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An Evening with Michael Vincent and The Tapestry of Deception
Reviewed by Will Wood
A
lecture theatre at the University of Durham Queen’s Campus played host to about
twenty eager magicians from all over the country who had come together to share
in a very special event on 1st June 2006. Michael Vincent, introduced by the
current President of the Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians, Richard Cuthbert,
stepped up at the front of the stage to applause from those gathered, and
introduced himself. From this moment on, we were lucky enough to be present for
one of the most fresh and inspirational experiences that can be found within the
magic community at the moment. It was a date on the calendar which had been
widely anticipated, and we were not disappointed. Michael’s lecture deviates
from the normal format of a magician’s lecture, in the sense that rather than
demonstrating a string of effects and then explaining their working, he uses a
few set pieces to illustrate some very profound strategies on Audience Attention
Control (you might know it as Misdirection).
The evening began with a routine of cards and coins which was received with
generous amounts of applause, a feat rarely accomplished at a magic club! The
sheer grace and skill used within these routines demanded admiration, no matter
where your interests lie. The subtleties that were employed, and later
explained, were ingeniously clever, and once Michael began to perform (even
though the effects that he performed were nothing new) he created a truly
magical atmosphere. With so much saturation of the same magic being performed
over and over again on Television, it was truly refreshing to see a performer
whose skill was measured by the amount of thought and work that had gone into
his performance, rather than how “different” they could be. Michael’s technical
brilliance was shown by the way he manipulated his props and the way he
manipulated his audience’s attention. Although subconsciously recognising the
skill and effort involved within these routines, it was not until Michael
explained them and you began to really understand what made them work and why,
that you fully appreciated the value of Michael’s philosophies.
After a short break, Michael began the theoretical side of the lecture using the
routines he had shown us to demonstrate how to use Audience Attention Control to
its full potential. Michael explained how theories from Tamariz, Slydini, Alan
Alan, and Tommy Wonder (to name but a few!) had had a profound on the way that
he viewed magic, and from this process he had arrived at his own personal
philosophies regarding Audience Attention Control and its proper applications.
Michael emphasised the importance of taking advantage of the rhythm of Tension
and Relaxation, and by doing so you can make your “dirty work” invisible,
despite the fact that it happens directly in front of the audience. We all
understand the importance of technical skill and presentation, but Michael’s
thinking highlights the importance of how these two aspects of performance
should be inter-locked and not tackled separately.
Michael had obviously spent a great deal of time putting this lecture together
as it was well structured, thorough, and held everybody’s interest throughout.
The use of the power point presentation meant Michael could visualise his
philosophies, making them a lot easier to explain and teach to his audience. I
had the distinct impression that Michael could have spoken on the topic for
several more hours than we had that evening, but even so, he covered everything
that need to be covered and even provided us with further reading on some of the
topics or ideas that he hadn’t had time to go into fully.
Despite tackling this topic from a close up perspective, Michael’s theories
could be applied to any discipline found within magic and overall, I would say
that this lecture was the most valuable that I have ever witnessed. The lecture
is available in DVD format from Michael’s website at
www.magicofmagic.com
under the Magicians Only section but if you ever get the chance to see
him in person, don’t pass it up; The Tapestry of Deception will change
the way you think about magic, and if you apply what Michael teaches you will
become a better magician, it is that simple. Personally, I have come away from
the lecture with a new passion. Not to learn new tricks, but to make the effects
I already know more effective, by applying what I learnt and using Audience
Attention Control to it’s full potential.
© Will Wood, June 2006
Magic Clubs:
Michael is available to present this ground breaking presentation.
For all enquires call 0207 286 4523.