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David Blaine: Street Magic
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The second levitation David Blaine performed on the Street Magic Special was one where he was seen to float two feet off the ground briefly. No one will be doing this unless they have several thousand dollars - forget it. The levitations that come closest to it are probably the "Elevator" and the "King Rising" Levitation. The Elevator is difficult to master and is about $100. King Rising Levitation takes practice but only runs about 20 bucks. the levitation is entirely impromptu and can be done at a moment's notice. Grandmothers have been known to lose their dentures while watching this.
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- This is David Blaine's single favorite effect. The actual deal-closer David used for most of his professional career. It helped him close the deal on his first Network T.V. special: Street Magic. Read More
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Leonardo Di Caprio wasn't at all interested in magic until the time he first saw a close up magic performance by his friend David Blaine. Many other magic sceptics look certain to follow in Di Caprio's footsteps. Blaine's illusions are not heavily reliant on intricate props, they are primarily spontaneous and 'in-your-face' . The majority of David Blaine's card tricks are performed using a standard pack of Bicycle Cards and are created using only his sleight of hand. He performs, what we in the trade call "packet tricks" examples of which are Cigarette Thru Coin, where he takes a lit cigarette and passes it through the coin, and the Invisible Deck where a card merely thought of by a spectator is reversed in the deck. Although technically, these tricks require absolutely no skill, David Blaine has mastered the theatrical performance necessary to turn a simple trick into an illusion of the highest order.
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In all reality, David did not possess any magical powers whatsoever, he simply took advantage of the wonderful Balducci Levitation. Many believe the methodbehind the Balducci was first released in a 1974 issue of the Pallbearer’s Review. The name of the effect arose as it was credited to Ed Balducci in the particular magazine. However, Ed explained that the method was taught to him by a man named Erwin Levine.
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Blaine is as at home with a pack of cards as Dale Carnegie is at 'winning friends and influencing people'. To watch Blaine work with a deck is a thing of beauty. The first thing you instantly know is that he's had a deck in his hands practically since childbirth. His magic is simple and he uses simple sleights widely known by most close up artists. BUT, his choice of simple material that hits hard and his lack of focus on his own sleights are what bring his tricks to a height that make most people ask if it really IS magic - and some are completely convinced that it is.
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Early on, David Blaine made his name performing magic tricks on the street and filming his volunteers’ reactions. The most dazzling of his street tricks was his levitation illusion, in which he appeared to magically raise himself up to two feet above the ground.
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