Price$19.95
Media TypeTrick
CategoryGeneral, Close Up
Date AddedDec 03, 2015
Anniversary Waltz
Thomas, Garrett; Eason, Doc
Kozmomagic Inc.
(Based on 1 review)
But, what's most important to a great performance of Anniversary Waltz is the cards; the correct cards. Cards designed specifically for this effect have never been available. Well, they are now! Doc and Garrett's new Anniversary Waltz deck includes: Ace of Hearts / Two of Hearts; King of Hearts / Queen of Hearts; plus plenty of contrasting cards with abundant signature room, so you can perform the effect for non-special occasions.
Watch the download and when you're ready the cards will be waiting for you.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Back when Kozmo Magic first advertised that this video was going to be released on Reel Magic Magazine, I was already looking forward to it. Then he dropped a bit of a bomb: It was FREE, even to non-subscribers! Well, the video portion is free, but the deck is not.
What I am reviewing here is actually two different things in one review because they go hand-in-hand: The Anniversary Waltz Project video (the instructional part) and the special Anniversary Waltz deck, which is not necessary to purchase but is a great option. More on that later.
I watched the video the minute it was released and boy is it ever worth it. If you have ever performed Anniversary Waltz, then you know how strong the effect is/can be. If you have never seen it before, you should really look into it.
The video is available to watch for free on the Reel Magic Magazine site if you are a subscriber and if you are not, you can still watch it for free on the Murphy's Magic website. The video is very, very good quality with great sound, lighting and video quality. It is Kozmo magic - all of his stuff is this good! I have not watched this on the Murphy's site, but if you are a Reel Magic Magazine subscriber, you can skip back and forth through the different sections of the video because there is a section list where you can click on the one that you want to watch and that is the one that will play. By clicking on the play button when you first get to the video screen, that will play the whole video all the way through - just like a Play All button.
One thing I just want to quickly point out here: there is a lack of reaction to the effect in the performance section of the video, but do not let that cloud your judgment.
What you get with the video is a great discussion with a jam-session feel between Doc Eason and Garrett Thomas. If you have been performing the Eason version of this effect as learned from the Bar Magic videos, you will love the additional something that makes this effect even cleaner and stronger. It is not exactly the same as the Bar Magic version, but it is still just two moves, no more, no less.
You will learn two different ways of doing the Anniversary Waltz which will fit into two different categories: the proverbial "elevator/quickie performance" and the "normal" performance.
To clarify: The quickie version is taught by Garrett Thomas and is for those moments when you want to perform this effect but have not got the ideal amount of time to do it. You sacrifice some of the more "touching" points of the usual way of doing it, but it can still be effective if you add the right scripting to it. In this particular case, you essentially do the choosing for the participants and yes, it is justified with the routining, as is the particular cards that you use. This version is done completely in-the-hands with no need for a table, which is great for those times when you do not have a place to set the deck down.
The "normal" performance is taught by Doc Eason and is the version you would use when you have more time to spend with the participants and more time to set the effect up in their minds. It is also for those times when you have a table to place the deck down on as you normally would in performing this effect.
For both versions you will see a studio performance with two people. As I mentioned before, the reactions you see is not at all what you normally get when performing this correctly so do not let that sour the effect for you if you have never seen this effect before.
You get a lot of tips and ideas and subtleties to utilize in your own performances of this effect. The new ideas and additions to it have taken it from an already great effect to something even better. One great thing about this is that you do not need to already know how to do this effect - everything is taught in great detail so that beginners will learn everything they need to know in order to perform this. Even those who have been doing this effect for years will get something out of it.
Now on to the cards: Of course you can perform this using a standard type of specially printed cards available from your favorite magic dealer, but it has limitations. In many double faced decks, you can only use certain cards because of the fact that most magicians use black markers to have the cards signed. When you have a high-value black spot card and a court card, the writing will be harder to discern. Ideally you would use lower-value red spot cards and lower-value black spot cards for this effect where there is more white space in which to write clearly.
What you can purchase is a specially printed deck of double-face cards with just the right combinations, and it also includes two Bicycle Rider double-back cards, one red and one blue. The combinations that you get in this deck are sixteen King/Queen of Hearts cards, seventeen Ace/Two of Hearts cards, seven 4 of Hearts/8 of Diamonds cards, seven 2 of Spades/3 of Hearts cards and seven 6 of Diamonds/4 of Clubs cards for a total of 56 cards.
The quality of the cards is typical of Bicycle and they are priced at $20/USD per deck, which to me is a bit high, but if you are getting paid for performances, that is easily recovered. What you are paying for is the custom print job more than anything, which will give you 54 ideal cards for performing this effect. In a normal double face deck you may only get a handful of useable pairs or maybe less than half the deck. With this one, you can use them all.
The double backed cards are a nice addition that allows you to employ the new idea added to this effect by Doc and Garrett, and it allows you to accommodate according to the color of cards you normally use.
This is one of the greatest effects in magic and in my opinion, any self-respecting close-up/strolling magician should have some form of this effect in their repertoire. It is easy for people to follow, it can be used for weddings, anniversaries, date nights, birthdays, milestone dates, etc. It is strong, it is memorable and it leaves the participants with something that they often carry in wallets and purses for years and years, and some that I have done this for even display it on a shelf in their home. It is a great reminder of how you made them feel in the moment.
All things considered, even if you do not buy the deck, this is a great, great value and a very well-done project with lots of great new ideas for a very strong and memorable effect. It is still a great value if you decide to purchase the deck because not one single card goes to waste and you get great quality cards to use for it.
**If like me you use Phoenix decks for performances, you will not be able to use the Ace of Hearts/2 of Hearts cards because the Phoenix Aces are of a different design. This is okay by me because I can substitute my Phoenix deck for a Tally Ho deck, which is the only other type that I use regularly, and will be able to use all 54 of them.**
VERY, VERY Highly Recommended!
If you want to see the old version of Anniversary Waltz as performed by Doc Eason for years and want to learn it as he originally performed it, check out his excellent DVD set, 'Bar Magic by Doc Eason, Volumes 1, 2 and 3' published by L & L Publishing and available at your favorite magic dealer, or directly from L & L Publishing. (www.llpub.com or www.llepub.com)
What I am reviewing here is actually two different things in one review because they go hand-in-hand: The Anniversary Waltz Project video (the instructional part) and the special Anniversary Waltz deck, which is not necessary to purchase but is a great option. More on that later.
I watched the video the minute it was released and boy is it ever worth it. If you have ever performed Anniversary Waltz, then you know how strong the effect is/can be. If you have never seen it before, you should really look into it.
The video is available to watch for free on the Reel Magic Magazine site if you are a subscriber and if you are not, you can still watch it for free on the Murphy's Magic website. The video is very, very good quality with great sound, lighting and video quality. It is Kozmo magic - all of his stuff is this good! I have not watched this on the Murphy's site, but if you are a Reel Magic Magazine subscriber, you can skip back and forth through the different sections of the video because there is a section list where you can click on the one that you want to watch and that is the one that will play. By clicking on the play button when you first get to the video screen, that will play the whole video all the way through - just like a Play All button.
One thing I just want to quickly point out here: there is a lack of reaction to the effect in the performance section of the video, but do not let that cloud your judgment.
What you get with the video is a great discussion with a jam-session feel between Doc Eason and Garrett Thomas. If you have been performing the Eason version of this effect as learned from the Bar Magic videos, you will love the additional something that makes this effect even cleaner and stronger. It is not exactly the same as the Bar Magic version, but it is still just two moves, no more, no less.
You will learn two different ways of doing the Anniversary Waltz which will fit into two different categories: the proverbial "elevator/quickie performance" and the "normal" performance.
To clarify: The quickie version is taught by Garrett Thomas and is for those moments when you want to perform this effect but have not got the ideal amount of time to do it. You sacrifice some of the more "touching" points of the usual way of doing it, but it can still be effective if you add the right scripting to it. In this particular case, you essentially do the choosing for the participants and yes, it is justified with the routining, as is the particular cards that you use. This version is done completely in-the-hands with no need for a table, which is great for those times when you do not have a place to set the deck down.
The "normal" performance is taught by Doc Eason and is the version you would use when you have more time to spend with the participants and more time to set the effect up in their minds. It is also for those times when you have a table to place the deck down on as you normally would in performing this effect.
For both versions you will see a studio performance with two people. As I mentioned before, the reactions you see is not at all what you normally get when performing this correctly so do not let that sour the effect for you if you have never seen this effect before.
You get a lot of tips and ideas and subtleties to utilize in your own performances of this effect. The new ideas and additions to it have taken it from an already great effect to something even better. One great thing about this is that you do not need to already know how to do this effect - everything is taught in great detail so that beginners will learn everything they need to know in order to perform this. Even those who have been doing this effect for years will get something out of it.
Now on to the cards: Of course you can perform this using a standard type of specially printed cards available from your favorite magic dealer, but it has limitations. In many double faced decks, you can only use certain cards because of the fact that most magicians use black markers to have the cards signed. When you have a high-value black spot card and a court card, the writing will be harder to discern. Ideally you would use lower-value red spot cards and lower-value black spot cards for this effect where there is more white space in which to write clearly.
What you can purchase is a specially printed deck of double-face cards with just the right combinations, and it also includes two Bicycle Rider double-back cards, one red and one blue. The combinations that you get in this deck are sixteen King/Queen of Hearts cards, seventeen Ace/Two of Hearts cards, seven 4 of Hearts/8 of Diamonds cards, seven 2 of Spades/3 of Hearts cards and seven 6 of Diamonds/4 of Clubs cards for a total of 56 cards.
The quality of the cards is typical of Bicycle and they are priced at $20/USD per deck, which to me is a bit high, but if you are getting paid for performances, that is easily recovered. What you are paying for is the custom print job more than anything, which will give you 54 ideal cards for performing this effect. In a normal double face deck you may only get a handful of useable pairs or maybe less than half the deck. With this one, you can use them all.
The double backed cards are a nice addition that allows you to employ the new idea added to this effect by Doc and Garrett, and it allows you to accommodate according to the color of cards you normally use.
This is one of the greatest effects in magic and in my opinion, any self-respecting close-up/strolling magician should have some form of this effect in their repertoire. It is easy for people to follow, it can be used for weddings, anniversaries, date nights, birthdays, milestone dates, etc. It is strong, it is memorable and it leaves the participants with something that they often carry in wallets and purses for years and years, and some that I have done this for even display it on a shelf in their home. It is a great reminder of how you made them feel in the moment.
All things considered, even if you do not buy the deck, this is a great, great value and a very well-done project with lots of great new ideas for a very strong and memorable effect. It is still a great value if you decide to purchase the deck because not one single card goes to waste and you get great quality cards to use for it.
**If like me you use Phoenix decks for performances, you will not be able to use the Ace of Hearts/2 of Hearts cards because the Phoenix Aces are of a different design. This is okay by me because I can substitute my Phoenix deck for a Tally Ho deck, which is the only other type that I use regularly, and will be able to use all 54 of them.**
VERY, VERY Highly Recommended!
Suggestions
If you are not a subscriber to Reel Magic Magazine, you should be! It is without a doubt the best deal in magic today at just $5/USD per month! (www.reelmagicmagazine.com)If you want to see the old version of Anniversary Waltz as performed by Doc Eason for years and want to learn it as he originally performed it, check out his excellent DVD set, 'Bar Magic by Doc Eason, Volumes 1, 2 and 3' published by L & L Publishing and available at your favorite magic dealer, or directly from L & L Publishing. (www.llpub.com or www.llepub.com)