The Fred Change

So there is this new magic seller. As always they don't care about making you a better magician, but about getting your money. But I gotta admit the Mystic Factory has a nice look going for it. And by that I mean it looks like all of the other usual suspects.

And one of the first items is the Fred Change by Andrew Csirmaz, a technical variant of a color change by Salvador Sufrate. Needless addition... well actually it's a subtraction. By changing the angle back to the normal mode the method becomes way too apparent. This is a typical case of a step backwards. Not unlike Dirk Losander who took the idea of Tommy Wonder's Floating Birdcage and when back to the ball design.

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Winner Michael Ammar

It is April. In celebration of this blogs three year existence, the whole month will be winner time. Only the coolest and best members of our elite circle of nerds will be featured.

Today: Michael Ammar

There are those who are born performers and then there are those who are born teachers. The later are seldom.

Michael Ammar has been around for ages. And you can tell. Watch his looks, as he teaches his Encore stuff and compare it to today. You can see time at work there.

Watching him perform makes me think of better performers. His girlish laugh which doesn't stop his grinning. All too much for my taste. But I do appreciate his perverse ability to teach magic. He somehow seems to know what the core things are that need to be taught and what doesn't. I have seen magic teachers who go way too much into detail and those who don't teach you at all.

Another great thing is his choice of material. There is always a little stroke of brilliance in there. One moment you think, what the hell? Really? A grown man with a balloon. But then it turns into a magic fest. Two years ago David Letterman had a "magic week". Michael Ammar was one of the guests. Somehow Michael Ammar chose exactly the right material for that very special gig. Observe:



There you can see it all. His laughter, the grinning but also a freaking good choice of material for that event. Not over the top, but also some risky things to keep oneself alert and "present".

Being a good magic teacher also has some risks. That being the many clones of Ammar. You can tell who learned mostly from him. They move the same and their way of relaxing is the same. Ammar's performing character is nothing to strive for. But his own material and the ones he chooses to teach are  top notch. Bravo.

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