Children

Hovering trick in the air. The secret to levitation of street yogis. Tricks with people

We are all a little children at heart and continue to believe in miracles and adore various tricks and tricks. But it has long been no secret that every magician has his own little secrets that have become public knowledge. Today we want to tell you about the most interesting tricks and finally reveal all their secrets.

Chinese Water Torture Chamber

One of the most famous magic tricks in the world of illusion is a gimmick called a Chinese Water Torture Chamber. This trick was performed by many illusionists, but Harry Houdini made it a real hallmark of his performances, and later American David Copperfield will repeat it. If you understand physics, then it will immediately become clear to you that when the magician's body is immersed in a reservoir of water, excess water pours out and leaves an air pocket, which gives the magician extra time for an amazing release. There is also a secret in knots and handcuffs, and a well-rehearsed trick was performed in a matter of seconds.

The man soaring in the air at all times caused delight and bewilderment among the audience. But this trick, magical at first glance, has its own simple secret. The illusionist soars in the air thanks to an invisible cable that is under his clothes, which by the way always resembles a hoodie. Spacious clothes are needed to hide everything that the audience does not need to see, in addition, there is almost always a rug under a floating person. It is under it that the heaviest part of the flying device is hidden.

Truly the most mystical and mysterious trick in the history of illusion and magic. This trick belongs to the unsurpassed David Copperfield and, although he is more than 35 years old, there are still debates about how such a large statue could have disappeared? But in fact, not everything is as complicated as it might seem at first glance. The thing is that the statue itself is located on a small island, where there is nothing else but it. And this played into the hands of the illusionist, because the very secret of focus is in the right lighting. Large spotlights were directed at the statue, illuminating it from such an angle that the illusion of its absence was created.

Walking through a brick wall

The author of this, as it seems at the beginning of an amazing trick, is the legendary Harry Houdini. But even he himself performed it only a couple of times, because it would not be difficult to unravel his secret, so the master of illusion decided to leave him for future magicians and not let his secret be revealed. And the secret of this miraculous trick is simple, the three-meter wall was specially built on a carpet, under which there was a rectangular hole through which the magician made his way to the opposite side of the wall.

Catching a bullet with your teeth

Quite a dangerous trick for entertaining performances, isn't it? But again, it's pretty simple. The bullets the magicians use for their numbers are not real. In most cases, bullets are made from wax. And in order to make it impossible to distinguish them from real ones, they are painted with acrylic paint. Escaping from the barrel of a gun, the wax bullet melts and does not reach the performer, and another, already real bullet appears in the teeth. The main task of the illusionist is to discreetly hide it behind the cheek and, at the right time, put it between the teeth.

Sawing a woman

One of the most mystical, but such simple tricks is cutting a woman into two halves. Sounds intimidating. When you look at how a woman's torso is in one corner, and her legs are in another, you wonder how this can be? But it's as easy as shelling pears. In each half of the box, the magician has two women at once, and we see the head of one, and the legs of the second. That's the whole secret.

By the way, we already have about the most beautiful women in the world.

Disappearance of the glass

Almost every performance has a trick called the disappearance of the glass. The spectacle is amazing, just imagine, there is a glass of water on the table, the magician covers it with a handkerchief, raises it and the glass disappears, and the handkerchief smoothly falls to the floor - this is a real miracle. You need to be well prepared to do this trick. Firstly, in the table on which the glass stands there is a special hole with a cloth bag into which the glass falls, and secondly, a wire ring is sewn into the scarf, it is this ring that creates the illusion of a raised glass in the air.

Flying pencil

If the previous tricks surprised us with their complex staging and ingenuity, then even a schoolchild can repeat this trick. To do this, you will need two simple pencils and a good bracelet or watch. One pencil needs to be well hidden by passing it through a bracelet or watch strap. And then, using the hidden pencil, pick up the pencil lying on the table. All ingenious is simple!

The disappearance of the elephant

Who else could have thought up and carried out this trick with a real and very large animal, if not Harry Houdini? He performed it only once, but this trick has become firmly established in the history of magic and illusion. Gullible and naive viewers truly believe in the disappearance of the animal, although in fact it does not happen. The big cage with double walls and a bottom is to blame. The elephant remained in place, it was simply hidden by the walls of the box.

"Decapitation" by Cyril Takayama

This trick really scares and excites the minds of people who have seen it at least once. How is it possible to take your own head off your shoulders and then put it back in place? It turns out that an illusionist with Japanese roots can handle this task. And the secret is in lighting, body flexibility and of course illusion, illusion and illusion again ...

Map through glass

Have you ever wondered why the illusionist always guesses the guessing card? Strong intuition or great talent, you say, but no. And now we will declassify one of them. The "card through glass" trick is one of the most spectacular among card tricks. And it consists in the fact that an ordinary viewer chooses a card he likes and returns it to the magician. Meanwhile, the sorcerer's assistant stands behind the glass and closely watches the viewer and remembers which card he pulled out. When the illusionist throws the deck on the glass, the assistant invisibly glues the desired card to the glass. All the cards are crumbled and only the card is needed on the glass.

The second interpretation of trick is when the magician asks the victim to personally sign the card. Then he returns the card to the deck, allows the victim to shuffle them and attach the deck to the glass. Then the magician goes to the back of the glass and takes out the cherished card. naturally, when the victim signed the card, she did not return to the deck. A skilled magician managed to take her with him.

Release from the milk can

Harry Houdini had very interesting and rather dangerous stunts that eminent magicians from all over the world were afraid to repeat. Another of these tricks is liberation from a milk can, as you know Houdini was a master of just such liberations. Here the secret of the trick is this: the locks on the can lid were designed this way. That it was impossible to open them from the outside, but from the inside it was easy, which the illusionist did.

Walking on water

Every great illusionist dreams of repeating the trick - walking on the sea surface. Such a divine phenomenon casts doubt on the possibility of its interpretation. But the development of all kinds of technologies allows it. The first after Jesus this trick was repeated by the British illusionist Steve Frain, nicknamed Dynamo. It's all about the depth, because in the dark water of the Thames it is not visible at all, there is still a secret in the magician's shoes, the platform, which is made of light and non-sinking material, well, distractions are also important, for example, sailing kayaks and a not very attentive viewer ...

Richard Ross and ordinary sleight of hand

The masterful tricks of this illusionist with headbands and other objects, which he performed with just his hands, aroused delight and great interest in the public. The secret is simple speed of movement, sleight of hand and no fraud ...

"Metamorphosis"

The author of this interesting trick is considered to be John Neville Maskelyn, and he invented his metamorphosis in the 19th century. The trick became so popular that many magicians around the world took it into their repertoire, Houdini himself considered it the crown number of his program and constantly improved it. A person sits in a bag with his hands tied behind his back, the bag is placed in a huge box, which is closed and wrapped with a rope. And then it is also placed in a wardrobe with a curtain. The illusionist's assistant enters this wardrobe, closing the curtain behind her, clapping her hands three times, after which the curtain opens and the audience is presented with a picture where the magician and assistant have already changed places. The secret is simple, and it is in a bag that has no bottom, but we do not see this, because it is hidden in the chest, the lock is real, but the lid from the bottom of the chest unnoticeably pushes back.

And now the site invites you to watch a great video exposing many of the famous tricks of the illusionists.

Today we have learned about the secrets for which any magician would give his life, because it is in these very tricks that it consists. But we are confident that even after learning the whole truth, we still will not lose interest and each time we will believe in the same illusion as the first time. Masters of illusion are real magicians and professionals in their field, because they make people believe in miracles and the impossible. Even if there is a revelation behind every trick, how believable everything looks, and this is also a real talent. We could not tell you about all the tricks and their secrets, but nevertheless we opened the curtain of some of them and chose the most dangerous, popular and interesting ones. We hope you enjoyed our article, we are waiting for your comments.

Levitation is such an impressive, spectacular and mysterious phenomenon that it is one of the most popular acts in the field of illusionism. It is no coincidence that the focus with levitation is often one of the highlights of the program of all kinds of illusionists. Meanwhile, in this case, the secret of levitation has long been revealed and is not a big secret. So almost everyone can make small objects float in the air or even rise above the ground, if desired and with a certain skill.

Levitation of cigarettes and other objects - watch your hands

"Amazing" flights of certain things have recently become quite popular on the Internet. It is no coincidence that the number of articles and videos that reveal the secret of the trick is growing - levitation of a map, cork, paper clip, cigarette and much more that will turn at the arm of people. One of the most common examples is a weightless or flying cigarette, which is capable of independently jumping into a smoker's mouth and doing other aerobatics.

The secret of cigarette levitation is extremely simple: to implement it, you will need a nylon thread, scotch tape and a certain manual dexterity.

The nylon thread of the desired color (if the focus is on a dark background - black, if on a light background - flesh) is removed from ordinary stockings. It is then attached to the cigarette with tape. The length of the thread is adjustable according to the circumstances. The other end of the thread is tied to the magician's hand, and the thread itself is thrown over the neck. Thus, a "mechanism" is obtained that acts on the principle of tug of war - with the help of the movements of the hand to which the thread is tied, a person can imitate the flight of a cigarette, which can go down and up, move in different directions or freeze in place. The trick with a cigarette that flies right into the mouth of an illusionist requires training and dexterity, but there is nothing fantastic or mystical about it either.

Another trick with levitation, available at home and therefore quite common, is the flying paperclip. This spectacle looks like this: in front of the audience, a person ties a paper clip (or other small and not heavy metal object) with a thread. Then he hangs it up, takes out matches or a lighter and sets fire to the thread. The thread burns out - and the paper clip, meanwhile, continues to hang in the air. The magician can even make her move in different directions, rise or fall. The focus is really bright enough - and surprisingly simple at the same time. It's all about the thread, which has been pre-treated with a strong saline solution. The salt concentration must be very high - there must be so much of it that it no longer dissolves. Then a thread is placed in this solution for about a day, which should then dry completely and evenly. When, during the trick, the illusionist burns the thread, the paper clip remains suspended, but now on a chain of salt crystals that have not been damaged by fire, but are invisible to the viewer.

The secret of yogis levitation: dexterity and technique

Indian yogis are traditionally famous for their unique, in some ways even supernatural abilities. Moreover, disputes have not subsided for a long time, which is more in the amazing skills of yogis - the jewelry art of illusionists perfected for centuries and millennia or truly secret occult knowledge. Many of the abilities of yogis are recognized as phenomenal even by representatives of modern science. But some of the techniques by which yogis and people posing as yogis boggle our imagination are clearly related to magic tricks.

Usually it is with yogis that the secret of focus is associated with human levitation. The most common yogic option for a person in a weightless flight above the ground is as follows. The yogi sits on the ground in the lotus position, holding a cane in his hand. Then he puts the cane on the ground, and he himself begins to slowly rise above this very ground, until he reaches a height equal to the length of the cane. In this position, swaying somewhat, the yogi can stay for quite a long time, although usually it takes only a couple of minutes to make an indelible impression on others. In fact, this focus requires some technical equipment. A wooden or metal seat is hidden in the wide folds of oriental robes that yogis wear. In an invisible way for the viewer, it is fastened to a cane, which, in turn, is dug into the ground. Thus, the yogi does not float above the ground, he actually sits above the ground, balancing on a secret seat.

Focus Secret: Human levitation depends on point of view

The performances of professional illusionists, in which tricks with human levitation are performed on a specially equipped stage, are almost always associated with strong invisible cables. With these ropes, a person is attached to supports on the ceiling, they are mobile enough and mobile so that a person can be moved and turned in space. But if levitation a person is demonstrated by an amateur magician for his friends and acquaintances, a much simpler method is used.

It is associated with the ability to use the optical features of human vision, the dexterity of a magician and the specifics of spectator perception.

This trick will require wide pants to hide the shape of your legs and a certain amount of time to train. The workout should allow the person to rise on one toes and maintain balance while the other leg is completely above the surface and obscures the first leg. The focus itself must be shown in a specific setting: the stage must be located on a dais so that the audience can observe the focus at an angle of 45 degrees. In this case, it will seem to them that the person has really taken off the ground and they will not notice the second leg standing still. At the same time, especially careful observers will still notice the trick. Therefore, the duration of the "levitation" should not exceed a few seconds, the audience should not be many, they should be positioned several meters from the stage and in no case should they be warned about what kind of trick they will see now.

Alexander Babitsky

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Belief in a miracle is something that is inherent in any child. With age, such sensations are lost.

However, even adults are beginning to think about the existence of magic, watching the work of some illusionists. websitedecided to figure out what the secret of the most popular tricks among the public is.

Disappearance of the wagon

Focus: People, holding hands, surround the car. A large piece of fabric is dropped onto it, which soon automatically rises up. There is no carriage under the cloth.

Exposure: The car goes into a compartment located under the stage. The imitation of its shape is achieved through a thin frame in the fabric. People do not see that the car goes underground, thanks to the unevenly spaced light.

Passing through a person

Focus: The assistant is placed in a narrow box, in the middle of which there is a hole covered by a curtain. The magician goes behind the structure and crawls forward through this hole. It seems as if he is passing through his assistant.

Exposure: The box is narrow only if you stand upright in it. But if the assistant turns the torso and sucks in the stomach, there will be enough free space inside the box for the magician to crawl through.

Fish in a bottle

Focus: The illusionist shows the public a sealed water bottle. He covers it with a handkerchief, utters magic words, and when the handkerchief rises, a small live fish appears in the bottle.

Exposure:A thin jumper with an eyelet is installed under the neck of the bottle, for which it can be easily pulled out. On this barrier lies a fish, which is not visible due to the cover. Raising a handkerchief, the magician pulls out the jumper, and the fish falls into the water.

Swallowed Needle Chain

Focus: This trick was invented by Harry Houdini. The illusionist swallowed a thread and 50 needles in front of the public, washing it down with water. After some time, he took out a thread from his mouth with needles, already neatly put on it.

Exposure: The magician does not swallow the needles, but spits them out into a glass of water. The viewer does not notice this due to the correct lighting. All this time, the artist hides in his mouth a chain of needles, wound on dark cardboard, which is covered with a finger when the magician shows the audience an “empty” mouth at the beginning of the performance.

Magic chair

Focus: The illusionist is sitting on a stool. Gradually the assistants remove the chair, but the magician continues to sit calmly in the air.

Exposure:There is a small pin in the platform on which the magician sits. If you attach the heel of the illusionist's boot to it, the leg will be fixed and will not slip. The shape of the chair itself mimics the frame attached to the same leg.

Liberation from the straitjacket

Focus: The illusionist is put on a straitjacket, sleeves are tied and the artist is covered with a screen. After a few minutes, he miraculously frees himself from the textile shackles. In one of the trick variations, the "magician" can also be hung upside down or tried to blow up.

Exposure: When the shirt is tied, the magician strains his arms over his chest and takes a deep breath. After exhaling, there is a little free space inside the shirt for maneuvers hands. Houdini once had to dislocate his shoulder to do this trick.


Perhaps everyone in childhood believed in magic and took tricks in the circus or street performances at face value. As I got older, the share of skepticism became more and more, and the tricks no longer seemed like something supernatural. However, you must admit, I always wanted to know how a magician levitates in the air, or how a woman “cut” in half remains safe and sound.

1. Soaring fakir



A popular levitation trick is often practiced by street magicians. But in reality, this is nothing more than a cunning trick. The whole secret of levitation lies in the ingenious design, the base which is hidden under the rug. The main support is the staff, which connects the lower support to the seat. It is almost impossible to see the structure behind the volumetric dress of the magician, so the trick looks very impressive and is still very popular.

2. Zigzag Girl



The secret to one of the most popular stage tricks lies in the flexibility and ability of the magician's assistant. The girl climbs into a box with unusual holes. When the magician moves the central part of the box, the girl arches her body, while her arms and legs remain in a position as if she is standing straight.

3. Sawing a girl



Previously, the trick with sawing a girl made viewers tremble with horror and wait in awe for the moment when the assistant would come out of the box unharmed. However, over time, the audience realized that there was a catch in focus and nobody was actually being sawed. The thing is that the magician's box consists of two parts and there are actually two girls too.

4. Trick with a bill and a pencil



Tricks with money always delight the audience. But more often than not, they have nothing to do with magic. Most often these are just dexterous movements of the magician and little tricks. For example, in a popular trick, when a magician cuts a banknote with a pencil, the main tool is a pencil, or rather its halves connected by magnets. With a dexterous movement of his hand, the magician winds the edge of the bill between two magnets and gently stretches out a pencil.

5. Disappearance of a coin



A simple yet effective and very popular trick with the disappearance of a coin can be seen in the circus or at children's events. Moreover, everyone can learn to show such a trick. To do this, you will need a white sheet of paper, a coin and a transparent glass sealed with paper. So that the guests do not see through the magician ahead of time, the glass must be kept upside down on the sheet.

6. Michael Jackson's Tilt



At one time, Michael Jackson was a real icon, striking fans not only with vocals, but also with dance performances. Thus, the famous 45-degree tilt, which was demonstrated by the singer himself and his entire troupe in the video for the song "Smooth Criminal", made a splash, although in fact it turned out to be just a well-thought-out focus. The whole secret of this tilt was hidden in the heels with special holes and metal pins that left the stage at a certain moment.

7. Rising ring



Another trick that anyone can master. To do this, you need a ring and a regular elastic band for money. First of all, the gum needs to be cut. Next, we put the ring on the elastic band, and squeeze its ends in our hands so that a long tail remains in the hand that is below. Hide it imperceptibly in your fist and release it slowly, the elastic band will lengthen, and the ring will rapidly creep up.

8. Disappearance of the glass



Another trick that practicing magicians often show in their performances. The magician covers the glass with a napkin, moves it for a few seconds, and then sharply raises the napkin, under which the glass is no longer there. The secret of the trick is extremely simple, at a certain moment, with a dexterous movement of his hand, the magician whips the glass into a special bag attached to the table, or on his lap if he is sitting at this time.

9. Flying pencil



Can you move objects with your palm? No? You can learn right now. To do this, you will need props: two pencils and a wristwatch or a bracelet that fits tightly to your hand. One pencil should be hidden behind the watch strap and already with its help pick up the second one lying on the table.

Among the many tricks demonstrated by illusionists of different levels, one of the most shocking is the levitation trick. Indeed, there is little that can strike the minds of viewers more than the spectacle of a card, a rose, or even a person overcoming gravity and floating freely in the air.

The secret to levitation lies in careful preparation of the performance, manual dexterity and lengthy training. Depending on the complexity, the tools required for focus can be limited to a transparent nylon thread or copper coin, or they can be complex mechanisms and devices. Therefore, before levitating an object, you need to think about what exactly you intend to lift into the air, how many spectators you will have, and what devices you need to perform the trick.

Bill Levitation Trick: Solution

This trick is best suited for the beginning illusionist. It is quite simple and practically does not require preparation, but the audience, no doubt, will be amazed by the sight of a bill balancing, contrary to all the laws of physics, on the magician's finger. At the same time, the main part of the bill hangs freely in the air, swaying in time with the movements of the magician's hand.

In order to impress your friends with this performance, you only need a banknote of any denomination and a metal coin. And, of course, sleight of hand. Take a coin and hold it firmly between your palm and the base of your ring finger. So you can use other fingers without risking dropping it, and the viewers will not notice your "cache" from the side. You can take any coin - the main thing is that it is more or less heavy.

Now take the bill and show it to the public to prove it is real. You can let the viewers touch or even hold it - this will not affect the outcome of the focus.

Having received the money back in your hands, carefully fold the bill three times in length. The main difficulty of this stage is to discreetly place the coin hidden in your palm between the paper folds. To achieve this, you will have to practice a little in front of the mirror.

After that, you just need to place the folded banknote on your finger so that the coin on the edge balances its length. To achieve greater effect, you can balance a little with a bill or make a few mysterious passes with your free hand.

The secret of rose levitation

Rose levitation has always been considered one of the most beautiful and romantic tricks. The illusionist takes a real flower or a flower folded from a napkin, and that, obeying a slight wave of his hand, rises into the air. The rose seems to float completely free, the audience does not see any supporting threads or other levitation devices.

Despite the unusualness, it is quite possible to learn how to do the trick with rose levitation on your own. In order to repeat it, you will need to prepare the following items:

  • Thin invisible thread (you can order it - inexpensively) or fishing line;
  • small button;
  • needle or tape;
  • flower.

Gently attach the string to your flower. For the greatest aesthetics, it is worth finding the center of gravity of the rose so that its flight looks more natural. Tie the second end of the thread to a button, which will then need to be sewn to the collar of your clothes. Now you need to figure out what to pass the main part of the thread through. It can be thrown over a hook from a chandelier, a tree branch, if you are outside, or simply stretch it over your own head, throwing a free loop over the fingers of one of your hands. You shouldn't tie the end of the thread to your fingers: in this case, any attentive viewer will be able to notice the dependence of the rose's movements on your gestures.

So you can control the flight of your flower with light movements of your fingers and head. Of course, during stage performances, illusionists have the opportunity to use much more complex devices, which allows them to make the flight of a rose intricate and completely unusual. If you want to make your focus more spectacular, then you should think about the system of blocks through which you pass the thread and, thanks to this, you can move the levitated object not only vertically, but also to the sides.

If you decide to impress your friends with your abilities, do not forget that the success of the trick depends largely on how beautiful and mysterious your actions will look. You can accompany the flight of the rose with spells or mysterious gestures, or, conversely, limit yourself to only light nods of the head. You can even pass the "magic flower" through the hoop or hold your palm over it; of course, only if you practice well alone and learn not to touch the line during the performance.

Learning to levitate is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. For example, one of the ways can be seen in this video:

Once you have mastered the rose levitation trick, you can repeat it with any other small and fairly light object - for example, a cigarette or a card.

Human levitation: deception or illusion?

Illusionists have always spent a lot of effort on the development of new, more and more shocking tricks, among which one of the most difficult, by right, is considered the independent flight of people.

The secret of focus with human levitation lies primarily in distracting tricks that prevent viewers from seeing what the person is using to rise into the air. Since it is impossible to stay in the air without a propeller or anti-gravity device, magicians have to invent all kinds of devices for levitation. An example of such a trick can be seen in a short video by the Safronov brothers, where they revealed one of their secrets.

In tricks of this type, the main role is played by a special mechanism controlled by the magician himself or his assistant and slowly lifting the lying person. It is for this reason that for most stage tricks with levitation, a veil is used, which hides not only the person himself, but also the apparatus that allows him to "take off".

Much more amazement of the public is caused by the flights of the magician himself, who seems to soar completely independently, not supported by anything. The tricks of David Copperfield, who not only soared over the stage, but also flew through rotating hoops and transparent boxes, have always been especially popular. The solution to this "magic" lies in the multitude of the thinnest invisible cables and boxes with slots, into which the cables enter during the "capture". But, of course, the main condition for a successful trick with levitation was and remains the lightness and artistry of the magician himself.

How to do the trick with levitation yourself

It is almost impossible to repeat the achievements of David Copperfield or the Safronov brothers at home - unless, of course, you are a genius mechanic capable of creating a levitation machine from scrap materials. However, there are many other, much simpler ways to convince viewers of their levitation abilities. The most accessible of them lies in optical illusion, which any person can master. In this case, you do not even have to take off: it will be enough to convince others of this.

To implement the focus, you only need 2 things:

  • Worn-out shoes without laces, several sizes larger than your foot;
  • wide pants;

The secret of this focus is, first of all, in choosing the right place for focus. The audience, regardless of their number, should see only one of your legs: the success of your trick depends on this. The best location is 2-3 meters from the audience.

Having prepared for the trick, you need to carefully, so as not to attract attention, remove the leg hidden from the public from the shoe. It is on it that you will rely on during the "flight". Now start slowly rising on tiptoe while lowering your hands down or reciting "spells." It is better to press the released shoes to the second leg so that it "rises" with you and at the same time hides the supporting leg. If you do everything correctly, the audience will see how you smoothly take off a few centimeters above the floor and, after hovering for a few seconds, just smoothly descend back.

It is important! It is much easier to do such a trick with an assistant who, at the right moment, supposedly casually passes you by and closes your actions from the public for a moment.

You can watch the video teaching the focus "levitation" in this video:

The human levitation trick requires patience and a lot of practice in front of a mirror. In order to make it more effective, it is worth remembering a few small tricks:

  • Do not warn the audience in advance about the focus, otherwise they may look closely and unravel your secret.
  • The easiest way is to demonstrate levitation in a semi-dark room or with light and music on, which will hide some of the nuances of the presentation.
  • Do not stay in the air for more than 4 seconds.
  • Make sure your audience is looking at you at an angle of approximately 45 ° and no one is standing behind you.

More tricks: