An amateur magician is anyone who has a minimum amount of talent, skill and knowledge when it comes to performing magic tricks. He or she may be anyone who knows one magic trick or at least three magic tricks.

But basically, a more technical definition of an amateur magician is anyone who does not in any way practice magic as their trade, even if he or she knows four, five, six or more than a number of magic tricks. This is regardless of how good, better or excellent he or she may be in performing flourishes, sleight of hand or optical illusions.

However, there are those amateur magicians who try their very best to expand their current knowledge as well as repertoire and still practice magic as their primary source of income. People who do this are usually called hedge magicians. This is in order to differentiate them from authentic professional magicians who make practicing and performing magic as a trade and make an actual living doing so.

Meanwhile a professional magician is anyone who has a little bit more knowledge and talent compared to an amateur magician. These professional magicians know sufficient magic that makes it enough for them to use it as their primary source of trade and income, as well as not using magic to assist them in a trade other than magic.

So technically, even if a barber performs his job using magic and no matter how many tricks he or she knows and is capable of, that barber is still not considered as a professional magician because his primary trade is cutting hairs and not necessarily being a magician. Another way to differentiate a professional magician from an amateur is by the way he or she does flourishes.

According to the Online Encylopedia of Magic, a flourish is any sleight that is performed for the purpose of entertaining an audience and does not in any way contain any moves that are hidden. Most sleights that are performed are done so in order to deceive a captive audience and to do something that can not be detected. Meanwhile, a flourish is any trick that is done to draw the audience’s attention away from where an actual sleight is simultaneously being performed.

There are some magicians who consider the performance of a flourish as simply a finger exercise and not really actual pieces of performance. But those magicians who do put in and include flourishes in their act are considered by some of their fellow magicians as a seriously skilled performer.

If a performance consists of a card trick wherein the cards are spread out on the table and when a performer does a pressure card fan, the image that that performer projects is one of professionalism and experience. But a performer of magic who simply holds the cards and then spreads them slightly, may then be considered more as an amateur. Although this may or may not be true or this may not be considered as a hard fact, this is the perception and the impression that a performing magician usually gives to an audience.

Flourishes are done not just as a form of show-off to the audience, a flourish is also done for the purpose of presenting just how a performer is truly dedicated to the magic act. It also shows the degree of professionalism one has for the performance.

When a flourish is done, it makes it easier to know the difference between a magic trick performed by an expert magician and your friendly neighborhood Jim who is doing a card trick.

A skilled performer comes off as a natural and will ultimately receive more credit for his or her performance as well as recognition, not to mention that good old respect for the skills he or she has.

When a spectator is looking at a magic trick where the occasional flourish is done, that performer is also seen as more than a magician but a person who is passionate at what he or she is doing. It is therefore so much easier to hire a magician who has more skills and experience than one who needs to practice his or her craft more.

About the author:

Preston Houer has been involved with the art of illusion and sleight of hand for over 30 years. Let Preston show you how to Have Fun With Magic. Visit His Site Today! http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com

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Magic may be an art form, but for many of us it’s also a way of life-and a way to make money. For all you who are interested in turning magic from a hobby into a career, there are several things you need to know about the business side of magic.

Develop a “Hook”

What makes you different from all the other performers out there? What is your unique angle? What makes you shine and stand out from the crowd?

Ideally, your show or your persona should strive, in some way, to differentiate from everything else that’s out there at the moment. Now I’m not saying you should go out on a limb and try something totally crazy and overly ambitious. But it’s smart to give clients even more of a reason to hire you and not someone else.

So, for example, you could concentrate on one particular area within magic and cultivate it as a specialty. That would ultimately allow you to market yourself as, say, “The Mentalist Magician” or “Merlin the Mind-Reader” (okay, you can probably come up with something a LOT better, but this is just to give you an idea of what I mean!).

Give Them What They Want

Yes, it’s important to cultivate a show and a career based upon your own interests. Being passionate about something is the only true pathway to success. But at the same time, I see so many magicians who are going out of their way to do tricks and illusions that they love-but that audiences hate. Try to steer clear of wildly unpopular areas of the magic profession or of tricks that everyone knows the secrets to already. Instead, pick tricks that are proven to win people over and that there is great demand for, especially in your region.

About the author:

This article is extracted from ‘Discover The Magic Trick Secrets You’re Not Supposed To Know’, full details can be found at http://www.discovermagictricks.com

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With magic, illusions, spells, tricks and ceremonials are usually performed for entertainment. It is a supernatural power which makes the seemingly impossible occur.

‘Looking Back’

In ancient Egypt, there was a magician named Dedi who performed in front of a crowd, where he supposedly beheaded two birds and one ox. He eventually restored the heads of these three animals.

Because of this, the Egyptians were considered to be the first magicians recorded in history.

As the popularity of magic developed, tricks involving cups and balls were shown to the public. Then, playing cards, silver coins and dice were added to their slew of magical tricks.

Later on, ancient Greek magicians invented tricks involving the human body. A trick where a performer thrusts a dagger through one’s arm without being hurt has been developed and shown in public places.

The ancient Chinese civilization also paved the way for magic. The “linking rings” is one of the earliest tricks ever invented. To begin with, a number of rings link themselves. The rings are made up of solid metal and the illusion is that they eventually unlink themselves.

‘Famous Magicians’

One of the greatest magicians of all time is Harry Houdini. He started as a trapeze performer in the late 1800’s and eventually became famous for his magical abilities.

He was an “escape artist” who bonded himself using locks or ropes and eventually extricated himself.

Spanish, Italian, British, French and American magicians presented their acts as magic regained popularity in the 1920’s.

‘Sawing a Woman in Half’

In 1921, the world first witnessed a magician saw a woman in half. British performer Percy Tibbles cut through a box containing his woman assistant. After the trick, she appeared without a harm.

This trick became even more complicated when the woman assistant was ‘operated on’ with her hands, head and feet in full view of the audience. The assistant was sawed in half using a power-driven saw, and was later restored without a scratch on her head.

‘Reaching a Wider Audience’

Before, magicians only performed in theaters which were open to the public where food and drinks were offered but the magic tricks were performed without any fee given by the viewers.

By the mid-1900’s, they paved the doors for magicians to be ‘professional performers’ by requiring the public viewers to pay for watching magic shows.

In the 1950’s, television was invented so magicians were able to reach an even wider audience spectrum.

During the 70’s, Siegfried and Roy re-ignited the interest in magical tricks by making large animals disappear. David Copperfield is also a major player in the field of magicians who offered great entertainment to the viewing public.

About the author:

Preston Houer has been involved with the art of illusion and slight of hand for over 30 years. Let Preston show you how to Have Fun With Magic. Visit His Site Today! http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com

Technorati Tags: MagicalHypnotist, Magical, Magician, Illusionist, Illusion, Hypnotist, Stage Hypnotist, Stage Hypnosis, Hypnosis, Hypnotism, Comedy, Comedian, Mark Hamilton, Hamilton, Magical Hypnotist, Comedy Magician