PROS
Dirk Losander is a legend in the world of levitation. This effect solves one of the BIG problems with magicians who want to add levitation to their routine. That is that it plays big with a small object, a wine glass. As such, it is suitable for stage, parlor, or close-up. It shows Michael Ammar’s dedication to the art to bring in one who is known as the best in levitation to work with him on his creation.
The trailer video and advertising are true to what you get. It looked to me like the video was completely unedited. You can literally borrow a handkerchief and a wine glass and perform this.
Of course, there is a gimmick, and you will need to learn to bring it into the effect and clean-up afterward.
The instruction is only around 15 minutes long and it does cover the basics. Losander does most of the instructional video, and it is a real pleasure to watch the subtleties of his performance. Watch the video carefully, closely, and repeatedly, because they don’t waste any time explaining it.
The difficulty is hard to rate. It’s not very difficult at all. Engaging the gimmick is really not that difficult. However, to make it look good will take practice.
The quality of the gimmick has been a controversial subject on various internet sites. All I can say is that it seems quite sturdy to me, I have worked with it a fair amount and I don’t see where it would break unless you really test it’s limits. In the advertisement and the instructions, they use an empty glass, and I think that is the way to go with this product. I have used it with a glass half full of wine and it held up just fine, but I would suggest you stick with empty glasses if possible. The gimmick is made of plastic and metal, the plastic part looks like it may have been 3D printed. The gimmick is black and a lot of thought and prototypes went into creating the final product.
CONS
Losander uses this as a closer in some of his shows, and I can see why. Personally, I think this is my favorite levitation product, but I do also like invisible thread.
However, if there is one small “con”, it would be that the explanation is short. I would have liked to see multiple angles of various methods to get into and out of the effect. Losander went into some detail on what apparently is his favorite way of getting into the effect, Michael gave some brief pointers on other methods, and the write-up explained a few methods with drawings to aid the explanation. I think they could have gone much further with the video explanation.
As for the quality of the product, as I said there seems to be some controversy in the internet world. It seems pretty sturdy to me, I would suggest that you don’t put it to the test for durability, and if it should break, I suppose you might be able to super glue it together, but it would be rather difficult to make a new gimmick.
I suppose it would have been interesting if the gimmick could be used for levitating other items of roughly the same size as a wine glass, but this gimmick is really designed for a wine glass. Even other types of glasses may not work. I have used it with a few different types of glasses, including a regular dinner glass and a plastic cup, however, my experience is that a plastic cup really should have a little liquid in it or it is too light.
VERDICT
I REALLY like this levitation product. It is really limited to a wine glass and perhaps a few other types of glasses, but I will definitely use this.
Suggestions from the ReviewerIt’s hard to come up with radical suggestions for this. I suppose one suggestion/comment is that I agree with Losander and Michael that this is a great closer. The only other thing that I can say is I really think that when it comes to levitation, the more realism the better. What I mean by that is that I think it is important to have a “script” that makes this as believable as possible, and make the movements as subtle as possible. One idea not presented in the video is that you can release one hand, wipe your forehead, and continue with the levitation. You can’t remove the other hand. I have been working with Jeff McBride for some time, creating a magical tour of my Southern California ranch, dubbed the “Wizard’s Castle”. I intend to include this in my tour. My plan is to build up a portion of the ranch as a place where there is a strange phenomenon where if I take a glass, like a wine glass, add a bit of soil from the earth, rubbed between my hands, and place it in just the right place, sometimes it does something unusual. I will then have a table placed in a specific spot, try the effect without success, move the table, and try again, this time with success. I would suggest you consider how you might incorporate a sense of reality into your performance, even if you are just performing for friends. For example, go get a very old looking wine glass from an estate sale and create a story. Your friends will know you are pulling their leg, but your commitment to the effect will draw them in. Or, if you are at a restaurant, bring the gimmick with you and make up a story about an urban myth about the restaurant. Have someone get an empty glass of wine. Have someone add a pinch of salt, and someone else a pinch of pepper. Place a napkin over the glass and “see what happens”. As Losander says, the slower the better, and with levitation, more is less. I would suggest not moving it at all, perhaps just slightly flicking the napkin, waiting a bit, and asking people if they saw any movement. Then, make it start moving the tiniest bit at a time.
|
Become a fan
Get our tweets
Subscribe
