The Story Circle: Online Forum for Magic Philippines + TSC Magic Videos Philippines

TSC's 2010 Close-up Magic Competition!

2010-10-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday, November 27, 2010
7pm – onwards

All are invited to join from Spectator to Certified Member Status.

Prepare your maximum of 8-minute
CLOSE-UP MAGIC ROUTINE.
(Acts intended to be performed for small groups of people in close proximity. The contestant can be seated or standing behind a table, mostly with some members of the audience also seated at this table, but the act can also be presented standing up without any use of a table. The items used are generally small and most effects directly involve the spectators or participants)

Registration Fee is at 150Php.
Registration Period is from October 11-November 19, 2010.

Join the discussions here!

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Magician's Festival with TSC at SM Marikina

2010-10-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

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TSC Stormed SM Marikina with awesome stage, street and freaky geek magic for the yearly Halloween event! Here are the images.

See the complete set of pictures at the TSC Forums!

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Forum Discussion: I have next best trick here!

2010-03-29T05:16:00.000-07:00

by Agaton on the TSC Forums

"You present magic, but not very well, and you don't know what is wrong. You tell yourself that what you need is a new trick, something very new and amazing and impossible.; but when you get this trick you are just where you were before and you decide that what you need is another new trick, also very amazing and impossible. And you don't know what is wrong."

This verse is taken from Hugard and Braue's Expert Card Technique, a bible to many cardmen.

Great magicians make do with what they have and focuses more in developing it with extraordinary execution, patter and presentation. You may have the latest and coolest color change out there but a good magician can easily win the crowd with a sponge ball routine. Something that you have learned on your first month in magic. Most magicians can show you a hundred or more card tricks. Great ones can show you one. And one is enough to earn your respect.

Something I would want to work on for now. Just like to share with you guys.

Discuss Here

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Markgic and Magicarl on The Sweet Life

2010-03-17T00:46:00.001-07:00

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TSC's Justin Pinon The Sweet Life (QTV11 03-09-10)

2010-03-12T05:32:00.001-08:00

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Magical, Sam, Alvin, Japet at Ruffa and Ai

2009-11-12T05:42:00.000-08:00

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TSC's 2nd Magic Competition '09 - Videos

2009-10-13T19:52:00.001-07:00

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The most rockin' magic contest in town!

Participant number 1 - Magicarl - (1st Runner-up)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jza-BtsEvtA

Participant number 2 - Ernest - (2nd Runner-up)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bI91_1fUeE

Participant number 3 - El MAgikero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5i1TiM7K6E

Participant number 4 - Tong - (Champion)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fANfSz5eW0U

Participant number 5 - Gotcha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvXENtE1K54

Participant number 6 - Cardician
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQnGuaU0L4o

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Justin Piñon at Ruffa and Ai for the 3rd time! (9/2/09 ABS-CBN)

2009-09-06T21:10:00.000-07:00

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TSC Gathering - Aug 29, 2009

2009-08-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

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All members, be informed that this Saturday's (08-29-2009) TSC Gathering will be at Starbucks, Megastrip, Ground floor Megamall. 7pm to 12am.

Enjoy another night of magic, crashing, fun and learning only from the Philippines' hottest - TSC!

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TSC's Nomer on Ruffa and Ai

2009-07-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

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Nomer does aura and other classic readings on ABS-CBN's Ruffa and Ai
Aired July 10, 2009

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Magicarl @ Ruffa and Ai

2009-06-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

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Magicarl's parasol act, live at Ruffa and Ai @ ABS-CBN

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Tj Arcinue on ABS-CBN's Ruffa and Ai

2009-05-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

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Aired last Tuesday, May 19, 2009. TSC's mentalist comes home from the US and appears on ABS' morning show Ruffa and Ai.

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Make Better Magic Videos

2009-05-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

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Make Better Magic Videos!

The all knowing internet has been a double edged sword when it came to promoting and mainstreaming the magic industry. It’s great that more people are aware of the art form and are now getting into it (although a lot of conservative magicians I know strongly object to this) and it’s also greater news that creative minds are getting discovered/acknowledged without the limits of geographical locations. There’s a “however” coming in here in a while but right now, exposure isn’t something I’d like to bring attention to... for now.

The TSC Video Gallery is flooded with personal performances from TSC members on a weekly basis (if not daily). While this is good news since it gives a sense of “activeness” of the members of the TSC community, the quality of the materials being uploaded are hardly the stuff to post on our TSC blog to be proud about.

Even without YouTube exposures, the crafty magicians are almost always capable of figuring out the methods to home-made magic videos online. But here’s one downside of learning reverse-engineering magic from YouTube (or other streaming video websites). When people start to make their own amateur magic video, they rarely put any effort into making a good one. It’s the same thing over and over again – like someone started a bad trend on making videos. You see a magician’s hand doing card tricks – no face, no spectator and worse, no patter. Just background music that most of the time doesn’t even fit the routine being performed.

Somehow, someone needs to start a new trend on making better home-made magic videos and as a full time cinematographer and director, here are a few hot tips on making one and why other videos are successful.

No Patter = No Magic
Magic is about presentation – whether in person or via the web. Whoever started the idea of making a card magic video without live patter is a) an idiot, b) someone too lazy to speak, c) someone who’s just showing off sleights, d) someone just looking to entertain himself or his friends who seem to think he’s the greatest there is. Flourishes, XCMs and Card Manipulation acts on stage are a few exceptions – as long as the background music isn’t “Superman”.

Subtitles aren’t going to make it. Most subtitles go like “Magician puts card inside deck” or something more obvious which is breaking a cardinal rule in good live patter. I mean, you don’t tell your spectators “now I’ll shuffle the cards” or “now I’ll cut the deck”, you need to come up with good patter as motivations behind your actions!

Gambling and sleight of hand routines are also exceptions since the intention is to demonstrate the techniques and the applications so it doesn’t count as magic really.

Lousy Video/Webcam is NOT an Excuse
We get apologies like this almost every time. “Sorry it’s dark” or “Sorry it’s not so clear” are excusable only when you’re uploading live performances wherein there’s likely no time to get a Sony FX1 or proper lighting. Otherwise, if you’re just showing your hands performing for the camera viewer, then take the time and effort to make your video watchable. Most digital still cameras can shoot video as well as audio so it won’t hurt move a few lamps here and there and maybe to invest on a cheap tripod or mic for clear patter.

Make More Live Performances
If you want to show off your magic, then there’s nothing that can prove it more than a live performance. It doesn’t matter if the camera won’t be able to follow all your moves, the important thing here is the audience reaction. You can always talk to your camera guy and plan on your camera angles for improvement.

Dress Up
If you’re not performing something impromptu, meaning you had the intent of recording an amateur magic video, then it won’t hurt if you dress up a bit.

Stop Learning from YouTube
Ok, so maybe we can’t stop people from doing this but I hope I’ve made my point that we can always do better than the stuff we see online. It just needs some effort and creativity.

Upload for Critique at Magic Video Depot
You’ll have to face it sooner or later. It’s possible that you’re the best magician ONLY in your own small town. This means what your friends may think as “great” or “mind-bloggling” can be “lame” or “unoriginal” for other territories or professionals.

Try uploading videos at magicvideodepot.com and you’ll get a rude awakening that you may not be as good as you want yourself to believe. And on MVD (magic video depot), patter is almost always a must. I learned this the hard way myself. From then on, I only uploaded live performances since I know I suck at performing for the camera only.

Quit the Special Effects
As if their camera performances weren’t bad enough, some people somehow get brilliant ideas to put in special effects filters on their magic videos to make them perhaps “interesting”. I’ve seen videos with negative colors, others feel like they look good posterized or solarized and there are a few who feel like showing off some video-editing skills along with their magic talent. Almost a hundred percent of the time, the ones that suck at magic are the ones who feel they have to decorate their video with special effects.

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So there. I can go on making a part II of this article discussing about video technicalities and hardware if I get requests for it but so far, regardless of what type of camera and lighting equipment you have, there’s always a way to make entertaining magic videos. A lot of the live crash videos I posted of Nomer and Carlo (chaoserver) were taken with my Nokia so there are no excuses for lame footages, there’s always the option to exert more effort.

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Discuss this topic in the forums:
http://d281675.u44.wsiph2.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5608&PN=1&TPN=1
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Running Before Learning to Walk

2009-04-24T00:49:00.000-07:00

Posted by: Agaton of the TSC Forums
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I know this topic has been discussed many times on different threads, but I want to focus on this so that everyone. Lurkers and new members alike would benefit.

Marami sa atin gusto matuto kaagad sa magic at alamin lahat ng pwedeng alamin sa konting panahon. Wala naman masama dito, nakaka-adik kasi magmagic at sa isang baguhan, ang utak nito ay laging gutom sa kaalaman. A new world has opened up!

Kadalasan, ito rin mga ito ang sumusuko agad sa magic. Di nyo ba naisip kung bakit ang daming gustong matuto pero nawawala o nagsasawa na bigla?

When I got Gerry Griffin's complete card magic DVD set, I knew I was in for a classic treat. The first DVD was full of tricks, but none of those uses DLs, card control, false cuts and shuffles. All of them are very simple but relies heavily on presentation. I said to myself "Bakit hindi ako dumaan sa ganitong format?" I guess my life would be easier kung alam ko talaga ang pinaka basics ng card magic...which does not have sleights at all...but focuses on presentation, card placements and deck awareness. Most of them are simple, self working, and uses the K** C*** Principle (KCP).

Ilang beses na ba akong niligtas ng KCP? May mga times gusto ng spectator mag cut ng deck pagkatapos ko na i-control sa taas yung chosen card. Kelan ba natin naiisip gawing backup ang mga basic stuff na nalaman natin? AMININ...kadalasan wala tayo backup plan! Palming nga lang hindi pa sanay eh. Kaya siguro maraming sumusuko sa magic...

Bakit ba tayo nagmamadali matuto ng mga pass, shift, cascade control etc kung hindi ko pa alam mag palm, mag KCP, mag glimpse or peek etc? O kung alam man, hindi naman ginagamit o hindi alam ang importance.

Do we always want to run when we are still learning to walk? Naiisip ko lng :)

Read the full discussion here:
http://d281675.u44.wsiph2.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5489

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The Official Story Circle MTV

2009-04-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

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Those who went to the TSC Anniversary Party got the first chance to see our official TSC MTV. It's a same-day-edit (SDE) video/MTV so there were lots of highlights from the actual anniv party last night.

Joannie takes credit for the super fast editing, Jeison & loybuckz and their gang for the soundsystem, ernest and germain for hosting, the people who joined the shoots and to everyone who made TSC this year our extended family.

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The Story Circle Anniversary Party

2009-03-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

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The Story Circle, the country's hottest magic circle invites all members, guests and our dear fans to our Grand Anniversary Party!

Magic, food and drinks - all from our TSC members and guest performers on April 4, Radizons Makati. Party starts at 7pm to midnight and experience TSC's after-party party and magic jam!

This is open to all members, guests, friends and family. For registration, call/sms Nomer at 0927-4114622.

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Congratulations Anthony Andres!

2009-03-08T00:50:00.000-08:00

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TSC proudly congratulates Anthony (andres in the TSC forums) for winning the MAHIKAVITE Close-up Magic Competition. February 28,2009, 3 pm, Lotus Central Mall, Imus Cavite.

for greetings and details:
http://d281675.u44.wsiph2.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5083&PN=1

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TSC on ABS-CBN's "Kalye" - Streaming Video

2009-01-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

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TSC on "Kalye" - January 5, 2009 airing at ABS-CBN

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TSC Shirt 2009!

2009-01-07T19:34:00.000-08:00

Official TSC Shirts 2009 - Now Available courtesy of el magikero Available to ALL TSC members: Spectators, Neophytes, Certified members

PhP 300 each in XS, S, M, L, XL

To order:
http://d281675.u44.wsiph2.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4872&FID=38&PR=3

*Comes with a card revelation on the sleeve!

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TSC on ABS-CBN's "Kalye"

2009-01-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

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Check out Kalye on Monday January 5, after Bandila on Abs-Cbn Channel 2... will feature TSC (street performers) in a segment...

A handful of TSC magicians had their experience to perform with the live street audience!

Some of the photos from the ABS-CBN's "Kalye" shoot where TSC is set to appear. Photos courtesy of TSC's Kel Mangila.

View all here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32715010@N02/sets/72157611877039595/
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Conquering the Nerves

2008-09-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

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I’ve written a similar article back when TSC was new although I think an update is needed since new schools of thought and new opinions from the forums came along. Let’s start this article by deconstructing what we call nervousness. By the end of the article, you should have a number of techniques on how to end the shakes without urinating on your hands like your grandma suggests.

Symptoms
For magicians, nerves can be a nuisance although understanding it and why it presents itself will help toward self-improvement. Nerves don’t only come from shyness or lack of preparation. A great number of professional performers still get nervous but this is mainly due to adrenaline pump which results in shaky hands or a sweaty palm.

Shaking / Sweaty Palms
Shaking and wet hands can be caused both by nervousness and adrenaline going through your system. If you’re a newbie, then it will be due to nervousness. For professionals, the adrenaline gush helps them to be fully aware, to be alert, to have more presence of mind and to have more stage presence.

For newbies in magic, the shaking and sweating can be controlled if not totally eliminated. The common advice is repetitive practice. Why? We need to have what is referred to as muscle memory. A shaking hand is a sign that your brain is too conscious at what your hands/fingers are doing. Hoping to not make a mistake, the brain fires too many electrical signals to your hands leaving them shaking/sweating uncontrollably. If you’ve spent enough time practicing, then your hand and mind would’ve already developed muscle memory – something familiar to Occupational Therapists.

If your hand muscles are very familiar with your moves and sleights, then the brain needs to send much lesser signals and lesser signals means a less conscious hand. If you can do your magic without looking at your hand, then that’s a sign that you’ve been practicing.

Read the whole article at the TSC Forums

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5th Level-up Jam

2008-08-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

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Download the 5th Level-up Jam Wallpaper now!

Click to enlarge and save

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118th TSC Gathering at Araneta Center

2008-07-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

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The 118th gathering this Saturday, August 2, 2008 will be at Starbucks, Araneta Center Coliseum, Cubao. Proof of purchase policy will be implemented.

Forums will be out of service temporarily for bandwidth maintenance until the weekend. Thank you and see you all.

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TSC's Close-up Competition Winners!

2008-07-14T01:46:00.000-07:00

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Congratulations to TSC's Close-up magic competition winners!

Left to right:
Germain (2nd runner up), Sam (Grand champion) and Tong (1st runner up)

Forums Under Maintenance (July 02, 2008)

2008-07-01T23:12:00.001-07:00

Our forums will be down for maintenance and bandwidth rest time. For the meantime, discussions can be made on the comments feature of this page.

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The 114th Gathering / Close-up Magic competition details for this coming Sat. July 5, 2008 can be found below.

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TSC's Close-up Magic Competition

2008-07-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

July 5, 2008!

Time and Venue: 7pm onwards. Rotary Center, Quezon City
Maps to the venue:
Rotary Center 1
Rotary Center 2 (a bit detailed)
Rotary Center 3 (more detailed)

Practice your routines and win some magic prizes!

Contest Details:

Format: Close-up magic, parlor magic, cabaret magic.

Criteria for judging will include:

Technical Skill / Handling.
Showmanship / Presentation
Artistic Impression / Routining
Originality
Magic Atmosphere

How to Join:

Approach any TSC Committee, pay the registration fee (see below) and give a brief idea of your effects/routines.

Registration Fee:

PhP 20.00 - Certified Members
PhP 40.00 - Non-Certified Members

*The registration fee will be used for the prizes. The more participants, the bigger the prize and more consolation prizes!

Theory 11's Centurion and Guardian Decks at Cutting Edge

2008-05-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

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Cutting Edge is now selling T11's Centurion and Guardian Decks. Visit Cutting edge for other playing card designs and original magic DVDs. Cutting Edge shops can be found at SM Mall of Asia, Trinoma, SM Megamall.

Bicycle Centurions
Read reviews and view details at Theory11.com

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TSC's 108th Gathering

2008-05-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

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TSC's 108th Gathering will be at the Rotary Center, Quezon City, 7pm to midnight.

For those who don't know the location:

Rotary Center 1

Rotary Center 2 (a bit detailed)

Rotary Center 3 (more detailed)

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Flow by Paul Harris & Dan Hauss - Ellusionist

2008-05-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

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Release date starts today!

Flow by Paul Harris & Dan Hauss allows the performer to suspend water from an upside down plastic water bottle, and can be performed in virtually any setting, making it an easy and perfect addition to every magician’s repertoire.

Currently available only at www.Ellusionist.com

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TSC Hot Seat Featuring Doc Ronnie Moraleta!

2008-05-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

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Presenting our next TSC Hotseat participant. One of the pillars of the Philippine magic industry, Doc Ronnie Moraleta!

Hotseat Rules:

1. Any member can post their questions about the hotseat celeb.
2. Please be mindful of the participant's feelings. RESPECT.
3. Other than that, post any question under the sun!
4. No bashing of the hotseat participant or you'll get demoted!

Post your grilling questions at the forums now!

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TSC on Da Bear's Thou Shalt Not Blink!

2008-05-07T02:55:00.000-07:00

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For everyone who caught the special feature, TSC appears on Thou Shalt Not Blink as the country's hottest growing magic group! Here's the excerpt. Thanks to Bearwin (Da Bear) and all TSC members and fans for making TSC what we are now!

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Thou Shalt Not Blink - Teaser Trailer

2008-04-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

The teaser trailer is out! Watch it now and first on TSC!

Other teasers of TSnB

TEASER 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8ZCUi0k3xs

TEASER 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbfkMXj_iV8

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TSC Forum is Up and Running!

2008-04-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

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All TSC members, the TSC Online Forum is now up and running.

Good news:
You may now login here. Or click on Enter the Forums link on the right side of this page.

The bad:
All thread topics, posts and membership accounts created after March 14, 2008 haven't been retrieved. Let's just do all we can to restore topics and discussions again.

Apologies for the inconvenience. It's just business as usual.

Let's keep the magic alive,

simplyjessie

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Da Bear's Thou Shalt Not Blink

2008-04-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

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Magic, celebrities, comedy and illusion rolled into one...

Bearwin Meily's 2nd Special airs April 27, Sunday 9-11pm, QTv channel 11.

Featuring TSC! The coolest and fastest-growing magic group in the country!

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TSC Forums Downtime

2008-04-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

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All TSC members, the forums will be out temporarily. We are transferring to a new web hosting provider so apologies for the inconveniences.

For Discussions:

Let's use the comment feature of this site for now.
Click on the comments link below and send you questions / suggestions.

Thank you all.

Lei/simplyjessie

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TSC Celebrates 100th Gathering and Anniversary!

2008-04-02T02:27:00.000-07:00

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March 30, 2008 marks Story Circle's 100th gathering and anniversary celebration. Held at the Radison's building function room, the anniversary celebration is packed with food, beer, inspiring messages and well, a few beers.

View more at the TSC Photo Galleries

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The TSC HotSeat featuring James (manips)!

2008-03-20T02:34:00.000-07:00

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Introducing our third TSC Hotseat and our third celebrity to land on the Hotseat is none other than sleight of hand artist, coin manipulator and TSC South Chapter's James/manips!

Hotseat Rules:

1. Any member can post their questions about the hotseat celeb.
2. Please be mindful of the participant's feelings. RESPECT.
3. Other than that, post any question under the sun!
4. No bashing of the hotseat participant or you'll get demoted!

Post your grilling questions now!

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TSC 4th Level-Up Jam Wallpaper!

2008-02-13T03:32:00.000-08:00

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The 4th Level-Up Jam is coming. Sign-up at the forums and join us on February 23, '08 at the Rotary Center, Quezon City. Read the announcements section for more details. For now, download your own TSC 4th Level-Up Jam Wallpaper. Click the image below for the larger version and save.

With TSC, it's not always about the technicalities.

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New! Angela Funovits Wallpaper

2008-02-01T02:03:00.000-08:00

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Click the image below to enlarge and save as your desktop wallpaper.

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2008-01-31T00:08:00.000-08:00

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TSC 2008 Jewel Card Cases:

Slimmer to save space and fits whole card boxes better. Also can hold cards without the card box.

80p each.
SMS / Call 09062722320 for faster orders.

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Happy New Year from TSC

2008-01-01T12:59:00.000-08:00

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Have a magical year this 2008 from The Story Circle!

Photography: Lei

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TSC Xmas Party and Recognition Day Awardees

2007-12-31T09:41:00.000-08:00

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Story Circle celebrated it's Xmas Party at the Rotary Center, Quezon City this December 22, 2007. Lots of raffles, gifts and really magical contests that made all attendees winners. Most specially, TSC's recognition day awardees - awarded for their exemplary performances and contributions throughout the year.

(Official TSC awardee token pins)

Award for Examplary Service
Award goes to all nominees: drac, nomer, justin, leonard, carlo

Best in Technical Execution:
Award goes to: Anthony Andres
Nominees: carl, crizz, germain, tong

Breakthrough Crasher of the Year:
Award goes to: Sam
Nominees: ernest, tj, germain, mrmark

Best in Patter:
Award goes to: Jake (Lord_007)
Nominees: elmer, anthony

Best Routine:
Award goes to: Carl - Stage Routine

Nominees:
sam - bizaare routine
carlo - nail through nose
mike - dice routine

Congratulations to everyone and have another magical and prosperous new year with TSC!

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The New Shadow Masters Deck from E

2007-11-26T06:50:00.000-08:00

From the makers of the iconic Black Tiger, Ghost and Viper Decks, Ellusionist comes back this season with a new legend-to-be: The Shadow Masters Deck: Confined to Shadow.

Let's hope Cutting Edge distributes this before Christmas. Great for exchange gifts.

Full text here: http://www.ellusionist.com/product/accessories/cards/bicycle+shadow+masters.do

Discuss it here.

Bicycle Guardians on Maxim

2007-11-22T22:37:00.000-08:00

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Theory11's custom made Bicycle Guardian deck makes it to Maxim USA.

Read the full story on T11's site:
http://www.theory11.com/news/news_article.php?NewsID=35

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Mike Super is The Phenomenon!

2007-11-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

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Mike Super wins NBC's reality show Phenomenon - the search for the next great mentalist version of American Idol.

Here's one of his best performances during the series:

Mike Super has been creating the impossible since the age of six. Mystifying people has truly been his life's passion and obsession. He has entertained audiences across the country and celebrities including Regis Philibin and Joan Rivers. Mike was named America's 2003 Entertainer of the Year by Campus Activities magazine. His appeal to both young and old alike has made him one of the most sought after mystifiers.

Discuss Phenomenon Here

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Phenomenon: The Finals

2007-11-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

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Just posting an update in case people don't know it's already Finals week for Phenomenon. Here are the finalists and I think the winner will be announced this Wednesday.

Eran Raven

Guy Bavli

Mike Super

Angela Funovits

I just have to say that Angela won my respect as a mentalist. She was the only one among the 9 guys who did a decent cold-reading effect.

I'm counting on Mike Super or Guy Bavli to win the show though. Guy, for me is the remaining genuine mentalist remaining but Mike Super is huge on stage presence.

Download the episodes before you watch the finale this Wednesday!

And I think we can vote on the website to support our fave contestant!

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Also, catch the live fight between Criss Angel and Jim Callahan from episode 2:
http://www.nbc.com/Phenomenon/video/#mea=176604

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For Angela Funovits fans, here are videos of her routines on Phenomenon:

Angela plays Russian Roulette

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooxIB5QMU8w

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Angela = Smokin' Hot Revelation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqozlZGDpqE

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Angela = Cold reads and does a Polaroid revelation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A82oDgicuw

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Discuss Phenomenon: The Finals here.

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The First TSC HotSeat featuring Magicarl!

2007-10-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

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Ladies & gentlemen! Introducing our first TSC Hotseat of the Week and our first celebrity to land on the Hotseat is the young celeb stage performer magicarl!

Hotseat Rules:

1. Any member can post their questions about the hotseat celeb.
2. Please be mindful of the participant's feelings. RESPECT.
3. Other than that, post any question under the sun!
4. No bashing of the hotseat participant or you'll get demoted!

Read on and post away here!

Note: Hotseat participant has been informed and is aware prior to the announcement of this thread.

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New TSC Wallpaper!

2007-10-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

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Here's our new Heroes-inspired wallpaper featuring just some of our gifted crashers!

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3rd Level-up Jam Wallpapers

2007-09-29T01:50:00.000-07:00

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Take the challenge! TSC's 3rd Level-up Jam is on this October. Check the forums for updates!

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TSC Wallpaper: Circle Spring

2007-07-19T02:19:00.000-07:00

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Sent in by Da Bear: That's Banachek with him.

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TSC on ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda

2007-07-12T17:33:00.000-07:00

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TSC appeared on 2's Umagang Kay Ganda, Monday, July 9, 2007. It was more than 2-and-a-half hours of magic on and off-stage. We also had a private magic time with latest craze The Bloomfields.

More images: http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa104/tscpics/

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Images from TSC's 63rd Gathering

2007-07-08T01:32:00.000-07:00

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TSC stars with Erik Mana, Doc Ronnie and Sonny Minoza!

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2nd Level-up Jam Wallpaper

2007-07-05T00:34:00.000-07:00

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TSC's 2nd Level-up Jam Gathering is coming very soon! Stay tuned on the Forums for announcements.

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TSC Shirts 2007

2007-07-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

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Now available: TSC Shirts batch 1!

Interested parties may inquire / order from chaoserver on the TSC Forums.
or send SMS to 0905-3265264

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1st TSC Level-up Jam Gathering!

2007-05-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

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Free Wallpaper! Download your free desktop background and don't forget to sign-up on TSC's 1st Level-up Jam Gathering!

TSC members: This is your chance to get certified - this is your chance to tell the country and the world that you're a real TSC Spartan!

Mechanics:

1. Only members who have made a minimum of 4 attendances may sign-up.

2. Participants should perform a minimum 10-minute routine - any genre of magic will do - mentalism, cards, XCM, coins, bizarre, stage and so on.

3. Participants are judged by the committee and other certified members.

4. NO mistakes this time around. But the performers must remember that the judges will act as laymen will hence mistakes aren't yet official mistakes unless the performer admits it. Better have your back-up routines ready!

5. Those who passed will still need to be interviewed individually before getting certified. This may be done on another day or after the gathering.

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TSC Stereograms Wallpapers!

2007-05-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

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Originally made TSC stereogram wallpapers - Discover the secret and win prizes!

Stereogram1: Hatter

Stereogram2: Foliage

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TSC: Living the Magic, Sharing the Smiles

2007-04-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

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Just an update on our look. Welcome to the country's group of renegade magicians and crashers - Welcome to TSC!

This is our story... What's yours?

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Also, here's our TSC video title image for use in your videos. Just promise to deliver! Click the image to get the 640 x 480 image.

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TSC: 1st Poker Night + Jam Sessions!

2007-04-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

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Announcing TSC's first ever Poker Night!

When: To be announced, within April
Where: simplyjessie's place
What: Poker showdowns plus magic sessions!
What Else: We're planning a lecture - topic needed!

This ISN'T a vice night. This is all fun and games - TSC way!
Post your intents to join in now!

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Images from the Anniversary Gathering

2007-04-02T02:18:00.000-07:00

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Pictures from the Anniversary Gathering!

Also congratulations to our latest Certified TSC Member: Jepoy!

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TSC on RJTV

2007-03-18T18:46:00.001-07:00

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TSC's Lei and Nomer appeared on "Sweet Talks" at RJTv, Sunday, March 18 8pm.

View the recording on the TSC Gallery:
http://tscgallery.blogspot.com/2007/03/story-circle-on-rjtv.html

The video below is a pre-taping shoot with Nomer and RJ Bar's barista Monaliza.

Click here to see the the video at the TSC Gallery.

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TSC's 48th Gathering + The Mentalism of Sonny Minoza

2007-03-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

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TSC's 48th TSC Gathering!
6pm to midnight, Saturday, March 17, 2007. Starbucks, Megastrip, Megamall.

WE WILL BE MOVING OUR GATHERINGS to different locations following this date. Please stay tuned on the forums for gathering locations.

Feature Crash:

Professional psychic entertainer, Sonny Minoza, crashes with his walk-around mentalism.

Watch more videos at the TSC Gallery!

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47th TSC Gathering

2007-03-05T16:39:00.000-08:00

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Story Circle 47th Gathering
6pm to midnight, Saturday, March 10, 2007. Starbucks, Megastrip, Megamall.

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Ever seen Devastation performed on the streets - literally? This is TSC's Renegade Crasher Carlo, St. Francis Square Crash Tour (2006).

TSC's Newsletter, Cloudpost (the newsletter's name also coming from the MTG card game) will now be released together with our DVD / CD-Rom. Here's the initial cover design:

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46th TSC Gathering!

2007-02-27T01:05:00.000-08:00

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Everyone's all excited after our Video Night so why stop now? Let's get on with the fun!

Announcing our 46th TSC Gathering / EB - Saturday, March 3, 2007, Starbucks, Megastrip, Megamall, 6pm 'till midnight.

Post your intents here:

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Feature video: Nomer's street crash at the Mall of Asia Crash Tour (archives, 2006)

View our TSC Gallery for more videos!

Nomer @ the Megastrip (Dec. 2006)

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Thanks to all our Video Night Attendees!

2007-02-26T00:17:00.000-08:00

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I’m sorry if our venue isn’t exactly suited for our numbers but as our previous video nights are only attended by 5-7 members, we were not expecting an attendance of 19 people!

Apparently we have a lot of crash footages that only a third of our videos were shown during the video night. Our thanks goes to Doc Ronnie for providing the performances from the Paul Potassy DVD.

Thanks to our resident hotelier Leonard for providing the drinks!

Thanks to Drac for taking care of our ‘catering’.

Thank you b2y for joining us again!

To everyone, thank you for a fun evening. We promise our next event will be more spectacular!

Feature: An encore performance of Carlo's Nail Through Nose

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The New TSC Video Gallery!

2007-02-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

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TSC is announcing it's new and public Video Gallery!

A new link is now displayed to the left of this page. That'll lead everyone to our public video gallery where we'll showcase our crashers in action - in REAL life and with REAL people!

Why? Because we go out there and do what we do to entertain!

To the crashers, here's your time to shine!

TSV Video Gallery

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Update - Feb 12, 2007

2007-02-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

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Download the new TSC Wallpaper for your desktops! (1024x768)

Thanks to Deviantart for the brushes and textures.

Doc Ronnie Moraleta is now an official Story Circle Committee member! If you're a magician and you don't know him yet, well you should. Visit his blog @ http://docronniemoraleta.blogs.friendster.com/ and more information about him at http://www.magician.org/member/docronniemoraleta/about

Congratulations to our members who passed the exams for Certified Membership:
Magi, Cakit, x_gf, john - x_gf and john will undergo their panel interview next gathering.

Also, wait for the release of the TSC Official Newsletter to be out this February in electronic form.

TSC Video Night!
The Video Night will be on Feb 24 2007. Meeting place is at McDonald's, Quezon Avenue (Near Q.Ave, MRT Station). Meeting time is 5-6pm. Take off time will be 7pm.

Sign-up no at:
http://lei.webfocus.ph/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=687&PN=1

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Update: Photos from the 43rd Gathering

2007-02-06T01:47:00.000-08:00

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Story Circle + Mirage

* Please do not forget to post your intents on joining our TSC Video Night here!
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TSC Video Night

2007-01-30T01:02:00.000-08:00

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This Febuary, we will be having our 4th Video Night (we actually did video gatherings when TSC was very small) and I'm inviting everyone to attend. Again, attendance is free!

The Video Night will be on Feb 24 2007. Meeting place is at McDonald's, Quezon Avenue (Near Q.Ave, MRT Station). Meeting time is 5-6pm. Take off time will be 7pm.

So WHAT IS A VIDEO NIGHT?

In this gathering, we will be watching lecture vids, our footages and so on. Afterwards, sessions and discussions will be opened. This is also a chance for members to have their performances video-ed and uploaded via YouTube and the likes (this would be helpful for those who do not have access to a digital camera).

Food, take out and drinks bills will be shared. Please minimize the alcohol, drugs and strippers! (yes, the committee is very capable of these but let's get back to our main topic ).

WHAT DO MEMBERS EXPERIENCE ON A VIDEO NIGHT?

TSC will be holding Video Nights as a special event/activity. Hence, contests prices, souvenirs and other magic stuff will be given out and we're sure to make them special.

Also on Video Nights, we'll be free to BREAK the rules! Well, we're known to have broken rules. Video Nights will be held on a committee's premises (or home) so the libraries are a few steps away. Just read between the lines! For now, attendees will get copies of video performances and shows (non-lectures) that we have on the shelf as tokens. Succeeding Video Nights will be more creative!

WHERE AND WHEN?

The Video Night will be held at our place. That's somewhere near Mayon and Retiro and Espana and Blumentritt just so you'll get an ideo of the location. Members will gather at a location like say Jollibee Pantranco and then we'll head to the place. The actual event will start at probably 8pm onwards. Sleepovers are okay. The gathering will probably be over by midnight so it's a party afterwards.

SHOWTIME, CONTESTS AND PERFORMANCES

During the event, invited laymen will probably join to watch our members perform. This is a perfect opportunity to get video-ed and to hone our skills. Contests may be held and the laypeople may get to judge the performers. Settings will be for close-up / parlor magic.

So keep posted on this thread since the date will be decided upon here.

Sign-up no at:
http://lei.webfocus.ph/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=687&PN=1

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41st TSC Gathering

2007-01-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

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All be informed that our 41st TSC Gathering / EB will be Saturday, January 20, 2007,Starbucks, Megastrip, Megamall, 6pm 'till midnight to make sure everybody will have the chance to meet everyone.

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Also, check out Jan 18's issue of Business World for the TSC press release.

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Update: Jan 15, 2007

2007-01-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

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First and foremost, congratulations to Leean winning the round-robin (we'll contact you for your prize). And again, thank you all for a very productive gathering last Saturday.

We still need to know who are going to be attending on our Video Night so please sign up on the forums with your inquiries/suggestions.

For now, here's a product of the photo-shoot done during the meet. I guess this makes Carlo our official model!

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40th TSC Gathering

2007-01-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

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All be informed that our 40th TSC Gathering / EB will be Saturday, January 13, 2007, Starbucks, Megastrip, Megamall, 6pm 'till midnight to make sure everybody will have the chance to meet everyone.

Don't miss out! Join the most enjoyable magic jam sessions with TSC!

Update: Jan 3, 2007

2007-01-02T22:50:00.000-08:00

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Due to the Taiwan earthshake incident, local internet connections are either down or struggling. Our TSC forums are up and stable, however you might not be able to connect to it if your are residing in the Philippines. For the meantime, please remember that this blog site has a comments feature for any questions or discussions you'd like to open up. Have a Magical New Year!

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TSC Images: Sharing Smiles 2

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38th TSC Gathering

2006-12-28T00:06:00.000-08:00

All be informed that our 38th TSC Gathering / EB will be Saturday, December 30, Starbucks, Megastrip, Megamall, 6pm 'till midnight to make sure everybody will have the chance to meet everyone.

Don't miss out! Join the most enjoyable magic jam sessions with TSC!

Update: 12/29/2006
TSC images - Sharing the Magic, Sharing Smiles

Bonus: TSC @ the West Triangle, QC, Christmas Party gig. With Lei, Councilor Bernadette Herrera, Congressman Bingbong Crisologo, Nomer and Councilor Ferrer.

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Also, congratulations to the awardees from last week's recognition day 2006.

Carlo
Best in Patter - Renegade

Nomer
Best Routine - Liquid Metal

Leean
Best in Technical Execution - WarpOne

Carlo
TSC's Breakthrough Crasher of the Year

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37th TSC Gathering and Recognition Day

2006-12-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

All be informed that our 36th TSC Gathering / EB will be Saturday, December 23, Starbucks, Megastrip, Megamall, 6pm 'till midnight to make sure everybody will have the chance to meet everyone.

Don't miss out! Join the most enjoyable magic jam sessions with TSC!

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Also, as announced last gathering, we will have our Recognition Day "Awards Night" as our way of thanking the wonderful people who contributed their talent, knowledge and skills into the development of the circle.

The following are the list of categories and nominees for our recoginition day. Since we are not an official organization with a fund, prizes will come as simple tokens and gifts from TSC - special pins, cards, videos - (incase there are objections to the videos as gifts, these are GIFTS because it's Christmas. go kiss the grinch's @ss if you have any problems).

Excempted from the awarding are the founding committee members - simplyjessie, mamot, trycks, rommel and jiggy. There are new committee members who have joined in during the last quarter of this year and they are qualified for being nominated.

Nominees are taken from reviewing the performances for the whole year of 2006 - crash performances, round robins and mostly from drac's video footages. The footages were amazing because it showed a great variety of routines from everyone and we're looking to see more of those for 2007.

Again, since TSC is geared on performing for real people and not magicians, criteria for judging will have to be based on performance, patter, interaction and a little bit of the spectator reactions. However, we have a recoginition to be given based on technical execution. Nominees of which may come from crash tours, video uploads and round robins.

Do not vote on this page. For votes and nominations - Send them through my PM

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Now - The Nominees for TSC's Recognition Day 2006!

Best Patter
When magic is performed for laymen, it's not the technical execution that matters. In TSC, simple is always better. No math, no counting, no complex instructions designed to fool magicians. This is the award given for developing the best original (or adopted but personalized) patter for an existing effect.

- Carlo - Card Between the Aces9
- Nomer - Coin Bite
- Carlo - Renegade
- Doc Ronnie Moraleta - Rubberband Routine + Pinnacle

Technical Execution
Performing a technically difficult routine to laymen can be a complex task for the magician. These are the ones who delivered while also being able to concentrate on performance.

- Leean - WarpOne
- Drac_Cigam - Hummingbird
- Doc Ronnie Moraleta - Pinnacle

Breakthrough Artist of the Year (NU Rock Awards? )
The TSC Breakthrough Crasher is someone who came into TSC with almost zero knowledge in the magical arts but has now grown not only into a well-versed magician but also a certified crasher.

Recognition for Exemplary Contribution

Routine of the Year
- Nomer - Liquid Metal
- Carlo - Renegade
- Doc Ronnie Moraleta - Rubberband Routine + Pinnacle
- Anthony - Coins Accross
- Resemble - Coin Flurry

Text/call 0916-2484940 /0928-6221406 for more info.

Do not vote on this page. For votes and nominations - Send them through my PM

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TSC is also proud to present our button pin designs for Story Circle's Women's League. This'll hopefully be the first female magic group to encourage our talented sisters in hiding!

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Gathering Pics

2006-12-11T01:46:00.000-08:00

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Thank you all TSC members for a huge gathering last Saturday. 'Till next week!

Work n' play. Welcome to the TSC Family.

Story Circle Teens hard on their work.

TSC Celebrity Nomer. Congrats on your crash tour with Leonard and Drac!

Coffee and some magic - great combination.

Bonus: TSC's new stylized look!

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35th TSC Gathering / EB

2006-12-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

All be informed that our 35th TSC Gathering / EB will be Saturday, December 9, Starbucks, Megastrip, Megamall, 6pm 'till midnight to make sure everybody will have the chance to meet everyone.

Don't miss out! Join the most enjoyable magic jam sessions with TSC!

Text/call 0916-2484940 for more info.

34th TSC Gathering / EB

2006-11-28T17:04:00.000-08:00

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Click here

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33rd TSC Gathering / EB + FSM EB

2006-11-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

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All be informed that our 33rd TSC Gathering / EB will be at Starbucks, Megastrip, Megamall, 6pm 'till midnight to make sure everybody will have the chance to meet everyone.

Don't miss out! Join the most enjoyable magic jam sessions with TSC!

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FSM EB will be held at the same location above, 1pm onwards. TSC members all invited!

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TSC Now on Friendster Groups!

2006-11-22T23:46:00.000-08:00

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TSC Forum members are all invited to join our new Friendster group. Just click on "Group" link and search for Story Circle and click on "Join" - Sign up now!

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32nd TSC Gathering / EB

2006-11-16T21:44:00.000-08:00

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All be informed that our 32nd TSC Gathering / EB will be at Starbucks, EDSA Shangri-la Plaza, Shaw Blvd., 5pm 'till midnight to make sure everybody will have the chance to meet everyone.

Don't miss out! Join the most enjoyable magic jam sessions with TSC!

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Welcome to TSC’s New Front Page

2006-11-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

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Dear Story Circle members, fans and visitors, welcome to our newly refurbished front page and official blogsite. While the new look and interface is much simpler, I hope the straightforward layout will be more informative and useful. In this way, all TSC’s gatherings, events and emergency meetings will be posted upfront and people are invited to post in their comments using the blog’s commenting feature.

In instances where our main Forums is down, people may still post in queries on the blogging feature and start / resume discussions. It will also be much easier for the administrators to post in images on this blogsite.

Blogger, the main application used for this new page is also search-engine friendly so our events and stories will have more chances of getting seen ‘out there’. It will also be easy to change our header look depending on the seasons so that gives us more flexibility.

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Also, in lieu with the production of our DVD ongoing, TSC members must be ready for on-the-spot interviews to be conducted on our gatherings – camera and all. All interviewees are encouraged to be as casual as they can be, speak tagalong as much as you wish and just be your goofy selves.

Thank you again for supporting TSC!
And don't hesitate to post your comments here!

simplyjessie

New TSC Shirt Designs

2006-11-09T02:08:00.000-08:00

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TSC Wallpapers

2006-11-09T01:51:00.000-08:00

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Magic Books and E-books

2006-09-12T01:59:00.000-07:00

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Even with the advent of magic lecture videos, books and e-books build most of the foundations of the industry. Books that teach magic are available at specialty book shops and other magic shops. I myself learned from the books that scattered around our elementary library. The most recommended resource for card magic study, for example, remains to be The Royal Road to Card Magic and Card College. These two titles will never be obsolete in the industry.

Those who are brave enough read through magic lectures are greatly rewarded because the magic learned from these resources are usually not yet in the mainstream in the magic community. However, reading instructional material can get very technical and one must be able to follow through very specific details. I personally recommend Royal Road and Card College so that beginning magicians will develop familiarity with the terminologies which are skipped on recently released publications.

Where can we purchase e-books?

Most magic books ever printed are now available as e-books which can be read on smart phones, computers, laptops and PDAs. You can check out www.lybrary.com if you are interested in buying lots of very affordable e-books.

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Magic Videos

2006-09-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

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Magic videos or video lectures are the blood and water of any magician. The effects you can perform are directly proportional to the number of video lectures you own. Basically, videos are where a magician can learn most of the different principles of magic other than just doing the key-card method or double lifts with cards. Every month, there’s always a news video out on the market and magicians who want to get updated on tricks are always on the lookout for releases.

Ever since magic has been taught, magic books were always the primary teaching medium. But books present a lot of disadvantages to learners. First of all, it is can be very hard to follow any written instruction specially if the trick can be very technical on written form. Also, magicians don’t get a visual idea on how an effect should be presented in real life which might cause the magician to miss a lot of important points or subtleties.

What are the best videos to start learning magic with?

Aside from getting a magic starter kit on your local magic store, card magic will have to be the first things any magician should be good at. On a survey done on The Story Circle forums, 3 titles were reviewed to be the best video lectures for beginners. They are the following:

Crash Course to Street Magic, published by Ellusionist
This will have to be the most-recommended video because of production quality and the number of tricks taught. A lot of performing principles were also demonstrated very clearly and the instructions are very easy to follow.

Born to Perform Card Magic by Penguin Magic / Oz Pearlman
The tricks on this one are similar to Crash Course but there are not as many. While the production quality is equally superior and that performances and instructions are easy to follow, Born to Perform just falls a tad short on value for your money.

Encyclopedia of Card Sleights by L&L Publishing / Daryl
In this series of 8 volumes, world-renowned champion magician teaches viewers the most-popular card sleights ever developed. This set is literally an encyclopedia for those wanting to get deep into card magic. Beginning magicians are advised to get either the Crash Course or Born to Perform first to test the waters and dive into Encyclopedia for a complete learning experience.

Easy to Master Card Miracles by L&L Publishing / Michael Ammar
The Easy to Master sets have always been controversial in that magicians feel that it gives away classic card tricks and principles easily. The reason for this is that magicians who like to go on a somewhat shortcut into card magic can just get this 9-volume set. The quality of the effects taught on the series is nothing but the best card magic has to offer and Michael Ammar’s teaching is top-notch. Combine Easy to Master Card Miracles with Encyclopedia of Card Sleights, and you have a complete formula in becoming a killer-magician.

But which videos are good and which are worth my buck?

With the sheer number of videos out on the market, magicians done with the above titles will probably have a hard time fishing out the best of the best in terms of quality and tricks taught. What we suggest is to ask fellow magicians before buying a video that caught your interest. A lot of videos are merely glorified with marketing efforts but offer mediocore tricks and some relatively unheard-of titles are usually the ones who have the best material for your repertoire. Look for reviews first before investing. You can also ask Story Circle members for their opinions by emailing thestorycircle@yahoo.com or by joining The Story Circle Forums at www.thestorycircle.net.

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Magic Shops

2006-09-08T01:10:00.000-07:00

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For most magicians, a magic shop is the best way to start getting into magic. I know I bought my first commercial trick at a magic shop at SM Centerpoint when I was in 6th grade although technically, I was already reading on magic books since 3rd grade. Believe it or not, with the help of a classmate, we built our first illusion – a scaled down model of Pepper’s Ghost (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper%27s_Ghost) using shoe boxes, a flashlight and a cabinet glass. The first trick I bought at the shop was the classic Cups and Balls. That was followed after a week by the Svengali deck, some trick ropes, switching bills and the rest is history.

Now, learning magicians can purchase a “starter kit” from magic shops. This is a valuable package of magical classics such as the Cups and Balls, Linking Rings, rope tricks and basic card tricks. Go to a shop and ask the sales lady (or guy attendant) for the starter kit and after purchasing it, they will teach you how to do each trick that came with your kit. These starter kits are very easy to learn but will guarantee good effects. I was fooling people already when I did an impromptu Cups and Balls when I was in grade 3. After getting a crash course with a starter kit, the only thing you need to work out is your presentation. Magic is 80 to 90% presentation. You’ll learn more on presentation as you progress.

Aside from starter kits, magic shops also cater to already professional performers. Lots of high-quality gadgets may be bought from these shops although for beginners, it is good to start with the more affordable tricks. There is also what magicians will call “gimmicked” or trick cards that can help the beginning magician understand a few principles in magic and the psychology needed to play the part of a magician. As you move forward on your learning, you’ll find other useful tools on the shops like the magic wand, the change bag, the linking rings, boxes that can vanish rabbits and doves, dishes that can produce doves and so on.

Local Magic Shops

Magician
SM Megamall, 3rd floor bridge.

D’Wujiman Magic Shop
2nd floor Alimall, Cubao

There are also magic shops at:

Star City, first floor

Isetan, Recto

Starmall, Shaw/Edsa

Sta. Lucia Mall (East)

*Feel free to update the list by sending me an email at thestorycircle@yahoo.com

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Illusions

2006-09-07T01:52:00.000-07:00

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Illusions are what most magicians call magic performed on stage with a complex or grand set-up. Performers of this art are known in the industry as illusionists. Illusionists are able to suspend disbelief and / or are able to perform routines that apparently break the laws of physics and matter in general. Illusionists mainly use to their advantages their stages and the natural properties of matter to the extreme degree. They are able to use common principles creatively so that laypeople (the audience) will not be able to comprehend how such feats are accomplished.

Popular practitioners of this branch of magic include David Copperfield, Lance Burton, Penn and Teller, The Pendragons, Spellbound and so on.

Categories of Illusions

Although there is much discussion among magicians as to how a given effect is to be categorised, and in fact, disagreements as to what categories actually exist -- for instance, some magicians consider "penetrations" to be a separate category, others consider penetrations a form of restoration or teleportation -- it is generally agreed that there are very few different types of illusions.

Perhaps because it is considered a magic number, it has often been said that there are only seven types of illusion:

Production
The magician pulls a rabbit from an empty hat; a fan of cards from 'thin air'; a shower of coins from an empty bucket; or appears in a puff of smoke on an empty stage-- all of these effects are productions, the magician produces "something from nothing".

Vanish
The magician snaps his fingers and a coin disappears; places a dove in a cage, claps his hands and the bird vanishes, including the cage, stuffs a silk into his fist and opens his hands revealing nothing, or waves a magic wand and the Statue of Liberty magically "goes away". A vanish, being the reverse of a production, may use a similar technique, in reverse.

Transformation
One example: a magician requests a volunteer to "pick a card, any card" from a deck. With a flourish the magician shows the card to the volunteer and asks "is this your card?" -- it is not the card, and the magician tells the volunteer, "here, hold it for a second", handing them the card and then picking card after card from the deck, none of which is the card the volunteer picked. The magician asks, "will you look at that first card again?" -- whereupon the volunteer finds it has magically become their card.

Restoration
The cut-and-restored rope is a restoration: a rope is cut into two pieces, the two pieces are tied together, the knot vanishes, leaving one piece of rope. A newspaper is torn to bits. The magician rubs the pieces together and the newspaper becomes whole. A woman is sawn into two separate parts and then magically rejoined. A card is torn in fourths and then restored piece by piece to a normal state. Restorations put something back into the state it once was.

Teleportation
A teleportation transfers an object from one place to another. A coin is vanished, then later found inside a tightly bound bag, which is inside a box that is tied shut, inside another box, which is in a locked box... all of which were across the stage.

The magician locks his assistant in a cage, then locks himself in another. Both cages are uncovered and the pair have magically exchanged places. This is a transposition, a simultaneous, double teleportation.

Levitation
The magician "puts his assistant into a trance" and then floats her up and into the air, passing a ring around her body to show that there are 'no wires' supporting her. A close-up artist wads up your dollar bill, and then floats it in the air. A playing card hovers over a deck of cards. A penny on an open palm rises onto its edge on command. A scarf dances in a sealed bottle. Levitations are illusions where the conjurer magically raises something -- possibly including the magician him or herself -- into the air. There are many ways to create the illusion of levitation with names such as the Balducci, the King, the Zero Gravity performed by presten kerkstra.

Penetration
Where one solid object passes through another. For example when the magician links two apparently solid steel rings, or in the "cup and balls" trick in which the balls appear to pass through the cup are penetration illusions.

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Mentalism

2006-09-07T01:28:00.000-07:00

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Mentalism is an ancient performing art in which the practitioner uses mental acuity, principles of stage magic and/or suggestion to present the demonstration or illusion of mind reading, psychokinesis, precognition, clairvoyance or mind control. One of the earliest recorded performances of a mentalism act was by diplomat and pioneering sleight-of-hand magician Girolamo Scotto in 1572.

Mentalism is generally considered to be a branch of Stage Magic, or cabaret magic, featuring many of the same basic tools, principles, sleights and skills in its performance. Styles of presentation vary greatly. A few performers, following Uri Geller, are said to use these techniques to present the illusion that they actually possess supernatural powers such as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, or telekinesis. In the trade, this is known as "working strong."

There remain some people who believe that Geller and similar practitioners are actually demonstrating supernatural powers. However, this belief is forcefully disputed by scientists and skeptics.

As "supernatural" explanations fall from favour, many contemporary performers, including Richard Osterlind, Banachek and Derren Brown choose to attribute their results to other skills: the ability to read body language or to manipulate the subject subliminally through psychological suggestion, for example. In the trade, this is known as "working clean." Mentalists generally do not mix "standard" magic tricks with their mental feats, as doing so would also reduce the apparent mentalism to mere trickery in the eyes of the spectator. Sometimes mentalists claim not to be magicians at all, although the mechanics of mental and magical performances are essentially identical.

On the other hand, magicians such as David Copperfield routinely mix mentalism feats with their magical illusions. Some effects tend to blend themes from mentalism and magic. For example, a mind-reading stunt might also involve the magical transposition of two different objects. Such hybrid feats are usually classified as "mental magic" by performers.

Mentalism and mental magic require performers to display an authoritative, commanding and charismatic stage presence.

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Close-up Magic

2006-09-07T01:21:00.000-07:00

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Close-up Magic is the branch of magic wherein the performer is in close proximity to his/her audience (spectators). In this setting, everyday objects are commonly used such as playing cards, sponges, ropes, silks, rings, pens cups and balls, silverware and others. Close-up mentalism can also fall into this category.

In the Philippines, close-up magic is mostly performed by in-house entertainers such as party clowns and a few mentalists who can do sleight of hand.

Popular close-up conjurers include Dai Vernon, Ed Marlo, Michael Ammar, Daryl Martinez, Jay Sankey to name a few.

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Street Magic

2006-09-07T01:16:00.000-07:00

Traditional street performance
The first definition of street magic refers to a traditional form of magic performance - that of busking. 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. Chapter XIII of Reginald Scot's "Discoverie of Witchcraft" (1584) describes magic tricks of the type performed by buskers in the 16th century.

Practitioners
New York based artist and magician Jeff Sheridan is regarded as one of the pre-eminent U.S. street magicians to emerge from the U.S. 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 (Blaine supposedly asked Sheridan to work with him on his television special but Sheridan declined). Even more recently, Jim Cellini (aka Richard Sullivan) and Gazzo Macee (aka Gary Osborne) have garnered accolades from magicians for their contributions to the art.

Guerilla magic
The second category is more appropriately called "guerilla magic" in that it is a relatively recent style of performing magic illusions where the magician performs a single illusion or two in a public space (such as on a sidewalk) for an unsuspecting, 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.

Practitioners
This style of "street magic" is associated with David Blaine and was largely 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.

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(Wikipedia.org)

Introduction and History of Magic

2006-09-07T01:11:00.000-07:00

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So you want to learn Magic and Illusions? Then you need to first have a clear definition of it.

Magic or conjuring is the art of entertaining an audience by performing illusions that baffle and amaze, often by giving the impression that something impossible has been achieved, almost as if the performer had magic or supernatural powers. Yet, this illusion of magic is created entirely by natural means. The practitioners of this mystery art may be called magicians, conjurors, illusionists or sleight of hand artists. (Wikipedia.org)

Magic is a hobby in it’s very basic which may continue on to be a career. As with any hobby, magic can be expensive to get into. Fortunately, playing cards (the most popular tool for magic) are very cheap. However, the means to learning conjuring with it and everything else such as coins, ropes, silks and so on will require a hefty budget.

Magic will also require a lot of discipline on the part of the learner. This is an art form that will ask for time, patience, dedication and hard work when it comes to practicing your tricks (known to magicians as effects). Magicians will know that the road to magic is not as simple as buying a book and learning a few tricks. You will also have to research on magic’s history, the people who fathered the methods and principles behind it and the psychology that comes into play when interacting with your audiences (spectators).

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A Bit of History

Performances we would recognise as conjuring have probably been practised throughout history. The same ingenuity behind ancient deceptions such as the Trojan horse would have been used for entertainment, or at least for cheating in gambling games, since time immemorial. However, the respectable profession of the illusionist gained strength during the eighteenth century, and has enjoyed several popular vogues. Successful magicians have become some of the most famous celebrities in popular entertainment.

Modern entertainment magic owes much of its origins to Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-1871), originally a clockmaker, who opened a magic theatre in Paris in the 1840s. His speciality was the construction of mechanical automata which appeared to move and act as if they were alive. The British performer J N Maskelyne and his partner Cooke established their own theatre, the Egyptian Hall in London's Piccadilly, in 1873. They presented stage magic, exploiting the potential of the stage for hidden mechanisms and assistants, and the control it offers over the audience's point of view. The greatest celebrity magician of the nineteenth century (or possibly of all time), Harry Houdini (real name Ehrich Weiss, 1874 - 1926), took his stage name from Robert-Houdin and developed a range of stage magic tricks, many of them based on escapology (though that word was not used until after Houdini's death). The son of a Hungarian rabbi, Houdini was genuinely highly skilled in techniques such as lockpicking and escaping straitjackets, but also made full use of the whole range of conjuring techniques, including fake equipment and collusion with individuals in the audience. Houdini's showbusiness savvy was as great as his performing skill. In addition to expanding the range of magic hardware, showmanship and deceptive technique, these performers established the modern relationship between the performer and the audience.

In this relationship, there is an unspoken agreement between the performer and the audience about what is going on. Unlike in the past, almost no performers today actually claim to possess supernatural powers (although there are exceptions to this, they are regarded as charlatans). It is understood by everyone that the effects in the performance are accomplished through sleight of hand (also called legerdemain), misdirection, deception, collusion with a member of the audience, apparatus with secret mechanisms, mirrors, and other trickery (hence the illusions are commonly referred to as "tricks"). The performer seeks to present an effect so clever and skilful that the audience cannot believe their eyes, and cannot think of the explanation. The sense of bafflement is part of the entertainment. In turn, the audience play a role in which they agree to be entertained by something they know to be a deception. Houdini also gained the trust of his audiences by using his knowledge of illusions to debunk charlatans, a tradition continued by magicians such as James Randi, P. C. Sorcar, and Penn and Teller.

Magic has come and gone in fashion. For instance, the magic show for much of the 20th Century was marginalized in North America as largely children's entertainment. A revival started with Doug Henning, who reestablished the magic show as a form of mass entertainment with his distinctive look that rejected the old stereotypes and his sense of showmanship that became popular on both stage and numerous television specials.

Today, the art is enjoying a vogue, driven by a number of highly successful performers such as David Copperfield, Lance Burton, Penn and Teller, Derren Brown, Criss Angel and many other stage and TV performers. David Blaine is sometimes included in this category, though his major performances have been more a combination of Houdini-style escape tricks and physical endurance displays than the illusion magic performed by others. The mid-twentieth century saw magic transform in many different aspects: some performers preferred to renovate the craft on stage --- such as The Mentalizer Show in Times Square which dared to mix themes of spirituality and kabbalah with the art of magic --- others successfully made the transition to TV, which opens up new opportunities for deceptions, and brings the peformer to huge audiences. A widely accepted code has developed, in which TV magicians can use all the traditional forms of deception, but should not resort to camera tricks, editing the videotape, or other TV special effects --- this makes deception too "easy", in the popular mind. Most TV magicians are shown performing before a live audience, who provide the remote viewer with a (sometimes misleading) reassurance that the effects are not obtained with the help of camera tricks.

Many of the basic principles of magic are comparatively old. There is an expression, "it's all done with smoke and mirrors", used to explain something baffling, but contrary to popular belief, effects are seldom achieved using mirrors today, due to the amount of work needed to install it and difficulties in transport. For example, the famous Pepper's Ghost, a stage illusion first used in 19th century London, required a specially built theatre. Harry Houdini led the field of vanishing large objects, by making an elephant disappear on stage, although not using mirrors, and modern performers have vanished objects as big as the Taj Mahal, Statue of Liberty, and the Space Shuttle, using other kinds of optical deceptions.

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(Wikipedia.org)

Book / Contact Us

2006-03-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

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Magic is different and more intimate with Story Circle. Experience a show of extremely close-up
magic, psychic entertainment, mind control, psychokinesis and more!

We're available for corporate events, exhibits, debuts, weddings, christenings. Due to the nature of our magic, we do not accept children's partys for ages below 13.

Text / call:
0905-326-5264
0928-622-1406

Email us at:
thestorycircle@yahoo.com

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2006-03-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

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