Dai Vernon's Spellbound::Nervous!! Also, clean-ups

[Lord Magic]

How many here perform Spellbound by Dai Vernon?
Because I had this question:-
I love to perform this move, when I am practising. Because it feels too bold. And I think that is why it is so great. And the once or twice I have performed it, I have to say I got great reactions. But still, I can't figure out how to make myself less nervous and go out and perform this miracle for others more often. Am not afraid of practice, but afraid that my body language will give me away. And if the audience tells me to show my hands or sees the finger palm...you know what will happen. And I don't want that, lol.
So anyway to make sure they ignore the hand finger palming?
I mean, I know things like "Look at the other hand with conviction"..."Move that hand first" and things like that. But they don't feel surefire at all. Is there something I can do to remove this fear other than just a combo of practice and performance, hoping it will go away?

And my second connected question will be,
How do you clean up a classic palm or finger palm without sleeving?
Like anything you can do when they say, show your hand and you have a coin palmed there?

 

[RealityOne]

Part of it is belief. You have to believe what your audience is seeing. If the coin has appeared to vanish, you have to believe it has vanished. You get there through practicing so you do the sleights without thinking and by having an internal script.

For example, when I do the final loads for my cups and balls, I'm thinking that I'm showing the audience the small red ball that is under the cup and putting the cup down. I'm not thinking about the load of the billiard ball which is done automatically. I've gotten so used to this that when I do the reveals of the billiard balls, I'm actually surprised.

The audience should not tell you to do anything. You are in control. Have you ever seen a play where the audience tells the actors to do something? Make sure you are relaxed and smooth. Rehearse - that means to practice the sleights at the same time as the presentation. Make a video to make sure you are looking where you want the audience to look. Keep a deliberate tempo so that there isn't an opportunity for the audience to interrupt. Have a compelling presentation that is more than describing what you are doing with the props.

 

[Lord Magic]

Part of it is belief. You have to believe what your audience is seeing. If the coin has appeared to vanish, you have to believe it has vanished. You get there through practicing so you do the sleights without thinking and by having an internal script.

For example, when I do the final loads for my cups and balls, I'm thinking that I'm showing the audience the small red ball that is under the cup and putting the cup down. I'm not thinking about the load of the billiard ball which is done automatically. I've gotten so used to this that when I do the reveals of the billiard balls, I'm actually surprised.

The audience should not tell you to do anything. You are in control. Have you ever seen a play where the audience tells the actors to do something? Make sure you are relaxed and smooth. Rehearse - that means to practice the sleights at the same time as the presentation. Make a video to make sure you are looking where you want the audience to look. Keep a deliberate tempo so that there isn't an opportunity for the audience to interrupt. Have a compelling presentation that is more than describing what you are doing with the props.

Thanx...but is there srsly no clean-up move?
I guess not...
Anyways, I will remember to shoot myself.
No pun intended.

 

[RealityOne]

Thanx...but is there srsly no clean-up move?

If the audience is asking to see what is in your other hand, you have already failed. The best clean up is to not get in that position. Imbibe your magic with a sense of significance. It isn't a trick but a performance. The goal is to entertain, not to fool. If you convey to your audience that you want to provide them with an entertaining performance rather than fool them with a trick they won't care about how you do it. You won't need to run because you won't be being chased.

Go watch Kayla Drescher on Fool Us. Teller obviously knew the method but thoroughly enjoyed her performance.

 

[Lord Magic]

If the audience is asking to see what is in your other hand, you have already failed. The best clean up is to not get in that position. Imbibe your magic with a sense of significance. It isn't a trick but a performance. The goal is to entertain, not to fool. If you convey to your audience that you want to provide them with an entertaining performance rather than fool them with a trick they won't care about how you do it. You won't need to run because you won't be being chased.

Go watch Kayla Drescher on Fool Us. Teller obviously knew the method but thoroughly enjoyed her performance.

dunno abt great words like 'amazing' or 'wonderful'...
Her performance was just beautiful.
Thanks, I got what u wanna say!

 

[HectorE1]

How many here perform Spellbound by Dai Vernon?
Because I had this question:-
I love to perform this move, when I am practising. Because it feels too bold. And I think that is why it is so great. And the once or twice I have performed it, I have to say I got great reactions. But still, I can't figure out how to make myself less nervous and go out and perform this miracle for others more often. Am not afraid of practice, but afraid that my body language will give me away. And if the audience tells me to show my hands or sees the finger palm...you know what will happen. And I don't want that, lol.
So anyway to make sure they ignore the hand finger palming?
I mean, I know things like "Look at the other hand with conviction"..."Move that hand first" and things like that. But they don't feel surefire at all. Is there something I can do to remove this fear other than just a combo of practice and performance, hoping it will go away?

And my second connected question will be,
How do you clean up a classic palm or finger palm without sleeving?
Like anything you can do when they say, show your hand and you have a coin palmed there?

It seems your suffering from what we like to call magicians guilt, as already stated just act natural and believe what your doing and most importantly remember to always entertain your audience, also a good cover that always works for me is to hand the changed coin to the spectator with the dirty hand this seems to put them off guard while they're inspecting the coin go to your pocket ditch the coin bring out a sharpie deck of cards whatever and go into your next trick

 

[Hgagnon]

What book can you find this trick in? I have inherited a lot of Dai Vernon books and want to find it but don't want to look through a ton of stuff. Thanks!

 

[RealityOne]

What book can you find this trick in? I have inherited a lot of Dai Vernon books and want to find it but don't want to look through a ton of stuff. Thanks!

It was originally published in Stars of Magic.

 

[Lord Magic]

What book can you find this trick in? I have inherited a lot of Dai Vernon books and want to find it but don't want to look through a ton of stuff. Thanks!

it's pretty much public domain...
I will PM you the move

 

[oscar.abraham]

How many here perform Spellbound by Dai Vernon?
Because I had this question:-
I love to perform this move, when I am practising. Because it feels too bold. And I think that is why it is so great. And the once or twice I have performed it, I have to say I got great reactions. But still, I can't figure out how to make myself less nervous and go out and perform this miracle for others more often. Am not afraid of practice, but afraid that my body language will give me away. And if the audience tells me to show my hands or sees the finger palm...you know what will happen. And I don't want that, lol.
So anyway to make sure they ignore the hand finger palming?
I mean, I know things like "Look at the other hand with conviction"..."Move that hand first" and things like that. But they don't feel surefire at all. Is there something I can do to remove this fear other than just a combo of practice and performance, hoping it will go away?

And my second connected question will be,
How do you clean up a classic palm or finger palm without sleeving?
Like anything you can do when they say, show your hand and you have a coin palmed there?

I love this trick; it's quick and strong. It does have some flaws, though; mainly in the excessive palming - which is the part that frightens most amateur magicians. A bold trick, as you said. Feels good when it comes out perfect during practice.

And to your second question. I honestly think that Vernon developed, more than a trick, an idea (a concept, if you will) for future tricks with coins using the French Drop and the Finger Palm. Look at Michael Vincent, he uses this version as part of a bigger trick of his. I'm sure you'll find an effect in David Roth's repertoire that'll give you many ideas to work around the many flaws.

One thing that I have to point out. Vernon was all about naturalness in the movement of the body. You have to develop a natural pose when palming (coins and cards). You must find a point of relaxation so your body won't tense up when your palming, which is, in my experience, the one thing that gives away to an audience that something is wrong - "He's up to something now", some people may think. So before working on the effect itself, work on the Palms and Drops, this way the trick will be a lot easier to perform. (I'm sure many beginners find any classic ACR difficult if they haven't mastered the Double Lift technique.)

Forgive the cliche, but you will have to work it out by simply practicing a lot, my friend. Trial and error. There's just no way around an intimidating trick, other than practicing and put in it into practice with an audience. I remember when I was terrified of performing Open Travelers by Jennings, or Collins Aces, but after years, YEARS, of practice, I finally grew the pair I needed to perform it. Sure you'll mess it up a couple of times, but there's no other way. The best you can do is to perform it for your close friends a relatives and let them give you feedback, but I guess you already knew this.

Good luck!