Old school

How old is old? Slight of hand has been used to deceive and entertain audiences for thousands of years. Two countries that have a deep history with magic are India and China. Even today, one can find fakirs working the streets in some cities across India. One of the oldest tricks that grew out of China and still used today is ‘the linking rings’. It’s a classic of magic and in the right hands, can be a beautiful piece of art. Perhaps one day in the future I’ll post a great linking routine that I enjoy. An old trick that originates out of India is the ‘Indian rope trick’. This is one of my favorite stage routines. I have never had the opportunity to witness it live but it’s one thing on my to-do list. In fact, I’m not aware of any magician that even does this trick in North America- or even outside of India (let me know if you know of someone!). I can only imagine what it must be like witnessing this in the middle of the hustle and bustle streets of a city in India- no smoke, no mirrors, pure magic. This past summer, India had a show on television called ‘Indias magic star’. This show was similar to American Idol…except it was Indian…and it was magicians competing against each other- not singers. Magician Sooraj (runner up) performed an excellent version of the Indian rope trick, and I include it here for your viewing (skip to about the one minute mark). Enjoy.