What is the 'Next Level' ?

[Lord Magic]

So...we all are familiar with this.
Some "business-magicians" say "Buy this! Next Level stuff here!" or beginners say "I want to perform that next level stuff" or some seasoned and excited performer says "Whoa! Am so excited! I feel like I am preforming the next level stuff!"
All fine.
But there must be something more about going to this nirvana of magic, The Next Level, than the mere tricks? Because almost ALL tricks, or so I feel, have the ability to become next level, we sometimes ignore that capability.
Honestly, some of the tricks I learned when I was starting out and I did them, I did not get the reactions we magicians love. But now, those effects get much more reactions with just a few minor adjustments!
I feel (please correct me if I am wrong) next level magic can be anything which gets amazing reactions, reactions which look faked, but are actually not! Atleast, I would love to do that kind of magic.
Here is my question...
What do YOU guys feel about this? How do these 'Next Level' reactions come? Moving aside from the tricks, what elements in the performance make it 'Next Level' ? Like, you know, being gutsy, thinking out of the box, creating suitable moments, speaking less, slowing down, can you guys add to this list?
Finally, is my whole concept of The Next Level messed up?
Or is The Next Level just a rubbish hypothesis used to lure laymen and beginners and professionals alike into buying something?

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

This is where, if you were standing next to me, I would gesture generally to my bookshelf, and then to an imaginary stage.

 

[Lord Magic]

This is where, if you were standing next to me, I would gesture generally to my bookshelf, and then to an imaginary stage.

Wow...something to think about I guess!

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Also, if you've ever wondered what I meant when I said there's stuff that no one teaches on YouTube?

This is one of those things.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

When the trailer or something says "Next Level" It's almost always marketing. That level could be simply the small step of knowing the trick. It's not a lie, but you think it'll propel you so far. And YES, anything can be developed into something amazing and truly "Next Level". You will occasionally have something really next level, such as the first ever modern Flap card (I'm assuming it was FLAP?), or the recent "Phone Vanish", which take things a level up or create the platform for something

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

I'll be a little less obtuse:

The "next level" is when your performances start having meaning, and when they start connecting to people.

It's a step closer to creating "Art" with magic.

It's something that can really only be learned by performing, and more specifically, performing with the goal of being meaningful in mind, and also willing to constantly tweak the performance until it reaches that goal. That's a long process which can be frustrating, and usually involves having people tell you things you may not want to hear (Like that a routine you've worked for months on kind of sucks - I've been there, it is not fun to hear, but it is necessary).

You can read books on theory to give you a boost. You can listen to podcasts and interviews, you can talk to artists, you can talk to laymen - you can do a lot of things to get yourself on the right track - but you can't avoid the necessity of walking along that track. Chances are when a routine reaches the point where it feels "done", it won't look much like when you started.

So challenge yourself. Take a trick and make it meaningful.

Do that a few times over and you've got a show that's full of powerful, meaningful material, with no filler.

 

[RealityOne]

Typically, the phrase "The Next Level" is marketing. It is the idea that a single purchase can make you a better magician. It feeds on the idea that the quality of a magician is determined by the bundle of tricks he or she knows.

The true next level cannot be bought. It can only be earned by a lot of hard work. As @ChristopherT said, that hard work consists of a lot of reading regarding both methods and theory and a lot of performances testing what you have learned. Layer on top of that a lot of thinking and retrospection about your performances.