I have a client who wants to participate in the Miss America pageant preliminaries using magic as her talent. She's never done magic in the past and doesn't have a "talent" yet. In addition to her coaches, I've tried to steer her in another direction but she is insistent. That being said, let's start recommending illusions for her show. Here are the requirements.

1) 90 seconds in length
2) One-woman act (no assistants)

I think that's about it. What would you guys recommend for some good illusions? I've already made my recommendations and want to see if you all come up with something different.

This girl came into the local magic shop recently and bought a bunch of magic tricks.
She was a "burlesque" dancer, if that's what you want to call it.
I saw the act and it was horrible. Absolutely horrible!

It is impossible for someone who has never had any interest in magic, to buy some tricks, and present them in a way that is entertaining.
All it does is make them look stupid and make magic look stupid.

If I was you, I would refuse to help in any way. Because no matter what you do, it's going to suck.
This is one of the problems with magic today. People think you can go into a magic store and come out a magician, and it's simply not true.

She is going to lose Lose LOSE!

A lota bowl does not a magician make.

Randi

You are absolutely right...but she's GOING to buy the effect somewhere so it might as well be me who sells it to her.

But hey...she is determined to practice a lot and take this as a learning experience (so that's good). But if she has no talent, might as well pick magic. She'll be at least able to do a trick on stage. Granted it won't be good...but she'll probably do it and amaze a couple people. Beats standing up there and reading a monologue which we all know means you have no talent.

Get a velvet "rope" from a fabric store and teach her a simple rope routine- "Catch a Knot", "Sliding Knot", "Bow Knot" and "Rope through Neck." If she needs more time, a cut and restored rope ending would be good. Giving her a magic box illusion to perform will only show she has money, not talent. Performing a rope routine, like the one described, will actually show she has talent and help her win, assuming she has the other gifts and talents required.

I agree...but that's more from a magician standpoint. Many lay people don't understand the difference in watching a technically demanding routine from a box trick. They just want to see magic.

PS - I sold her the Tora Vanishing/Appearing Rabbit/Dove illusion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt_057KYuaU

I wouldn't be so disparaging. Make it clear that you while she can buy a few effects, and do them in a show, its going to look like she bought a few effects to do them in a show. If she wants them to look like magic, she needs to practice those routines. And practice them some more. Usually pageant contestants will do that, and you can usually tell the ones who practice from the ones who do not. If she doesn't she won't make it past the prelims, and that will be the end of it. It's not the quantity of effects, its the quality. How many magicians do you know that only do a hand-full of effects and absolutely slay with them because they have been doing them and practicing them for years.

I would have her stay away from using any animals because of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). It can mess up her rating.

A few Costume Changes to herself would be great. Have each outfit similar to the styles they have in the pageant. Make the last outfit a bikini. Have her start to music as she dances. A few seconds she steps inside a solid phone booth like object and comes out in a new costume dancing with the different type of music. Make 4 or 5 changes.

Why be so negative towards her, why not try to help her out? What can she do? Can she dance? If so then why not suggest an elegant routine, perhaps a silk routine, choreographed to music?

If you like, feel free to point her in my direction. I'm more than happy to suggest a few things and help her out with her routine.

Because a lot of us are tired of magic being a joke to the rest of the world.

The truth... If she is picking magic as a talent, and she has never performed magic, then that obviously means she has no talent. If she has no talent, she has no business running for Miss America.
Plain and simple.
The only outcome will be another strike against magic... and I need work.. and I don't want to do kids shows.

Randi

But Randi, she might be able to help you with more business. If the world see her perform magic in a talented way from all our support, it might increase you getting more business. It will help show the world how talented female magicians really are. By the way, Randi, why don't you run for Miss America the year after? You are cute and talented you know.

I have to side with Randi on this one. If she has never done it before, this is risky at best to do for the first time. Becky Blaney did magic for her talent when she was competing but she had been raised in the business. Harry Blackstone in one of his last appearances used magic (performed by him) on the Miss America show. Most of those girls could not even hit their marks yet alone do magic. They were too busy showing off all the cosmetic enhancements and smiling to even be aware of anything else.

I have no problem selling her a prop as she is going to buy it anyway. But I like that you sold her a more less self working prop. And when it fails, she can just say it is because it was made in Iran.

Richard

I doubt it very seriously that it will help.... and I am 40 years old.

Randi

Randi, you spelled "young" the wrong way.

Lol at all you guys. Thanks for the input. Yeah, I tried to sell a self-working prop and that way she can work on presentation. She has no talent - so no singing, dancing, acting, etc. Awesome. Anyway, she sounds very serious and tenacious and just because she doesn't have a formal talent doesn't mean she can't do well with some work. We all started somewhere. Who knows. I wanted her to be realistic about what to expect.

About PETA - I agree that could be a bad thing for her. BUT I think a cute bunny routine could be good for her. She could play the angle the right way and probably do well with it. Her "thing" is helping mentally challenged children. The animals will look good with that too, I'd suspect. She seems like a genuinely nice young lady with a heck of a lot of determination. We'll see if she ends up winning Miss Texas.

She too was interested in costume changes. As about the only form in all magic that I have ZERO experience with, I couldn't make any recommendations to her regarding quick change. I have some contacts I suppose I could send her way though.

Anyway, thanks everyone for the conversation. Enjoyed the inputs.

Great concept -- enter a talent contest and then choose a talent.

How about a ventriloquism act with the dummy being a little pageant queen (over-dressed and made up)? She could use the "whisper" technique so she wouldn't have to learn how to speak without moving lips.

She could interview the little pageant queen, asking the same questions they ask the contestants. Could be very funny and someone else could write it for her if she's incapable of that, too.

Actually, I'm starting to think that I may develop this for my own act!

This is what I recommend - one emotionally charged effect that evokes wonder with a simple method allowing her to just focus on presentation - one and no other. That is all it takes - and it should not be flashy - allowing her usual self you described to highlight a softer gentler mysterious side - to really show she is well rounded.

For an example that ties into the style people have described - get metamorphosis from cardshark Christian S. a close intimate demonstration for the judges - let the mysterious and the feminine power be projected thru that - if she works on just the presentation and script adapting it to herself - it will make a stronger impression than cheapo magic tricks out of the box

Now ignore all I said and let her find her own way by first figuring out why she chose magic versus anything else anyway - I would have thought she could do a cleaned up burlesque act

Double post

Dr, how about if you take her to your lab and give her one of your talent pills? I still enjoy the ones I purchased from you. Taste just like candy.

I must have given you the wrong batch - experiential learning is bitter as Confucius said

LOL