Kindly give some help =)

I will be going to China from 9 Nov to 15 Dec (5 LONG DREARY WEEKS) as a school trip/attatchment programme of some sort. Naturally, my chinese teacher looked for me and asked me to perform something on their "farewell/talent/showoff/performance night"... He said just do something really quick and simple, like cards or something.

Now, I know cards + stage = HUH NO ONE SEES A DARN THING but i presume that 1. there SHOULD be a close up video camera OR 2. its just a small platform. But this is not my problem now... I want to ask all of you: What would you perform to them in such a scenario?

Assume: You perform magic in chinese very awkwardly (qing ni xuan chu yi zhang ka, rang da jia kan yi kan), thus wish to go for visual effects. Something simple and direct should be done.

Currently, my idea is: Let the China school principal choose a card, sign it, return to deck, write the name of the card on a small piece of paper, burn it, the paper turns into a folded card, and WA-LAH it's their signed card.

Any more or better suggestions to help this poor boy here? :(

P.S. Also you can give suggestions for what I can do during the usual days aka walk around magic.
P.P.S. Actually I don't really have a HUGE problem with chinese, just that to make my patter seem a WEE BIT humourous/interesting/unboring will be difficult.

hmm do u have to use cards?

when i went for a mission trip to thailand i found that cards are abit hard to impact your spectator. because of the language barrier. i used other stuff like sponge balls that were more visual.

but i suppose that if u dont have a problem communicating in chinese your trick should be able to work fine =)

(how do u say hearts and spades in chinese?)

maybe for your daily "walk around" you could use something more visual like some street magic routines?

hope i helped!

If u HAVE TO do cards on stage, i would suggest u do some routines that can be done with jumbo cards..:) If not just your usual close-up style will do.. just some ideas for you. Good luck for your show!

If you really have no choice,maybe do something that does not require you to talk much,something visual maybe...

Well if it is a small platform, Lee Asher's Ziplock bag effect is nice.

But i think do something that are more visual, like jumbo card monte. or sponge or multiplying balls.

As for how to say it in china, it will be okie to use english to present your magic, just dont make it draggy.

Think about it, i also forget how to say spade and hearts in chinese le.

card manipulation dude. That'll be the most visual.

If I were you, I'd do ashes on arm. Very simple, very effective.

do heli-cards with your deck, your DM's report card, your classmates EZlink cards and the hop on the cleaner broom and fly away...


okok.. i know the latter is abit too much... :g:

Money Magic is on my mind, do a bill switch, from a china note to a singapore note, then tell the principal its a gift :)
Try doing somthing so that you will leave behind a ect signed card or bill, as somthing for them to remember you :)

Do... MONEY TRICKS! Do pen thru bill , dough , coin matrix , silver shifter , coin bite.... All of them are visual! They are nice too! Why not add another levitation effect? Or twist your arm 360 degrees round? Good luck! :lol:

do a routine of visual stuff, with music playing behind you, therefore you will not have to talk much. since u know some stage stuff, why not create a routine and do it with music. check out losander's video clip on his website if u dun really get what i mean.

yea, and all the best dude ;)

Nice ideas you all have. Ashes on arm sounds great! Heli-card... yes i will do it during walkaround times...

Card manipulation's kinda difficult, and that is because I haven't mastered it (e.g. Jeff McBride's DVDs), and I am going off NEXT WEDNESDAY. But thanks for the suggestion! :rolleyes:

What's Lee Asher's Ziplock Bag? Having no idea, I don't think I can do it. *brr* <_<

Basically the idea I get from all of you is VISUAL and IMPACTFUL and SIMPLE magic. My show would be short and sweet. Consists of 2 to 3 effects. No complexy-schomplexy stuff. (Losander sounds daunting, given the short performance AND preparation time...)

Keep the suggestions flowing! Currently, I have already a few in mind... just keep them coming. Xin ku ni men le, xie xie!

Ah yes by the way...

Clubs: Mei2 Hua1
Hearts: Hong2 Xin1
Spades: Hei1 Tau2
Diamonds: Fang1 Kuai4

Performing for my father's Chinese clients do help in some sense, you know. :)

ALL THE BEST!!

jay sankey's airtight.

Do card to ceiling on your walk arounds.. it'll make them remember u for a long long long time.. B)

Parlour magic? Maybe you can do linking rings. Ninja ring routines don't require you to speak much.

Card Full Routine: "ARC, Card Raising, Card Around Body, Tear and Restore, Card in Pocket." B)

First, you should find out what kind of venue you are expected to perform in. Stage, Parlour, what kind of set-up is there (camera and projection screen?) etc.

That is the first and most important thing. From there you can decide on what to perform. You're not a monkey, so don't let people tell you "Perform" and you just do without having all the details.

Secondly, if all you have currently are card effects, and the venue is catered to anything EXCEPT for close-up, don't do the performance. Don't try and perfect a new routine/trick/set because when you rush against a deadline, the effort shows when you perform.

Just a thought.

- Raoul

Dream of Aces if theres close up camera provided.
No pattering is needed :P :!!: