My Silly Tricks
Hector Mancha caused a sensation when he won the FISM Grand Prix, magic's highest honor. My Silly Tricks is his first and only instructional release. This wacky DVD teaches ten hilarious and eccentric effects from his personal repertoire. Each of the effects is visual in nature, and most of them are within the range of the beginner.
You will learn:
My Magic Ukulele - You come out playing a ukulele (why wouldn't you?!) and ask for a card to be named. You then pull off one of the strings of the ukulele and light it on a match. The string ignites and at your fingertips is the FREELY named card! This is a killer opener and there are no restrictions, any card can be named.
Break the Ice - Ever wanted to be able to produce a hammer? Well, it doesn't matter. After watching this, you will want to. This uses a a prop that you will probably have in your bottom draw and it breathes new life into it. Nobody sees the hammer coming and consequently, it is sure to get gasps!
Rubber Guillotine - You take a rubber band and stretch it over your head where you leave it around your neck. It really is fully around and you can even let go of the band to prove it. Re-gripping the band, you slowly and impossibly pull it through your neck until the band is completely free. This looks absolutely impossible and is completely impromptu!
Small Water Torture Cell - A card is selected and signed and replaced into a deck tied by a string. The spectator ties up a little Houdini doll with string before ties the doll to the deck and puts everything in a jug of water. When the spectator takes Houdini back out of the jug, only the signed card is tied to Houdini, the rest of the deck stays in the water!
Daisy Ending - Hector takes a daisy, picks all the petals off and the head. Then creates a mini snow storm before restoring the daisy.
My Magic Nipple - Spectator peeks a card and then Hector puts the deck in his shirt next to his nipple. The spectator holds the deck still and they name their card. Hector proceeds to pull their NAMED CARD through his shirt1
My Card Under Watch - A brilliantly practical and clever version of the classic effect. This will fool you.
Earthquake Rising Card - A completely new take on the rising card. As the deck violently shakes, somehow the selected card reveals itself.
My Personal Triumph - Hector's take on the classic Triumph plot. Done in his typical chaotic and wacky style.
How you can Bend a Deck - A technique to effectively bend your deck. Sounds like a small point but this is very useful!
Customer reviews for My Silly Tricks
This DVD is a phenomenal value that I can recommend without reservation. The material is original, strong, rooted in a solid foundation in the craft of conjuring (something I don’t see with most of the otherwise original offerings that have crossed my desk so far as a reviewer, though none discussed in the present column), and—most important— fits Mr. Mancha’s distinctive personality and aesthetic tastes hand-in-glove. It is stupid cheap for the value offered.
In watching Mr. Mancha’s work I hear Jack Kodell’s voice ringing in my ears with his passionate exhortation to “do something different.” Mr. Mancha is doing something different, and he is doing it remarkably well.
Here we find, in many cases, easy access. Just as instant access to cheap, sweet, and rich food has made obesity an epidemic in the states, the bumper crop of magic that promises “five minutes you can drop into your show, tested for you, with lines included” in the marketplace has made it so easy to make the comfortable choice to hide behind other people’s work.
Mancha is a living example of the power of going your own way. It is a matter of putting in the work and, as someone who makes his living from a stage show that is personalized presentations/handlings of plots that are all at least 50 years old, I’ll be the first to own that I’m part of that problem.
Bravo, Hector Mancha. Now go buy this DVD.
"My Magic Ukulele" is very doable, since you can get cheap toy ones or wooden DIY versions easily. But if you get a real one and can play a few notes before the trick starts, all the better. It's a quick and clever opener.
Although the public generally likes rubber band magic, I gave it up long ago. But "Rubber Guillotine" looks so good, I may reconsider. 100% impromptu.
Great ideas here, especially for platform or large close up audiences.
And I love it!
His unique style has to be something that suits you to be able to just copy paste his effects into your set.
And even if it's not your style, there's a few interesting ideas that you can adapt to your own style and experiment with.
Community questions about My Silly Tricks
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Monty asks: Do you know what size rubber bands should be used for the Rubber Band Guillotine?
1 question
