Process Essay: How to Perform a Magic Trick

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Magic tricks have fascinated people of all ages for centuries. From David Copperfield to Chris Angel, many performers use magic to amaze and astound. One of the least elaborate types of magic tricks is the card trick. There are two main types of card tricks: there are mathematical card tricks and sleight of hand card tricks. The former are simple to learn, but do not impress audiences. To really attract attention, an aspiring magician should learn sleight of hand card tricks. Sleight of hand card tricks are tricks that use misdirection and special manipulations of a deck of cards to do something seemingly impossible. The techniques involved require much practice. While performing a sleight of hand trick, a magician must constantly be distracting the audience. Because of this, many people believe that they are not capable of learning sleight of hand magic. In order to prove them wrong, I will describe a simple sleight of hand trick that anyone can learn, as long as they remember that we all have the potential inside of us to do magic.

The first step is setting up the trick. In order to begin, the performer needs a deck of cards and an attentive audience. The audience can be any size, from one person, to a small group, to a full auditorium. Before performing the trick, it must be introduced in a compelling manner. This can be done in one of several ways. One approach is to ask “Do you believe in magic?” Some people will be skeptical, and they will have a “prove it” attitude. Others will say that they believe in magic, and they will revel in the opportunity to experience a moment of validation for their occult beliefs. No matter what is said, once the trick is introduced, it should be something the audience i...

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...ill look in amazement at their card, at the magician, at the deck, and back at their card, while their jaw is hanging open. The magic trick is then complete.

As this magic trick demonstrates, sleight of hand magic does not have to be hard. With a few simple techniques and a little misdirection, any aspiring magician can amaze an audience. Although this trick takes practice to perfect, anyone can learn to do it in a very short time. Before long, the performer will be the center of attention, and will have people begging him to do the trick again. Unfortunately for the audience, a magician never reveals his secrets. In addition, the magician should not perform the trick a second time, because the audience will be looking for the methods behind the magic. People may doubt their ability to do a magic trick, but they must always remember: the magic is within.

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