STS on Stage

This weekend I went home to San Diego for a wedding. No, not mine. Not yet. No way...

Any who, my gig was an hour and a half of strolling magic during the cocktail hour before the reception (which is strange that the cocktail hour was more than an hour. Why would they do that to me? Those Catholic weddings are almost 2 hours and I'm starving by then!). Whenever you book an hour of strolling magic, prepare for 2. Trust me, they always ask you to stay longer!

So I do my thing and serve up a buffet of tasty magic treats for all of the wedding guests. Of course I did the Self Tying Shoelace! It's a must. Plus, some new close-up hypnosis I've been playing with. The night is great and I'm passing out business cards left and right. I was on top of the world.

Here's where it gets crazy. I take a look at the reception schedule and it says in the program, right after dinner: "Entertainment: Close Up Magic of Jay Noblezada." What? Wait a minute! I thought I booked a Walk-Around gig before the dinner. There are 300 people in that reception hall! Stage Magic? I'm not ready for this!

Well, when you're a pro you don't flinch. You shake! You get excited! You HAVE something to do for 300 spectators on stage. You've had something to show them for years. You've been practicing in your room in front of the mirror every night and have dreamed of this opportunity. You ARE ready. You were Born to Perform.

During dinner I tell the DJ to lay down some techno during my 15 minutes of stage time. He gives me the nod, and I sit back down, waiting for my turn. After dinner I hear the DJ announce me as the special entertainment and it's on! I did exactly what the program said I was going to do: Close-Up Magic. I performed for the bride and groom on stage, but had all 300 people watching closely. I had them hooked in and focused. Remember, all of them had seen or heard of me during the cocktail hour (and a half), so they knew they had to watch now!

Sounds strange, but I did 3 close up tricks. Slydini's Paper Balls Over the Head, Anniversary Waltz, and Self Tying Shoelace. Paper Balls Over the Head does play as a stage piece, but to the bride, it was pretty damn close-up! Everyone was rolling on the floors, laughing and having a great time! Then came the special piece of magic for the newly weds. If you do weddings, Anniversary Waltz is the trick to do for the Bride and Groom. I didn't have the necessary cards, but I used a signature transfer method that worked just as good... in fact great!

The show was over. That was 15 minutes right there. But I had to do it! The STS! My shoelace was untied the whole time, so I knew it was bugging people. I had the bride and groom stand up on either side of me and performed the Self Tying Shoelace for 300 people. It was huge! How huge? Standing Ovation huge! I didn't think it could be done, but I took a risk and it payed off. STS plays on stage.

Message: Learn and Know magic that plays big! It could be a simple card trick, or impromptu paper napkin trick, but play it big. It should be magic that takes no effort on your part, but focuses on the audience, and your special volunteers on stage. Chances are, you already know many of these tricks, but never perform them. Just keep them close to you so when your time comes, you're ready! It will look like you can do anything!

If you don't know these tricks, or haven't heard of them, here you go:

Paper Balls Over the Head: http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=466

Anniversary Waltz: http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=725

Self Tying Shoelace: http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=1365

Well, that was my weekend. I wish you were there!

Best,

Jay Noblezada