During my first mini stage show, I came up with a variation to card on the ceiling. I had a spectator pick a card, I then vanished it and decided i would make it appear on top of a ceiling fan, because it was big and there was no room for the ceiling. Well i vanished it and made it appear on the fan blade with my own special way. I then tried to segway into it by saying, "Wow i don't know if this will work cuz it is kinda hot in here" as i pulled my jacket open. Then all the sudden someone agreed and said yea, turn the fan on! Before i could say wait! Someone flew over and hit the switch! I thought to myself oh no, instant disaster! But i was already a seasoned veteran, and i had to think fast. Lucky for me the fan began really slow. I planned on having someone remove it with a chair for the suprise effect, but now things had changed. As the fan began move, i immediately went into my patter...
"Ok concentrate on your card...visualize it appearing...concentrate....and all the sudden the card came floating down out of the air in almost slow motion!!! What i thought would have been a major disaster turned out to be one the most magical effects i ever did! So sometimes you just never know. That card could have done anything, the timing was perfect. It could have stayed up there, it could have flew down fast unoticed, and lost. I was completly impressed by my own trick So sometimes disaster can turn into miracles
What happened there could have been the difference between my career being a failure or success. What it did do was give me alot of confidence in what i could do, and all has been good since that first show. I will never forget that, and i even made it into a trick now

:''''(
That's so sad...
poor dove...

You need to have written in contract Adul supervision required though the entire show..and the next time there acting up or to loud just get quiter and they think they will miss somwthing.the louder they get the quiter you get.and also when gettin up tell them we can start the next magic trick once every one is seated then just stear at the mom till she takes action.I hope this helps for you next performance.

ph my goodness next time put a sponge with water in it so the dove can drink frothe sponge but ....since the show was out side and it wa s95 degrese you should of done a rabbit trick pluse kids love to pet rabbits you cant do this with a Dove. but next time try a sponge with water and you dont want the dove in there more than 20 to 30 minutes.

The worst thing that happened to me was my swallowing sword curling up just before I was about to swallow it.

Yesterday I was in hospital with my baby and to pass time I showed the staff some tricks. I showed the twisted sisters, asked the nurse for the name of her card (QH) and without thinking I displayed the QS from the other packet... But luckily that was the card the doctor was thinking of so it turned out well!

The best thing about performing in the Nutcracker for second graders is they get about 2 minutes and I am gone, and no mobbing the stage.

Tougher is the reception line where every other kids wants to know how I made fire in my hand. A part of me wants to ask if their parents have gasoline in the garage (No, I would never really do that). The best answer I've come up with is 'study hard, go to college and you can learn it.'

My biggest problem was my thump tip coming off during a silk disappear. I folded my thumb down, picked it up with the other hand, and pretended my thumb disappearing was part of the trick. The kids in the cast got a big laugh out of it.

Good Cover with the Thumb!They probablly didn't even catch it good job!

I remember another funny/terrible thing that happened to me. I was doing the substitution trunk. I had performed it many times. However, freaky things just happen. I put my assistant in the ciffs, cloth bag and locked the trunk. I got on top and lifted the curtain and somehow we got off ballacne. the trunk tiped over and my assistant and I went tumbling to the floor. I thought, oh great! Ruined everything! This was supposed to be the finale!
Well after the performance I learned 2 important lessons.

1. The importance of winning the audiance from the very first trick. When you walk out to perform, look and act absolutely professional. I recently reviewed a video of Channng Pollock. I was very impressed with him from the very first and he hadn't even done anything. His stage presence is just amazing.

2. If you do number one, the audiance will be forgiving if something happens. After falling, I stood up, I walked to the front of the stage and said, "Ladies and gentleman, mistakes do happen, and that was one of them." I was amased, people clapped. After the show some came up and said. "too bad that happened, but how did she get out before you both fell?"

Hoe that things like this never happen to you. If it does, I hope you come out of it as well as I did.

Also when possible try not to tell the audience that you have messed up!But I see that you couldnt do it in your case I have done tricks like Diechiper and got the number wrong in front a a paid Crowd and I played it off like the number was the right one LOL BUt most of the time the audeince thinks it's just part of the show!

where can i get the dove in the pan trick that was talked about earlyer

I just tried doing a serch for it , it didnt show up... I would go to a local magic shop.

i'll never do an effect that involves subjecting an animal to pain or even mild discomfort or emotional duress. No exceptions. IMHO, anyone who thinks the wow factor of a given trick somehow justifies placing the comfort--or even the very LIFE--of a living, sentient creature in the slightest jeopardy is not someone i could ever find entertaining.