For the month of June, we are all getting a little bit mental.Now we are crazy enough to get into Mentalism once again !

So what is Mentalism ?

Mentalism is a genre of magic where magicians present the Illusion of mind reading, psychokinesis(PK), extra-sensory perception, clairvoyance, mind control. If you are interested in finding out more, you can check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentalism .
In fact, some of the greatest minds in Mentalism [Pun intended] are , Max Maven, Banachek, Darren Brown,  and Luke Jermay. Some may think that they are psychic and used supernatural means to do their effects. Well, i should leave it up to you to decide after you have come.

So come down and be prepared to be freaked out of your minds !

Kindly RSVP Eugene at eugene.lim@gateway-e.com if you are coming ! Many Thanks !

For our last Magic Circle, we had a night filled with magic. It was a wonderful night where we had new faces and new experiences for everyone.

Adrian Liang , started the night with a routine that is legendary in magic, The Tabary Rope Routine. Interestingly, he started the routine with two lengths of rope, going into the routine proper. His skillful handling in his interpretation of the tabary rope routine was refreshing and inspiring. Adrian managed to take a well known routine, and made it his own by dissecting and recreating it to make it his own.

Bernard was next ,showing the Tabary Rope Routine,but this time, Bernard did it street magic style. Bringing it closer to the audience, he made sure that the magic was up close and personal to the audience. Bernard’s clear communication also ensured that no one got lost during the performance, as he boggled our minds with his mindboggling rope. Bernard then proceeded to do another classic of magic, the Chop Cups. The Chop Cups is another variation of a Cups and Balls routine. Rather than using 3 Cups, magicians have been known to use 1 or 2 Cups for the routine. Bernard’s version used one ball and one cup, making it easier for us to follow. But trust me, in the end it still got us all wondering and amazed.

Marvin also came out to perform some street magic, with a borrowed ring and a chain.The ring disappeared right under the volunteers eyes, only to reappear on the same chain.  The ring later disappeared and reappeared in a locked box . The most amazing part is that the key was with the Audience all the while !

Next up to perform was none other than Anthony Tan! He performed a wonderful card trick where an audience chooses a card,. He shows another card  that has a corner cut off the side.  The Next Thing you know, the cards have switched place,  now the selected cut has mysteriously been cut off with the other card matching it exactly !

Not wanting to miss out the fun, Keng San also did a Bowling Pin production where a solid bowling pin appeared out of thin air. This was followed by Keng San doing his rendition of an Appearing Champagne Glass.

Priscilla ended the night with her Classic Lemon Trick. She has been practicing this effect for a very long time. If you have seen this routine before, you would know that the stakes of losing is very high, and definitely not cheap either !

As everyone was mingling and performing their own close-up effects,

This was a very good experience for all of us to practice and perform before a live audience before we perform to the public.

Heres a lil somthing that i’ve learnt through one of our rehearsals.

As i was having a run through my routine, a friend of mine, Chris, noticed i was using the word NOW too much in my patter.[otherwise known as my script] So the next time i did my patter, i tried to consciously remove the word before it left my mouth.

All of a sudden i realised that i was having a hard time getting rid of it. The word NOW, used to bring attention to the present, has now been used as a punctuation mark for me.

This is a bad habit where you punctuate your words with words like ALRIGHT, LIKE, OK, NOW ,etc.That is why it is always good to write down what you wish to say for your patter.

A wise man once told me,

“If anything is worth saying, It is worth saying WELL. “

By writing our your patter, this help to crystalize what you are about to say.

Now the next step [which i find the hardest] is to stick to what you have written. It is always very tempting to just improvise along the way as you are performing. So if you written it done, memorise it, and stick to it.

So the next time you rehearse, please try to have someone around you to point out all these sub-concious flaws. And if you do not have the luxury, even a video camera record yourself.

You may discover you do not like the way you are talking, you do not like the way you walk, and everything else. Just remember the way you see yourself on the video, is exactly how your audience sees you.

As a Buildup for the upcoming Magic Circle Mentalism Night, we are having  a DVD Night just for you !

The Video that we will be watching is by Master Mentalist, Max Maven.

This video focuses on Parlor Mentalism, so no pre-show work, no secret assistances and no stooges. This is a pratical material for any solo performer.The best part of this whole video, No Angles. You can be performing surrounded and you wont have to worry about the performers seeing anything.

Kindly RSVP Eugene at eugene.lim@gateway-e.com if you are coming.