Magic is a performing art that entertains an audience by creating illusions of impossible^[1] or supernatural^[2] feats, using purely natural means. The performing arts are those forms of Art which differ from the Plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own Body, Face and presence See also Entertainment (disambiguation and The Entertainer (disambiguation Entertainment is an activity designed to give people Brooklyn Book Festival crowd by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|An audience at the Brooklyn Book Festival in New York City. An illusion is a distortion of the senses revealing how the Brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events These feats are called magic tricks, effects or illusions.

An artist who performs illusions is called a magician. The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of Activities to do with creating Art, practicing the Arts and/or demonstrating Some performers may also be referred to by names reflecting the type of magical effects they present, such as prestidigitators, conjurors, illusionist, mentalists, ventriloquists, and escape artists. Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation ("quick fingers" or léger de main (from the French for "lightness of hand" The word conjuration (from Latin 'conjure' 'conjurare' to swear together can be interpreted in several different ways as an Invocation or Evocation (the latter Mentalism is an ancient performing art in which its practitioners known as mentalists, use mental acuity Cold reading, Warm reading, Hot reading Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps

Contents 1 History 2 Categories of effects 3 Secrecy 4 Learning magic 5 Types of magic performance 6 Misuse of magic 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Notes 8.2 Bibliography

History

The term "Magic" is etymologically derived from the Old Persian word Magi. The Magi (singular Magus, from Latin via Greek μάγος; Old English: Mage; from Persian maguš and Kurdish Performances we would now recognize as conjuring have probably been practiced throughout history. History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology The same level of ingenuity that was used to produce famous ancient deceptions such as the Trojan Horse would also have been used for entertainment, or at least for cheating in gambling games, since time immemorial. The Trojan Horse was part of the Trojan War, as told in Virgil 's Latin Epic poem The Aeneid. See also Entertainment (disambiguation and The Entertainer (disambiguation Entertainment is an activity designed to give people However, the profession of the illusionist gained strength only in eighteenth century, and has enjoyed several popular vogues. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system

From 1756 to 1781, Jacob Philadelphia performed feats of magic, sometimes under the guise of scientific exhibitions, throughout Europe and in Russia. Jacob Philadelphia was a Jewish magician, Physicist, Mechanic, Juggler, Astrologer, alchemist, and Kabbalist Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Modern entertainment magic owes much of its origins to Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-1871), originally a clockmaker, who opened a magic theatre in Paris in the 1840s. Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin ( December 6, 1805 – June 13, 1871) was a French magician. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city His speciality was the construction of mechanical automata which appeared to move and act as if they were alive. The British performer J N Maskelyne and his partner Cooke established their own theatre, the Egyptian Hall in London's Piccadilly, in 1873. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located John Nevil Maskelyne ( December 22, 1839 - May 18, 1917) was an English stage magician and inventor of the London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Piccadilly is a major London street running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east They presented stage magic, exploiting the potential of the stage for hidden mechanisms and assistants, and the control it offers over the audience's point of view. The escapologist and magician Harry Houdini (real name Ehrich Weiss, 1874 - 1926), took his stage name from Robert-Houdin and developed a range of stage magic tricks, many of them based on escapology (though that word was not used until after Houdini's death). Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps The son of a Hungarian rabbi, Houdini was genuinely highly skilled in techniques such as lockpicking and escaping straitjackets, but also made full use of the whole range of conjuring techniques, including fake equipment and collusion with individuals in the audience. Houdini's showbusiness savvy was as great as his performing skill. There is a Houdini Museum dedicated to him in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In addition to expanding the range of magic hardware, showmanship and deceptive technique, these performers established the modern relationship between the performer and the audience.

In this relationship, there is an unspoken agreement between the performer and the audience about what is going on. Unlike in the past, almost no performers today actually claim to possess supernatural powers. The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events There is a debate amongst people who perform mentalism as to whether or not to perform their style of magic as if they have real power or if they can simulate this power^[3]. Mentalism is an ancient performing art in which its practitioners known as mentalists, use mental acuity Cold reading, Warm reading, Hot reading

It is generally understood by most people that the effects in the performance are accomplished through sleight of hand (also called prestidigitation or léger de main), misdirection, deception, collusion with a member of the audience, apparatus with secret mechanisms, mirrors, and other trickery (hence the illusions are commonly referred to as "tricks"). Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation ("quick fingers" or léger de main (from the French for "lightness of hand" The performer seeks to present an effect so clever and skillful that the audience cannot believe their eyes, and cannot think of the explanation. The sense of bafflement is part of the entertainment. In turn, the audience play a role in which they agree to be entertained by something they know to be a deception. Houdini also gained the trust of his audiences by using his knowledge of illusions to debunk charlatans, a tradition continued by magicians such as James Randi, P. C. Sorcar, and Penn and Teller. James Randi (born August 7 1928 (stage name The Amazing Randi) is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of Paranormal PC Sorcar ( Bangla: পি সি সরকার ( February 23, 1913 - January 6, 1971) was the stage name of Protul Chandra Penn & Teller ( Penn Fraser Jillette and Teller) are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and Comedy.

Magic has come and gone in fashion. For instance, the magic show for much of the 20th century was marginalized in North America as largely children's entertainment. A revival started with Doug Henning, who reestablished the magic show as a form of mass entertainment with his distinctive look that rejected the old stereotypes and his exuberant sense of showmanship that became popular on both stage and numerous television specials. Douglas James Henning (May 3 1947 &ndash February 7 2000 was a Canadian magician, Illusionist and Escape artist. A television special is a Television program, typically a Short film or Television movie, which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally

Today, the art is enjoying a vogue, driven by a number of highly successful performers such as David Copperfield, Lance Burton, Penn and Teller, Derren Brown, Barry and Stuart, Criss Angel, Dorothy Dietrich, Greg Frewin and many other stage and TV performers. David Copperfield (born David Seth Kotkin; September 16, 1956) is a magician and illusionist Lance Burton (born William Lance Burton on March 10 1960 in Louisville Kentucky) is a Jewish American stage magician who performs nightly Penn & Teller ( Penn Fraser Jillette and Teller) are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and Comedy. Derren Victor Brown (born 27 February 1971 is an English magician, psychological Illusionist, Mentalist, painter and Barry Jones and Stuart MacLeod are a two-man magic act from the United Kingdom. Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (born December 19 1967 better known by his Stage name Criss Angel is an American of Greek descent Dorothy Dietrich is a female magician. She is one of very few women who have performed the Bullet catch and the only woman known to have caught it in the mouth Greg Frewin (born May 21 1967 in Hamilton Ontario, Canada) is an Illusionist and "World Champion of Magic". David Blaine is sometimes included in this category, though his major performances have been more a combination of Houdini-style escape tricks and physical endurance displays than the illusion magic performed by others. David Blaine White, known simply as David Blaine (born April 4 1973 is an American Guinness Book of Records World record -holder The mid-twentieth century saw magic transform in many different aspects. Some performers preferred to renovate the craft on stage (such as The Mentalizer Show in Times Square which mixed themes of spirituality and kabbalah with the art of magic). Spirituality, in a narrow sense concerns itself with matters of the Spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and Faith, a transcendent reality Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. Others successfully made the transition to TV, which opens up new opportunities for deceptions, and brings the performer to huge audiences. Most TV magicians are shown performing before a live audience, who provide the remote viewer with a reassurance that the illusions are not obtained with post production visual effects. Visual effects (commonly shortened to Visual F/X or VFX) are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a Live

Many of the basic principles of magic are comparatively old. There is an expression, "it's all done with smoke and mirrors", used to explain something baffling, but contrary to popular belief, effects are seldom achieved using mirrors today, due to the amount of work needed to install it and difficulties in transport. For example, the famous Pepper's Ghost, a stage illusion first used in 19th century London, required a specially built theatre. For the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -based rock ensemble see Pepper's Ghost (band. Modern performers have vanished objects as large as the Taj Mahal, Statue of Liberty, and the Space Shuttle, using other kinds of optical deceptions.

Categories of effects

There is much discussion among magicians as to how a given effect is to be categorized, and disagreement as to what categories actually exist -- for instance, some magicians consider "penetrations" to be a separate category, while others consider penetrations a form of restoration or teleportation. It is generally agreed that there are very few different types of effect. There has been disagreement between some magicians (such as Dariel Fitzkee, Harlan Tarbell, S. Dariel Fitzkee (1898-1977 was the pen name of Dariel Fitzroy He was a semi-professional magician/author born in Annawan Illinois Harlan Eugene Tarbell (1890-1960 was an American stage magician and illustrator of the early 20th century H. Sharpe) as to how many different types of illusion there are. Some of these are listed below.

• Production The magician produces something from nothing—a rabbit from an empty hat, a fan of cards from thin air, a shower of coins from an empty bucket, or the magician themselves, appearing in a puff of smoke on an empty stage -- all of these effects are productions.

• Vanishing The magician makes something disappear—a coin, a cage of doves, milk from a newspaper, an assistant from a cabinet, or even the Statue of Liberty. Making the Statue of Liberty seem to disappear on live television in 1983 is one of David Copperfield 's most memorable tricks A vanish, being the reverse of a production, may use a similar technique, in reverse.

• Transformation The magician transforms something from one state into another—a silk handkerchief changes colour, a lady turns into a tiger, an indifferent card changes to the spectator's chosen card. The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus A transformation can be seen as a combination of a vanish and a production.

• Restoration The magician destroys an object, then restores it back to its original state—a rope is cut, a newspaper is torn, a woman is sawn in half, a borrowed watch is smashed to pieces—then they are all restored to their original state. Sawing a woman in half is a generic name for a number of different stage Magic tricks in which a person (traditionally a female assistant) is apparently sawn in half

• Teleportation The magician causes something to move from one place to another—a borrowed ring is found inside a ball of wool, a canary inside a light bulb, an assistant from a cabinet to the back of the theatre. When two objects exchange places, it is called a transposition: a simultaneous, double teleportation.

• Levitation The magician defies gravity, either by making something float in the air, or with the aid of another object (suspension)—a silver ball floats around a cloth, an assistant floats in mid-air, another is suspended from a broom, a scarf dances in a sealed bottle, the magician hovers a few inches off the floor. There are many popular ways to create this illusion of the magician himself being levitated, such as the Balducci levitation, the King Rising, Criss Angel's stool levitations, and the Andruzzi levitations. The Balducci levitation is a Levitation Illusion that was first described by Ed Balducci. The King Rising Levitation is a Levitation Illusion developed by and named after Corey King Tony Andruzzi (1925 - December 22 1991 born Antonio C Andruzzi in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was a professional magician.

• Penetration The magician makes a solid object pass through another—a set of steel rings link and unlink, a candle penetrates an arm, swords pass through an assistant in a basket, a saltshaker penetrates the table-top, a man walks through a mirror. Sometimes referred to as 'solid-through-solid'.

• Prediction The magician predicts the choice of a spectator, or the outcome of an event under seemingly impossible circumstances—a newspaper headline is predicted, the total amount of loose change in the spectator's pocket, a picture drawn on a slate. Prediction forms the basis for most 'pick-a-card' tricks, where a random card is chosen, then revealed to be known by the performer.

Many magical routines use combinations of effects. For example, in the famous 'cups and balls' a magician may use vanishes, productions, penetrations, teleportations and transformations all as part of the one presentation.

Secrecy

The purpose of a magic trick is to amuse and create a feeling of wonder; the audience is generally aware that the magic is performed using trickery, and derives enjoyment from the magician's skill and cunning. Traditionally, magicians refuse to reveal the secrets to the audience. The reasons include:

• Exposure is claimed to "kill" magic as an artform and transforms it into mere intellectual puzzles and riddles. Exposure in magic refers to the practice of making magical methods (the "secrets" of how Magic tricks are performed available to those who are not magicians It is argued that once the secret of a trick is revealed to a person, that one can no longer fully enjoy subsequent performances of that magic, as the amazement is missing. Sometimes the secret is so simple that the audience feels let down, and feels disappointed it was taken in so easily.
• Keeping the secrets preserves the professional mystery of magicians who perform for money.

Membership in professional magicians' organizations often requires a solemn commitment to the "Magician's Oath" never to reveal the secrets of magic to non-magicians.

The Magician's Oath (though it may vary, 'The Oath' takes the following, or similar form):

"As a magician I promise never to reveal the secret of any illusion to a non-magician, unless that one swears to uphold the Magician's Oath in turn. I promise never to perform any illusion for any non-magician without first practicing the effect until I can perform it well enough to maintain the illusion of magic. "

Once sworn to The Oath, one is considered a magician, and is expected to live up to this promise. A magician who reveals a secret, either purposely or through insufficient practice, may typically find oneself without any magicians willing to teach one any more secrets.

However, it is considered permissible to reveal secrets to individuals who are determined to learn magic and become magicians. It is typically a sequential process of increasingly valuable and lesser known secrets. The secrets of almost all magical effects are available to the public through numerous books and magazines devoted to magic, available from the specialized magic trade. There are also web sites which offer videos, DVDs and instructional materials. In this sense, there are very few classical illusions left unrevealed, however this does not appear to have diminished the appeal of performances. In addition, magic is a living art, and new illusions are devised with surprising regularity. Sometimes a 'new' illusion will be built on an illusion that is old enough to have become unfamiliar.

Some magicians have taken the controversial position that revealing the methods used in certain works of magic can enhance the appreciation of the audience for cleverness of magic. Penn and Teller frequently perform tricks using transparent props to reveal how it is done, for example, although they almost always include additional unexplained effects at the end that are made even more astonishing by the revealing props being used. Penn & Teller ( Penn Fraser Jillette and Teller) are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and Comedy.

Often what seems to be a revelation of a magical secret is merely another form of misdirection. For instance, a magician may explain to an audience member that the linking rings "have a hole in them" and hand the volunteer two unlinked rings, which the volunteer finds to have become linked as soon as he handles them. At this point the magician may shove his arm through the ring ('the hole in the ring'), proclaiming: "See? Once you know that every ring has a hole, it's easy!"

See also: Intellectual rights to magic methods

Learning magic

The teaching of performance magic was once a secretive art. Intellectual rights to magic methods refers to the legal and ethical debate about the extent to which Proprietary or Exclusive rights may subsist in the methods or Professional magicians were unwilling to share knowledge with anyone outside the profession to prevent the laity from learning their secrets. This made it difficult for an interested apprentice to learn magic beyond the basics. Some had strict rules against members discussing magic secrets with anyone but established magicians.

From the 1584 publication of Reginald Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft until the end of the 19th century, only a few books were available for magicians to learn the craft. Reginald Scot (c 1538 - 1599 was the English Author of The Discoverie of Witchcraft, which was published in 1584 Books remain extremely useful today, and are still considered the best way for a student to learn magic. Videos and DVDs are a newer medium of tuition, which many inexperienced magicians rely on as a primary source of information; in reality, many of the methods found in this format are readily found in previously published books. However, they can serve useful as a visual demonstration.

Nowadays, magicians can join magic clubs. A magic club is any group of local magicians who meet together on a regular basis Here magicians, both seasoned and novitiate, can work together and help one another for mutual improvement, to learn new techniques, to discuss all aspects of magic, to perform for each other — sharing advice, encouragement and criticism. Before a magician can join one of these clubs, they usually have to perform an audition. The purpose is to show to the membership that they are a magician and not just someone off the street wanting to discover magical secrets.

The world's largest magic organization is the International Brotherhood of Magicians; it publishes a monthly journal, The Linking Ring. International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM is the world's largest organization for professional and amateur magicians, with approximately 15000 members worldwide The Linking Ring is a monthly publication by the International Brotherhood of Magicians. The oldest organization is the Society of American Magicians, of which Houdini was a member. The Society of American Magicians (SAM is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world In London, England, there is The Magic Circle which houses the largest magic library in Europe. The Magic Circle is a British Organisation dedicated to magic. Also PSYCRETS - The British Society of Mystery Entertainers, which caters specifically to mentalists, bizarrists, storytellers, readers, spiritualist performers, and other mystery entertainers. The Magic Castle in Hollywood is home to the Academy of Magical Arts. The Magic Castle is the most famous magic night club in the world The Academy of Magical Arts is an organization devoted to the promotion and development of the art of magic.

Types of magic performance

Magic performances tend to fall into a few specialities or genres.

• Stage illusions are performed for large audiences, typically within an auditorium. The term mentalist refers to entertainers whose performance appears to be based on " Psychic " abilities featuring the ability to read minds project the This type of magic is distinguished by large-scale props, the use of assistants and often, exotic animals such as elephants and tigers. Some famous stage illusionists, past and present, include Harry Blackstone, Sr., Howard Thurston, Chung Ling Soo, David Copperfield, Siegfried & Roy, and Harry Blackstone, Jr.
• Cabaret magic, Platform magic or Stand-up magic are terms used to describe magic performed for a medium to large audience. Harry Blackstone ( September 27, 1885 - November 16, 1965) was a famed stage magician and illusionist of the 20th century Howard Thurston (July 20 1869 &ndash April 13 1936 was a world-famous stage magician from Columbus Ohio. Chung Ling Soo was the stage name of American Stage magician William Ellsworth Robinson (1861-1918 David Copperfield (born David Seth Kotkin; September 16, 1956) is a magician and illusionist Siegfried & Roy are two German-American entertainers working in Las Vegas, USA. Harry Blackstone Jr ( June 30 1934 – May 14 1997) was an American stage magician, author and Television Night club magic and comedy club magic are also examples of this form. The term parlor magic is sometimes used but is considered pejorative. This genre includes the skilled manipulation of props such as billiard balls, card fans, doves, rabbits, silks, and rope. Examples of such magicians include Jeff McBride, Penn & Teller, David Abbott, Channing Pollock, Black Herman, and Fred Kaps. Jeff McBride (also known as Magnus) (born September 11, 1959) is an American magician. Penn & Teller ( Penn Fraser Jillette and Teller) are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and Comedy. For the longrunning American magic convention see Abbott's Get Together. Channing Pollock may refer to Channing Pollock (writer Channing Pollock (magician Benjamin Rucker (born in Amherst Virginia in 1892-1934 was an American stage magician, better known by his stage name Black Herman. Fred Kaps (official name Abraham Pieter Adrianus Bongers) ( June 8, 1926 &ndash July 22, 1980) was a Dutch magician
• Close-up magic is performed with the audience close to the magician, sometimes even one-on-one. It usually makes use of everyday items as props, such as cards and coins (see Coin magic) and seemingly 'impromptu' effects. A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper thin card or thin plastic figured with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing Card games main - title Coin keywords numismatics coin review Coin magic is a general term for magical performances employing one or more Coins which are manipulated to deceive and baffle the audience This is also called "table magic" particularly when performed as dinner entertainment. Ricky Jay and Lee Asher, following in the traditions of Dai Vernon, Slydini and Max Malini, are considered among the foremost practitioners of close-up magic. Ricky Jay (born Richard Jay Potash; 1948 is an American Stage magician Actor, and Writer. Lee Asher (born 1976 is a close-up magician noted for originating new Card tricks and hypnotic Sleight of hand moves Dai Vernon (June 11 1894 &ndash August 21 1992 was a Canadian magician. Slydini (born 1901 Foggia, Italy, died 1991 was a world renowned magician. Max Malini (born Max Katz Breit 1873 - October 3, 1942) was a magician who at his peak performed for several U
• Escapology is the branch of magic that deals with escapes from confinment or restraints. Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps Harry Houdini is a well-known example of an escapologist.
• Mentalism creates the impression in the minds of the audience that the performer possesses special powers to read thoughts, predict events, control other minds, and similar feats. Mentalism is an ancient performing art in which its practitioners known as mentalists, use mental acuity Cold reading, Warm reading, Hot reading It can be presented on a stage, in a cabaret setting, before small close-up groups, or even for one spectator. Magicians in this field include Alexander, Theodore Annemann, Banachek, David Berglas, Derren Brown, Kuda Bux, Bob Cassidy, Chan Canasta, Corinda, Joseph Dunninger, Uri Geller, Luke Jermay, Kreskin, Al Koran, Max Maven, Richard Osterlind, The Piddingtons, Ehud Segev, The Zancigs. Claude Alexander Conlin (1880 - 1954 also known as Alexander, C Theodore 'Theo' Annemann (stage name Ted Anneman born Theodore John Squires (1907 &ndash January 12 1942 was an American professional magician who specialized For the 1970's TV detective series see Banacek. Banachek (born 1960 as Steven Shaw) is an American mentalist. David Berglas (born July 30 1926) is an English psychological Illusionist and Mentalist. Derren Victor Brown (born 27 February 1971 is an English magician, psychological Illusionist, Mentalist, painter and The BUX is a stock index of large companies traded on the Budapest Stock Exchange. Bob Cassidy (b 1949 Kearny New Jersey is an American Mentalist, speaker and author of several books widely regarded as classics in the field including The Art of Mentalism Chan Canasta ( January 9, 1920 - April 22, 1999) born in Kraków, Poland, was a pioneer of mental magic in the Corinda is a suburb in Brisbane, Australia. Located approximately 9km southwest of the Brisbane central business district, Corinda is a quiet and green Joseph Dunninger ( April 28 1892 - March 9 1975) known as "The Amazing Dunninger" was one of the most famous and proficient Uri Geller (אורי גלר born György Gellér ( Hungarian name December 20, 1946) is an Israeli British performer Luke Jermay (born 7 March 1985 in Basildon, Essex, England) is an English magician, Mentalist and Writer. George Joseph Kresge Jr (born January 12, 1935) better known as The Amazing Kreskin, is a Mentalist who became Al Koran (1914-1972 was a British Mentalist (real name Edward Doe who was also an author and the magic inventor of the effect known as 'Ring Flite' Max Maven (born Philip Goldstein in 1950 is an American magician and mentalist. Richard Osterlind (born March 6, 1948) is an internationally famous Mentalist who has created many magic effects and mentalist routines widely in use by Sydney Piddington (1918-1991 and Lesley Piddington (1925- were a husband and wife Mentalism team who performed as The Piddingtons and gave one of the Ehud Segev (born 1979) is an Israeli Performer. He recently was eliminated from NBC 's reality competition Phenomenon.

• Children's magic is performed for an audience primarily composed of children. It is typically performed at a birthday party, daycare or preschool, elementary school, Sunday School, or library. This type of magic is usually comedic in nature and involves audience interaction as well as volunteer assistants.
• Online magic tricks were designed to function on a computer screen. The computer essentially replaces the magician. Some online magic tricks recreate traditional card tricks and require user participation, while others, like Plato's Cursed Triangle are based on mathematical, geometrical and/or optical illusions. One such online magic trick, called Esmeralda's Crystal Ball, became a viral phenomenon that fooled so many computer users into believing that their computer had supernatural powers, that Snopes dedicated a page to debunking the trick.
• Corporate Magic or Trade Show Magic uses magic as a communication and sales tool, as opposed to just straightforward entertainment. Snopes (ˈsnoʊps also known as the Urban Legends Reference Pages, is a Web site that is the most widely-known resource for validating or debunking Urban legends Corporate magicians may come from a business background and typically present at meetings, conferences and product launches. They run workshops and can sometimes be found at trade shows, where their patter and illusions enhance an entertaining presentation of the products offered by their corporate sponsors. The pioneer performer in this arena is Eddie Tullock. ^[4]
• Gospel Magic uses magic to catechize and evangelize. Gospel Magic is a specialized form of stage magic. It refers to the use of otherwise standard magic tricks and Illusions to catechize those preparing for sacraments Gospel magic was first used by St. Don Bosco to interest children in 19th century Turino, Italy to come back to school, accept assistance and to attend church. Saint John Bosco (born 'Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco' and known in English as Don Bosco ( August 16 1815 &ndash January 31 1888 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest
• Street magic is a form of street performing or busking that employs a hybrid of stage magic, platform and close-up magic, usually performed 'in the round' or surrounded. Street Magic is the second book in the quartet The Circle Opens by acclaimed fantasy author Tamora Pierce. Busking is the practice of performing in Public places for Tips and Gratuities. Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any Theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area Notable modern street magic performers include Jeff Sheridan and Gazzo. Jeff Sheridan (b 1948 real name Jeff Mazzio is an American magician who started his career by specializing in Street magic. The term "street magic" has recently (since the first David Blaine TV special "Street Magic" aired in 1997) come to be used to describe a style of "guerilla" performance where magicians approach and perform for unsuspecting members of the public on the street. David Blaine White, known simply as David Blaine (born April 4 1973 is an American Guinness Book of Records World record -holder Unlike traditional street magic, this style is almost purely designed for TV and gains its impact from the wild reactions of the public. Magicians of this type include David Blaine, Criss Angel and Cyril Takayama. David Blaine White, known simply as David Blaine (born April 4 1973 is an American Guinness Book of Records World record -holder Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (born December 19 1967 better known by his Stage name Criss Angel is an American of Greek descent Cyril Takayama (born 1973) is an American/Japanese/French Illusionist.
• Bizarre magic uses mystical, horror, fantasy and other similar themes in performance. Bizarre Magic, or Bizarre Magick is a branch of Stage magic, or conjuring like Stage illusions, Sleight of hand, or Children's magic. Mysticism (from the Greek grc μυστικός mystikos, an initiate of a Mystery religion) is the pursuit of communion with identity Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Bizarre magic is typically performed in a close-up venue, although some performers have effectively presented it in a stage setting. Charles Cameron has generally been credited as the "godfather of bizarre magic. Charles Cameron ( October 31 1927 – January 1 2001) was a professional magician who specialized in a style known as bizarre " Others, such as Tony Andruzzi, contributed significantly to its development. Tony Andruzzi (1925 - December 22 1991 born Antonio C Andruzzi in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was a professional magician.
• Shock magic is a genre of magic that shocks the audience, hence the name. Sometimes referred to as "geek magic," it takes its roots from circus sideshows, in which "freakish" performances were shown to audiences. Common shock magic or geek magic effects include eating razor blades, needle-through-arm, string through neck and pen-through-tongue. Needle-through-arm is a magic effect that was popularized by comedy actor/magician Harry Anderson. Magicians known for performing shock magic include Criss Angel, Andrew Mayne, Sean Fields, and Brian Brushwood. Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (born December 19 1967 better known by his Stage name Criss Angel is an American of Greek descent Andrew Mayne is a magician, illusion designer and Filmmaker. He has written and produced over thirty books DVDs Sean Fields is a Canadian Magician. Born in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada Fields grew up learning magic Brian Brushwood (born 1975 is an American magician who performs nationwide

Misuse of magic

In modern conjuring, it is not considered ethical to give a performance which claims to be anything other than a clever and skillful deception.

Fraudulent psychics or mediums have long capitalised on the popular belief in ESP and other paranormal phenomena for financial gain. Extrasensory perception (ESP is the apparent ability to acquire information by Paranormal means independent of any known physical Senses or deduction from previous Paranormal is an Umbrella term used to describe unusual Phenomena or experiences that lack an obvious Scientific explanation Controversy still surrounds the hugely successful 1970s illusionist Uri Geller and his ability to bend spoons, for instance. Uri Geller (אורי גלר born György Gellér ( Hungarian name December 20, 1946) is an Israeli British performer During the height of the vogue for Spiritualism and the wave of popularity for séances from the 1840s to the 1920s, many fraudulent mediums used conjuring methods to perform illusions such as table-knocking, slate-writing, and telekinetic effects. Spiritualism is a Religion founded in part on the writings of the Swedish mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772 A séance (ˈsay-ons is an attempt to communicate with spirits The word " séance " comes from the French word for "seat" "session" The term psychokinesis (from the Greek ψυχή, "psyche" meaning mind soul heart or breath; and κίνησις, "kinesis" The great escapologist and illusionist Harry Houdini devoted much of his time to exposing such fraudulent operators. Magicians James Randi and Penn & Teller are involved in similar debunking today. James Randi (born August 7 1928 (stage name The Amazing Randi) is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of Paranormal Penn & Teller ( Penn Fraser Jillette and Teller) are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and Comedy. Randi has, for example, shown how people have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous faith healers who, using simple sleight-of-hand, remove chicken-giblet "tumors" from the patient's abdomen. Faith healing is the attempt to use Religious or spiritual means such as Prayer, mental practices spiritual insights or other techniques to prevent More recently, British magicians Barry and Stuart used some of the Biblical accounts of miracles as inspiration for the tricks they presented in two TV specials. Barry Jones and Stuart MacLeod are a two-man magic act from the United Kingdom.

Con men and grifters often use techniques of conjuring for fraudulent goals. A confidence trick or confidence game (also known as a bunko, con, flim flam, gaffle, grift, scam, scheme Cheating at card games is an obvious example. A card game is any Game using Playing cards either traditional or game-specific Other scams continue to defraud the innocent, despite having been exposed and debunked. The Real Hustle is a BBC Television series made by Objective Productions and written by Alex Conran and Paul Wilson The card trick known as "Find the Lady" or "Three-card Monte" is an old favourite of street hustlers, who lure the victim into betting on what seems like an easy and obvious win. Three-card Monte, also known as the Three-card marney, Three-card trick, Three-card shuffle, Triplets, Follow the lady, Another example is the shell game, in which a pea is hidden under one of three walnut shells, then shuffled around the table (or sidewalk) so slowly as to make the pea's position seemingly obvious. This article deals with the con game For other meanings see Shell game (disambiguation. Although these are well-known as frauds, people are still fooled enough to lose money on them.

See also

• American Museum of Magic
• Indian magicians

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Milbourne Christopher (1962). Milbourne Christopher (1914 - 1984 was one of America's foremost illusionists, performing in sixty-eight countries Panorama of Magic.  
• Dunninger, Joseph. Joseph Dunninger ( April 28 1892 - March 9 1975) known as "The Amazing Dunninger" was one of the most famous and proficient The Complete Encyclopedia of Magic.  
• Randi, James (1992). James Randi (born August 7 1928 (stage name The Amazing Randi) is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of Paranormal Conjuring: A Definitive History. Conjuring is a book by James Randi. Randi gives a detailed history of conjuring more commonly known as magic. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312086342.  
• Randi, James (1982). James Randi (born August 7 1928 (stage name The Amazing Randi) is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of Paranormal Flim-Flam!. Prometheus Books. ISBN 0879751983.  

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