What is Close-up Magic?
Close-up magic is magical entertainment that happens right in
front of you, magic you can not only see but feel and touch.
This intimacy is what makes it so different from other types of
magic. An expert close-up magician will involve and interact
with the audience far more than a stage magician (or any other
form of entertainer for that matter).
Most close-up magicians use common props such as playing cards,
coins, sponge balls and rope. And all magicians perform the same
basic magical effects with these props, making them appear,
disappear, change, levitate, break and restore, and penetrate
other objects. What is amazing about close-up magic is that it
happens so close to you, sometimes while you are holding the
props!
There are many standard close-up magic effects and standard
routines used to present them. For example, the 'Ambitious Card'
where a chosen card repeatedly rises to the top position in a
deck of cards without any shuffling or cutting, or the 'Sponge
Balls' where the balls move invisibly between the magician's
hands and those of the spectator's. In fact, these routines are
freely available if you care to look. Anyone can search the
internet and buy books and DVDs on close-up magic, or even the
props and standard routines.
What really sets one close-up magician apart from another is how
they present their magic. In fact, presentation is the key - it
is what makes close-up magic entertaining. A really good,
professional magician will be creative and present their magic
in an original and entertaining way. Sometimes humorous,
sometimes mysterious, sometimes just plain weird and freaky. The
magic becomes a vehicle for the personality and ideas of the
performer.
This is what makes close-up magic great entertainment. An
interesting, strange and funny person demonstrates the
impossible, weird and wonderful, right under your nose!