Street magic
Encyclopedia
Street magic falls into two genres; traditional street performance and guerrilla magic.
. In this, the magician draws an audience from passers by and performs an entire act for them. In exchange, the magician seeks remuneration either by having a receptacle for tips available throughout the act or by "passing the hat" at the end of the performance.
Street magic most often consists of sleight of hand
, card magic, and occasionally mentalism
, though the ability to draw and hold an audience is frequently cited by practitioners as a skill of greater importance than the illusions themselves.
Anthropologists
chronicle this form of street magic from approximately 3,000 years ago - and there are records of such performers across the continents, notably Europe
, Asia
/South Asia
and the Middle East
. While it is a very old performing style, its history is not particularly well documented in print. In his diary, Samuel Pepys
mentions seeing magicians performing in this fashion and one can see street magicians in depictions by Hieronymous Bosch, William Hogarth
, and Pieter Brueghel
. Book XIII of Reginald Scot
's Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) describes magic tricks of the type performed by buskers in the 16th century.
New York
based artist and magician Jeff Sheridan
is regarded as one of the pre-eminent U.S. street magicians to emerge from the surge in street performance artistry which began in the late '60s. He authored the 1977 book, Street Magic and allegedly was one of the performers who inspired and taught the young David Blaine
after Blaine saw Sheridan perform in Central Park
.
More recently, other performers have garnered accolades from the magic community for their contributions to the art. Jim Cellini (aka Richard Sullivan) has been a full-time street performer since the 1970s and has published a book (Cellini: The Royal Touch) and DVDs (The Art of Street Performing, volumes 1 - 3) on the subject. Gazzo Macee (aka Gary Osborne) has been a full-time street performer since the 1980s and has published a booklet ("The Art of Krowd Keeping" written for Gazzo by Danny Hustle and Jim Wells) and DVD (Street Cups) on the subject. David Groves has been a part-time street performer since the 1990s and has published a book on the subject (Be a Street Magician: A How-To Guide). Cyril Takayama
has produced and starred in three TV shows on street magic and produced one street-magic DVD.
where the magician performs a single trick or two in a public space (such as on a sidewalk) for an unpaying audience. The desired effect of this "hit and run" style of magic is to give the audience a feeling that what they are seeing is impromptu, unrehearsed, and experimental.
This style of "street magic" is associated with David Blaine
(who popularized the term) and more recently, Criss Angel
, Derren Brown
and Cyril Takayama
. The format was developed to play well on television beginning with the 1997 ABC
television special David Blaine: Street Magic. Many magicians respect Blaine's choice of material and give him credit for creating an image of the contemporary magician distinct from other magicians in recent television history, such as David Copperfield
or Doug Henning
. However, magic historians, such as Jamy Ian Swiss
note that "guerrilla magic" is primarily associated with only a few individuals who perform on television and certain magic dealers that sell effects to amateur magicians who watch these programs. Eugene Burger
opined to Jamy Ian Swiss "On one level it's the ultimate trivialization of magic: accosting strangers on the street."
Traditional street performance
The first definition of street magic refers to a traditional form of magic performance - that of buskingBusking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
. In this, the magician draws an audience from passers by and performs an entire act for them. In exchange, the magician seeks remuneration either by having a receptacle for tips available throughout the act or by "passing the hat" at the end of the performance.
Street magic most often consists of sleight of hand
Sleight of hand
Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
, card magic, and occasionally mentalism
Mentalism
Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats and rapid...
, though the ability to draw and hold an audience is frequently cited by practitioners as a skill of greater importance than the illusions themselves.
Anthropologists
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
chronicle this form of street magic from approximately 3,000 years ago - and there are records of such performers across the continents, notably Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
/South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. While it is a very old performing style, its history is not particularly well documented in print. In his diary, Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
mentions seeing magicians performing in this fashion and one can see street magicians in depictions by Hieronymous Bosch, William Hogarth
William Hogarth
William Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
, and Pieter Brueghel
Pieter Brueghel
Pieter Brueghel may refer to:* Pieter Brueghel the Elder , painter* Pieter Brueghel the Younger , son of the above, a painter and copyist, also known as "Hell Brueghel"...
. Book XIII of Reginald Scot
Reginald Scot
Reginald Scot was an English country gentleman and Member of Parliament, now remembered as the author of The Discoverie of Witchcraft, which was published in 1584. It was written against the belief in witches, to show that witchcraft did not exist...
's Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) describes magic tricks of the type performed by buskers in the 16th century.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
based artist and magician Jeff Sheridan
Jeff Sheridan
Jeff Sheridan is an American magician who started his career by specializing in street magic. Sheridan began working in New York City around 1967. He studied briefly at the School of the Visual Arts in NYC in the late 1960s. He authored the 1977 book, Street Magic, An Illustrated History of...
is regarded as one of the pre-eminent U.S. street magicians to emerge from the surge in street performance artistry which began in the late '60s. He authored the 1977 book, Street Magic and allegedly was one of the performers who inspired and taught the young David Blaine
David Blaine
David Blaine is an American illusionist and endurance artist. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. He has set and broken several world records...
after Blaine saw Sheridan perform in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
.
More recently, other performers have garnered accolades from the magic community for their contributions to the art. Jim Cellini (aka Richard Sullivan) has been a full-time street performer since the 1970s and has published a book (Cellini: The Royal Touch) and DVDs (The Art of Street Performing, volumes 1 - 3) on the subject. Gazzo Macee (aka Gary Osborne) has been a full-time street performer since the 1980s and has published a booklet ("The Art of Krowd Keeping" written for Gazzo by Danny Hustle and Jim Wells) and DVD (Street Cups) on the subject. David Groves has been a part-time street performer since the 1990s and has published a book on the subject (Be a Street Magician: A How-To Guide). Cyril Takayama
Cyril Takayama
Cyril Takayama is an American-Japanese illusionist of Japanese and French descent. He is perhaps best known for his magic performances around Japan.-Early life:...
has produced and starred in three TV shows on street magic and produced one street-magic DVD.
Guerrilla magic
The second category is more appropriately called "guerrilla magic" It is a relatively recent style of performing magic illusionsMagic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
where the magician performs a single trick or two in a public space (such as on a sidewalk) for an unpaying audience. The desired effect of this "hit and run" style of magic is to give the audience a feeling that what they are seeing is impromptu, unrehearsed, and experimental.
This style of "street magic" is associated with David Blaine
David Blaine
David Blaine is an American illusionist and endurance artist. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. He has set and broken several world records...
(who popularized the term) and more recently, Criss Angel
Criss Angel
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos , better known by the stage name Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, writer, director, musician, and actor...
, Derren Brown
Derren Brown
Derren Victor Brown is a British illusionist, mentalist, painter, writer and sceptic. He is known for his appearances in television specials, stage productions and British television series such as Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat...
and Cyril Takayama
Cyril Takayama
Cyril Takayama is an American-Japanese illusionist of Japanese and French descent. He is perhaps best known for his magic performances around Japan.-Early life:...
. The format was developed to play well on television beginning with the 1997 ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television special David Blaine: Street Magic. Many magicians respect Blaine's choice of material and give him credit for creating an image of the contemporary magician distinct from other magicians in recent television history, such as David Copperfield
David Copperfield (illusionist)
David Copperfield is an Emmy Award-winning American illusionist, and was described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history. Copperfield's network specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards and won a total of 21 Emmys...
or Doug Henning
Doug Henning
Douglas James Henning was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.-Early life:...
. However, magic historians, such as Jamy Ian Swiss
Jamy Ian Swiss
Jamy Ian Swiss is an American close-up magician who works primarily with cards.-Career as a Magician:Jamy Ian Swiss is world renowned as a sleight of hand performer specializing in close-up card magic....
note that "guerrilla magic" is primarily associated with only a few individuals who perform on television and certain magic dealers that sell effects to amateur magicians who watch these programs. Eugene Burger
Eugene Burger
Eugene Burger is an American magician. He was born in 1939 and is based in Chicago Illinois. He is reputed for his close-up skills and his work in mentalism and bizarre magic.He is also a philosopher and a historian of religion...
opined to Jamy Ian Swiss "On one level it's the ultimate trivialization of magic: accosting strangers on the street."