Why Showmanship Is Essential to Success
Being successful as a magician relies just as much on your
stage persona and your ability to be engaging as it does on
the tricks you choose to perform or the technical skills
you possess. The reason for this is because tricks in and of themselves
can fall flat if not presented in the right way. A sleight
of hand that dazzles when performed by an engaging magician
can leave an audience yawning when in the less capable
hands of an under-whelming performer. So if you want your tricks to go over well, you've got to
learn how to sell them to your audience. That means you've got to work on your showmanship just as
much as you have to work on the tricks themselves. Learn
how to get the audience eating out of the palm of your hand! If you are not sure how to do this, don't worry.
Showmanship is something you can easily learn and improve
upon with practice. It's not necessary an inborn trait that
you either have or don't have-it's a learned skill that
even the best magicians are constantly honing and
perfecting. Here's how to make good showmanship part of your magic
routine: Build a Bridge to the Audience Whether you are onstage in front of ten people or ten
thousand, your success is directly related to how much your
audience feels inclined to trust you and suspend their
disbelief for you. To win them over, talk directly to them. Make eye contact.
Make use of volunteers. Don't confine your show to the
stage. Invite audience members up, or go down to mingle
with them. Don't Wait to Warm Up-Be "On" Right from the Start! Don't wait to "warm up"-you've got to be "on" right from
the start! Most magic shows last only about an hour or
less, so make it a point to create your relationship with
the audience quickly. Cultivate a Stage Persona Ideally, magic tricks should bring about a sense of wonder
and excitement, not a sense of being tricked or fooled. And
you as a magician should therefore aim to be mystical and
wise, not hokey. Of course, there are many ways to be entertaining. Some of
the most successful magicians in the biz are very serious
in terms of their demeanor. Others, however, are jocular
and love to crack jokes during their shows. Your "stage persona" is really up to you. If you're
naturally inclined toward being chatty and making jokes, go
for it on stage. If you're naturally more reserved and quiet, you can think
about adopting a more "David Blaine-like" character when
you're performing. The trick (pun intended!) is just to make sure you
approach it as a role or a performance. Give the audience
the dazzling entertainment they want and you will always be
a hit. Just Believe Believe in what you are doing and suspend your disbelief
as much as you can. The illusions work best when you truly
trust in your abilities and honestly belief that you are
creating miracles! In reality you know that they are tricks, but if you act like they're just fakes or frauds
then you'll never win over your viewers. Put it this way:
if you don't believe in yourself, why on earth should your
audience?
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