I will be hosting my first seminar on card magic and magic in general on Saturday 5th May 2012.

The Seminar will be your opportunity to learn some of my brand new routines which will not feature anywhere else except at my seminar.  Also, there will be numerous conversations throughout the day on magic as a craft, psychology, audience attention control, rapport dynamics and ample opportunities to improve your sleight of hand with my coaching and mentoring.

If you had the opportunity to spend the day with me to improve your skills, would you take it?

Consider this, the difference that can make the difference to you and your magic could be a simple conversation, an idea, a suggestion that can transform your point of view about your approach to magic.  My one day seminar will be your chance to bring your questions and concerns to the table and have them answered in a way that might make a profound difference to you.

I hope you you will consider joining us for a powerful and fun afternoon where the craft of magic will be discussed in a supportive environment.

To learn more about the seminar, the venue, and also about how you can register for the event, click here.

I look forward to hearing from you.

During my stay, I travelled three hours by train to the city of Aarhus to present my lecture “The Craft of Magic”.  I also presented my lecture to The Magic Circle of Denmark in Copenhagen.

One of the highlights of my trip was meet the fabulous Joachim Solberg.  Joachim was a protégé of the late Mike Skinner.  We spent a great time discussing magic and he fooled me badly with his rendition of “he Professors Nightmare.”

All in all, a great time away.

Now that I am back, I preparing my first ever master class and seminar for 2012.

Details to follow in the New Year, watch this space.

Mike and Joachim Solberg

Michael brings a magical show featuring Classical Magic, Mind Reading and elegant sleight of hand magic.

Join Michael and his friend Julian James for an evening of laughter and pure astonishment.

We look forward to seeing you there on one of the following dates.

Book early to avoid disappointment.

The dates are:

Sunday 6th May 2012
Click here to purchase your ticket for this date

Tickets and dates for the month of July: 3rd, 4th,5th & 6th July
Click here to purchase your ticket for this date

I was a privilege to appear on stage with the talented and courageous Adam Longley.  Adam was amongst many young and talented performers who came onstage and gave a presentation.  Adam presented a classic  of magic, The Cups and Balls with a Bill in Lemon finale’.   The audience were supportive and encouraging.  I joined Adam on stage and together we presented a choreographed sequence for The Linking Rings.

Available from Darwin Ortiz

Email: darwinortiz@aol.com

It has been seven years since Darwin Ortiz released a triple DVD set to the market place.  This new collection comes from L and L publishing and it is fantastic.  This new project is different to any of his previous releases for a number of reasons.

Firstly, with the exception of five effects, all of the material has appeared previously on DVD and in book form; “Darwin Ortiz At the Card Table”, “Cardshark” and Scams and Fantasies”. In the last five years, Darwin has released two additional DVDs both shot and released by International Magic featuring material, which appears on this new release. Only one item hasn’t been published yet.

You may be wondering what sets this new project apart from his previous efforts.

With “Nothing But The Best”, Darwin has taken material he has been performing for well over thirty years and decided to revisited them in the DVD format, (shot in High Definition.) This is to showcase how he now performs for laypeople; illustrating many of the concepts he has written about in his groundbreaking books “Strong Magic” and “Designing Miracles”.

This new project also features many new technical enhancements Darwin has added to his routines.  Many of the effects have become classics and it is a real treat to see them again presented to new and very appreciative audience.  It should be noted that the audience for this particular shoot featured only three people from previous L and L DVD shoots.  The rest of the audience comprised of lay people and this I think is what really adds to the quality of the presentation.  We get a real world response from real world people to world class magic.

The collection of material represents some of his finest creations. Each DVD begins with what I personally consider to be the most important part of any DVD project and that is a live performance of the material.  Not a single presentation of an effect and then the explanation, but a “show”.  The performances are quite frankly, wonderful and I believe this is where the real value of this product will be found.

On Disc One, Darwin opens with a routine from his first book “At The Card Table”, “The Vegas Shuffle”. I have used this effect since its first publication in 1988 and it is a powerful gambling routine, which starts out as an impressive piece of card control and ends with an impossible climax.  The next two items in this set features “The Psychotronic Card” and “Four To One”. These two routines feature visual card magic at its very best. The central piece in this act is the stunning “The Unholy Three”. This effect can’t really be followed because it is one of the most astonishing effects ever created.

The remaining three items are Darwin’s wonderful creations “Museum Piece”, “Test Your luck” and a performance of a brand new item called “Best of The Best” which is not explained and as yet unpublished.

The last three items in this performance set are strong effects, which provide a perfect balance to the act due to the powerful impact of “The Unholy Three”; they allow the audience time to catch their emotional breath.  The last item, “Best of The Best” is a perfect finish to the act because it brings the audience down to earth with a soft landing after the rollercoaster ride of card magic they have just witnessed.  This is a very powerful lesson in act construction and the emotional management of your audience.

I should also point out that during the explanations Darwin shares his latest technical developments.  For example, he has completely reworked the opening sequence of “Museum Piece”, which allows for a smoother handling and shows off a humorous dialogue between Darwin and an audience member.

The routines are explained in Darwin’s excellent teaching style and as an added bonus, he provides many hints and tips in the Theory Section; topics relating to “The Magical Experience”, “The Audience is not The Enemy, “Meaning”. Each Disc contains a Theory Section, which will provide useful information for all card men to consider.  You can think of the Theory Section as Darwin’s verbal commentary to his books “Strong Magic and Designing Miracles”.

On Disc Two, the material features “Beyond Collecting”, “Passing Through”, and “Hard Target” (which featured on a DVD Darwin made at an appearance for The International Magic Convention.) This is strong powerful card magic and the L and L crowed respond favourably.  This set completes with Darwin’s long-standing effect “New Hitchcock Aces”, “The Marker” “Darwin’s Wild Card” and “Supercharged Nine Card Location”, his brand new interpretation of his routine “The Nine Card Location“,

I believe Darwin’s routine for the ever-popular “Multiple Selection” is the first of where the audience feels they have shuffled the deck prior to the revelations.  The biggest problem with a routine of this type is the long drawn out selection procedure.  Darwin shares his latest developments to overcome this dead time.  The ideas and concept taught here is worth its weight in gold and can be incorporated into any existing routine you may do.  The Theory Section interspersed between the excellent teaching portion cover the “Conviction and Conditions”, “Causality” and “The Critical Interval”.

The Third Disc continues in the same vein with a powerful performance set featuring, “Jumping Gemini”, “The Lucky Deck”, “Modern Jazz Aces”, “The Dream Card”, Darwin’s Three Card Monte”, “The Ultimate Card Shark”, “Mexican Poker” and the outstanding “Blind Aces”.

A note about Blind Aces: This routine is a classic example of maximum impact achieved through a very simple means.  This routine is based on J.K Hartman’s “Upper Cut Aces” form CARD CRAFT.  Darwin has taken a great production of the four aces and applied some audience psychology, a little sleight of hand and theatrical staging to create a memorable “happening”, all done with a borrowed deck; this routine is a postgraduate course in how to sell an idea.  The audience’s psychology will do the rest.

There is a lot to absorb here because there is so much going on in terms of the technical management of the act, the build up and balance of the routines and also, how each routine registers strongly without treading on each other.  The balance of the act is a delicate thing and this performance in particular demonstrates how mastery in so many areas of a magical performance is critical for success.   Part 3 of “Strong Magic”, along with this performance will give you a crash course in the construction and build up of an act.

This DVD also represents a first in the Darwin Ortiz collection; this is the first time “The Ultimate Card Shark” has been explained.  I would advise you to study this routine in conjunction with the written explanation on page 73 of “Darwin Ortiz At The Card Table”. Darwin’s explanation is deliberately terse due the technically advanced nature of the piece. He shares his thoughts on “The In-Transit Action, and “Pacing” and “Handling with Hecklers” to complete Disc Three.

It has taken me a while to write this review because I feel this is an excellent product and was worthy of a detailed evaluation.  I have watched all three Disc several time while writing this review and I believe all lovers of elegantly crafted card magic will gain a lot from this new DVD release.  It was a brave move by Darwin to re-introduce his material to the market place in this way.  It could be considered a “re-hash” of previously released material, which to some degree would be correct.  However, to think in terms of a “re-hash” is to undermine the quality of the material and the underlying message not immediately apparent.  Study between the lines, don’t be  passive observer.

The value to be gained from this product will be different for each of us.  The universal value will come from studying the performance set and the explanations with a fine observant eye, keeping some questions in mind.

What can I learn from this?

How can I use this to improve the quality of my own performance?

What can I learn about act construction?

What can I learn about identity driven magic?

What can I learn about audience rapport and connection?

All of these questions will be answered and a lot more.

If you own Darwin’s earlier DVDs and watch them in relationship to “Noting But The Best”, I think you will find it revelatory, I did.  The one thing I have taken away in watching these new DVDs is the process of personal growth an artist must go through to actualise ones own potential and authentic self-expression.  The Darwin Ortiz that appears on his first video “At The Card Table” is not the same individual appearing on “Nothing but The Best”. As an artist grows in his self-expression this must have a positive impact on his material and how he relates this to his audience. I believe this is what makes this an important contribution to card magic and magic as a craft.

Highly Recommended.

This is a special event which celebrates the performing talents  of some of Britain brightest young stars.

See the poster below for details:

Click here to book your tickets

OVER THE WALL CHARITY EVENT

Michael will be joining his friend Julian James for  an evening of Classical Magic and Mind Reading in April at The Jermyn Street Theatre.

Michael and Julian worked together last year and the collaboration was a smash hit. Late Night Magic has been for running for 14 seasons and the team are back again for this new year with an exciting show for you.

Here are the details:

When: 1st, 8th and 15th April

Where: The Jermyn Street Theatre 16b Jermyn Street London, SW1Y 6ST

Time: Arrive: 10.45pm

Booking Tickets: You can book your tickets now for the event .  Click on the link/date that works for you best and you will be taken to online booking store to secure your seat. Book early to avoid disappointment

1st April

8th April

15th April

Michael Vincent and Julian James-Late Night Magic

It has been four years since the release of Darwin’s fabulous book “Designing Miracles” so I k now this new collection will be welcomed with open arms.  On this collection, Darwin takes us on a journey into the construction and design of his magic.  He takes an unconventional approach by revisiting material in his professional repertoire that he been performing for over thirty years and shares how his made improvements to the handling and presentation.  This is an extra-ordinary thing because you would think someone of his reputation and stature wouldn’t need to prefect his material because lets face it, his card magic is the finest material published in the world today.

What can we learn from this?

This is a perfect opportunity to study how a master of our craft thinks; if you want to be a world class cardician, you need a great role model and Darwin Ortiz is the absolute best.

Darwin has said to me that you can order his new DVDs from him directly, so send him an email and he will deal with your enquiry directly.

Click the link below.

Send An Email To Darwin To Register Your Interest

I will be reviewing this new DVD set as soon as I have watched them so stay tuned.

Darwin Ortiz is back with Nothing But The Best

My friend Andrew Haggar, who lives in Wigton assisted me in setting up this lecture and I want to acknowledge him for his efforts and also thank his wonderful family for allowing me to spend time with them.  Andrew was once a teacher at University College London and member of The Magic Circle.  He spends a lot of his time promoting magic in Sri Lanka.

I want to thank Andrew and Stuart for hosting my lecture and for making my stay in The Lake District so enjoyable.

Mike with The Members of The Cumbrian Magic Circle

This was organised by friend Dj Mr

Stay tuned to this blog post because I will source a web link for an mp3 recording of the interview for all you, my followers to enjoy.

In the meantime, if you all enjoy the very best RnB’ Jazz and funk Bang radio is the place to visit: www.bangradio.fm