do you have a flood where you are? Are you okay? I so hope that nothing of yours has been damaged.

As for warming up to me, well, thank you, and, well, I like you too, so there. One day I so hope to meet you but be prepared, I'm a bit of a fluff bunny or as Lady of Mystery would say, pink and fluffy, is that her phrase?

Your Bizarre Magic gig must have been truly incredible. Oh how I would have loved to have been there. Did everything turn out okay?

I just love Mentalism and her sister Bizarre Magic so much. In fact, my best work is actually in the field of Mentalism. But, that being said, it is fun to talk about the Illusions and such.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

[quote="themagicwand"][quote="

Good Lord. I'm warming to old Amanda. Must be the flood water.[/quote]

Hello Again Paul,

I must say, you totally made me giggle when I read your words "Good Lord." I can just hear you saying that and I hate to say this but you sounded cute like a loving Uncle. Please don't take offense at that.

I truly hope to learn a lot from you.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

Hi Amanda. We had floods over the past day or two, but things are getting back to normal now.

The guy who got "posessed" was fine. Between you and me I think he was after the attention, but it certainly made for an eventful night!

Nice to hear that you're into the psychic/mentalist/bizarre side of things also.

Look at us two chatting away. 48 hours ago I thought you were Mark Lewis. Or maybe Craig Browning. You still may be, but it's fun anyway.

Anyway, good night. I'm off to bed now. Look at me - I'm all house trained. Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.

[quote="themagicwand"]Hi Amanda.

Hello Paul,

> We had floods over the past day or two, but things are getting back to normal now.

I am so glad that everything turned out okay. Of course, knowing me, I'd be there in the flood trying to create some sort of Illusion or another, sitting up all night until I had it just right. I'm silly that way. And then the next day I'd be out there, waist deep in water doing my show or figuring out a way to ride my surfboard in the torrent.


>The guy who got "posessed" was fine. Between you and me I think he >was after the attention, but it certainly made for an eventful night!

It sounds like a perfect night. Well, perfect if you had some red wine afterwards as you reflected with a magical friend, over an open fire, talking of your show and the evening, that is to say.

>Nice to hear that you're into the psychic/mentalist/bizarre side of things also.

I love it. I would have said I love it with all of my heart but I didn't want to gag you.


>Look at us two chatting away. 48 hours ago I thought you were Mark Lewis. Or maybe Craig Browning. You still may be

I truly have no idea who you are talking about. But, all that matters to me is that you and I are now friends. That really means a lot to me Paul.

>, but it's fun anyway.

Yes, I am having fun too.

>Anyway, good night. I'm off to bed now. :shock: :shock: :shock: Look at me - I'm all house trained. Normal service will be resumed >tomorrow. :wink:[/quote]

I hope that you sleep well and have wonderfully horrible nightmares (isn't that what one wishes for a Bizarrist?). God Forbid you dream of fluff bunnies. Or maybe that would be a nightmare for you.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

Hey Amanda you certainly do seem to come up with very original magic. I'd love to see a video of you performing this is you can pull it of.

There would definitely be a lot of prep work for it.

I read on another thread that walking on water is very difficul.t So may want to consider stopping the ball then levitating and bring it towards yourself.

Failing that just send a dog after it

Great routine and i can imagine it.. i think it was great

but

the only think that i have been thinking is where are you going to perform ? in a base ball field ? if yes it would be great you could use base ball field instead of stage .. and it would be much more magnificent if you add more to it

thank you..

Hello Wills,

I'm working on the video. So don't fret. That will come. And as for walking on water, I appreciate your concern but golly, I have it all worked out already.

Levitating the ball, after stopping it and bringing it to me is a great idea as an additional variation. Thank you. I'm also working a lot on aerial work so "flying" out to the ball can be a third variation. That's what's so wild about magic, the possibilities are endless.

As for the dog, drats, I had not even thought of that. Okay, I'd have to get a dog. And a leash and collar. And a food and water bowl. And vet tags, and some toys, no, scratch the toys, there's the base ball. And I'd have to train the dog.

Hmm, maybe walking on water is easier than going the puppy route but thanks for the doggy suggestion.

Love,

Amanda Angeli