Drum:
Dear
Tora - Thanks for taking time to visit these boards, I am
just wondering whether the style with which you perform with
now was a conscious decision or whether you just seemed to
grow and adapt to that style over years of performing. I am
looking to find a style of my own but to no avail, should
i just wait and let it happen? Thanks, and all the best for
the future.
Tora:
Dear
Drum, I would recommend that let it happen. But do perform
as often as you can. The spectators are the best sculptors
to shape a statue up. In fact I do not have a single style.
It may change due to where I perform and the profile of the
spectators. Sometimes I make only magic entertainment and
for me it is more informal. 40% magcic+60% entertainment.
On the other hand, if I do mental act it is vice versa: 60&
magic and 40% entertainment. You may adjust the dosage of
all. It needs time and I do not know magical background to
give you an idea. But in general it is like this. You will
make up your own formula.
Damien:
Tora,
I cant resist asking this as the cups and balls are my favourite
field in magic. So what do you think about the cups and balls?
Have you ever performed a c&b routine? What magician do
you think is the "number one" master of the cups
and balls. I know there is many class cups and balls performers
but which take your pick? I would like to hear ANY of your
opinions on the c&b.
Tora:
Did
you know that on a grave site in Egypt remaining from 4000
years ago, there is a carving of a man making cups and balls
routine? It is
one of the-may be the oldest one- of all magic tricks. One
must learn but nut necessarily do it. For me It is the basic
trick. In my opinion Aldo Colombini is the best I have ever
seen but Michael Ammar is equally good. Remember I may not
have seen everybody yet. May be you will do it better and
show it to me one day.
Damien:
Tora
said: |
Did
you know that on a grave site in Egypt remaining from
4000 years ago, there is a carving of a man making cups
and balls routine? |
I don't know if your referring to the same thing, but
on one of the Penn Teller specials that was shown on British
TV a while ago, they visited a pyramid where there was an
inscription on the inside of a man performing cups and balls.
Well, we don't know for sure as there is much debate as to
what he is actually doing, but it seemed pretty conclusive
to me.
Tora:
The
thing I am talking is not the same it was just a tomb (according
to Dedi, a historian) that a man is showing cups and balls
to another man. They thought that that man lying there was
a magician with a good probability.
Damien:
Tora
what do you mean when you say the cups and balls are the basic
trick? I also agree that Michael Ammar is great with the cups
and balls. I have his teaching videos and that all I really
need. best wishes Damien
Tora:
Dame,
I mean the oldest trick is the one which all the others have
been derived. To pass something you have to step on the point
it is currently standing. "First things first"
Damien:
Hi again
Tora. So what
magicians have you performed with before? Have you done any
duets or partnerships, or a you a complete solo magician?
Personally I think it would be a great experience to perform
with another magician but I would prefer to be solo most of
the time.
Tora:
I have
performed many times with fellow magicians, either by making
a duet of in succession one often the other. Nevertheless,
they are not known to you, they were stars in my country.
(they are still stars.) Actually my friend I am on your side,
I prefer to be in solo performances.
Kevin:
Title
explains it all- What is your most embarrassing moment in
performing a mentalism effect ? And how did you handle the
situation?
Tora:
I did
not have such a moment. If you make a mistake and nobody other
than you knows about it, it is nice if make a mistake and
both the spectators and you know about it, it is bad, if you
do a mistake and you do not know about it but the spectators
know it, it is a disaster. If you do not make a mistake it
is perfect. Nobody is perfect and I am NOBODY LOL.
Sean:
As you
have had TV performances and other stage performances and
have been performing for 20 years, no doubt you've had quite
a few hecklers and people trying to spoil your act. How do
you deal with these types of people? Do you try to show them
up, or would you just try to ignore them?
Tora:
Without
any doubt you may have people who try to spoil your act. According
to their attitude here are the points how I act against them:
* I seldom ignore them if they only say a
sentence then shut up. * I usually invite them on the
stage and have them a part of the show. They do not feel as
comfortable as you when they are on the stage.
So you will be baffled how obedient they are on the
stage. * I do not make an argument but if they do, I try to
have the other spectators to my side. If he stays alone, he
realizes that he is the wrong one. * If he is drunk I pay
no attention to him just say "yes sir you are right but
what about talking about this after the show" they do
not come to talk believe me. ***If you have too many hecklers
then you have watch your behaviour on the stage , that means
you are the one to be blamed about it. Last of all I did have
very few hecklers in my profession-maybe less than a dozen.
Damien:
Hi,
Michael Jay has a good opinion on hecklers and a little story
to go with it. Mike why don’t you post it? I’m sure everyone
would value it as much as I did.
Damien:
Sorry
Tora but the board that Mike posted it on got corrupted and
had to be re done. Therefore all posts and members were lost.
Hope Mike can do it again?
It is very worth the read if he does it.
Sean:
Not
sure if this is the one your talking about Dame, but:
Mike
said: |
I
must say, those are good ideas that you proposed, chabang,
and many performers, not just magicians, take this tack.
There are also some excellent one-liners out there for
people who are really interested in dropping a heckler
with wit. One that springs instantly to mind, "Yea,
buddy, well I could be your father but the dog beat
me over the fence."
This
calls to mind real life comedic performer Rodney Dangerfield.
He started his career modeling after Don Rickles. If
you're familiar with Dangerfield, you realize that he
makes his living cutting himself down, you know, the
"I don't get no respect" guy. In the beginning,
he spat his put-downs at the audience members until
one night, after the show, a couple of really perturbed
dudes that he shot his put-downs at caught him outside
of the theatre. They beat him mercilessly, almost putting
him in the hospital. After that, he always used his
put-downs against himself and built his whole, lucrative
career on just that...Putting himself down.
Now,
I think that it is important to understand that most
magicians, in their entire career, will never actually
come across a "true heckler." A true heckler
is the one who will actually throw a rotten egg at you
while you are on stage. Or send his cigarette, like
a deadly missile, flinging in your general direction
in an attempt to get you to duck or dodge the heated
projectile. Hecklers are vicious creatures who intend
nothing but harm to the performer. They have no heart,
only hate. And, if he's a true heckler (always keep
this in mind), if you embarrass him, watch your back
as you exit your venue. Chances are he will have a ball-bat
(or cricket club) in his car. Once again, you will,
more than likely, never come across a true heckler.
The
next on the scale is the know-it-all. These people are
open to anything that you want to throw at them. By
all means, use every weapon that chabang has stated
to put them down. They will not quit and deserve anything
that you can do to them. One of my magician compatriots
gets them on stage and gives them a small (about 1 foot
by 1 foot square) cloth to hold. He tells them to hold
it in front of their face while he does something. He
continues his show and sees how long they will stand
there, cloth in front of their face. After a while,
he asks, "Did you see that?" When they say,
"No," he says, "Good, neither did I,"
and tells them that they can take their seat, again.
This usually quiets them up. Yes, embarrassment is a
deadly weapon against these people. Still, keep in mind,
these kind of people are very few in your audience and
you will only come across them infrequently.
Finally,
we come to the heckler that we all know and love, the
average heckler. These are people who are watching your
show and want desperately to be involved. As you pick
this or that member of the audience to help you, they
feel left out. So, in an attempt to be part of your
show, they say something to you directly. Don't be frustrated
by these people, they really are only looking for recognition
from you. They have the unfortunate trait to not be
able to control their desire to emulate you and be part
of your show. Normally, if you simply recognize them,
they will quiet right down. That's all they are looking
for, your recognition. Rather than view these people
as your enemies, make them your friends. Give them this
recognition and you will find a world of wealth from
them. Let's face it, if you are comfortable being on
stage and you are well rehearsed, it won't hurt you
to allow a little bit of audience banter. And, they
have the ability to make you a better show man. How?
Well, put your ego aside and consider: They may actually
have something funnier to say than you do. When you
first see this, you may be thinking to yourself, "Well,
this is my show, not his." If you do, you are missing
the point. After the show, the line that your heckler
used to crack the audience up is a line that you can
use in the future, to your benefit. Make a note of it,
add it to your show and grow in your profession.
Another
benefit is that if you treat these people with respect,
they will respect you. You will have them on your side
and God help anyone who will give you a hard time after
that. These people will suddenly consider themselves
a good friend to you and will take steps to insure that
no one will make your job hard. These are good friends
to have. You will also garner the respect of the general
audience. This is unbelievably important. Never, ever
forget the base emotion of human beings - which is the
mob mentality. Oh, they may laugh, but that person is
one of them, one of the audience. You are alone on that
stage - they are a group and you have just embarrassed
one of them. Please, always keep this in mind. Personally,
I like hecklers. I often play to smaller venues, like
a stand up show with 20 - 100 people, and I encourage
heckling, as warped as that may sound to you. As I stated
earlier, I am not, by nature, a comical person. My audience,
on the other hand, gives me alot of good lines. I also
find that I am comfortable being on stage and talking
to the audience on their level. I appreciate what these
people have to say, because, mainly, without them I
have no audience. Something to think about - without
them you are nothing more than a guy practicing in front
of a mirror.” |
Tora:
This
is one of the best essays I have read in the recent days Thanks
for the author -Mike and Sean for finding it out for us.
Mike:
Thank
you for that very kind remark, Tora, I am flattered, sir!
Still, this thread is about you, Tora, and not me, so let's
keep to the subject at hand and keep Tora working at answering
yet more well thought out questions. Again, I cannot thank
you enough for taking your time with us like this, Tora.
Tora:
You
can not imagine how much I enjoy this friendly atmosphere,
thanks a lot sharing this small thread with me. It is my honour.
Mike:
Tora,
you have your own club that you perform in on a regular basis,
correct? Also, you travel to other countries to perform -
I'd appreciate if you'd tell me a bit about that, but that
is not my question. I'd like to know what different kinds
of venues that you play to. For example, do you get hired
for private parties and do these tend to be the more upper
class of the area? Have you ever performed, in private, for
the governing heads of Turkey? Also, what kind of competition
do you have for these venues? Is it hard to book these venues
as other magicians are competing for them simultaneously?
Tora:
Dear
Mike, as I have told in another thread, I do not perform so
regularly. Yes we have a club but in the times we organize
an event, I perform. I usually work in 5 star hotels, private
clubs and holiday villages. I do perform for higher classes
usually but in rare occasions I can perform at friends' ceremonies
as well. I did not have the chance to perform the head people
of the State yet. But since I work in the high class places,
most of my friends are happy about it- I guess. I see no reason
to envy, because usually we are called by person-not just
some magician. Everybody his own field of work. It is hard to book a venue
but usually it is not hard to book a revenue.
Mike:
I've
viewed your web site and it is very nice. You had commented
that an English version will be available soon and I am looking
forward to viewing that, since there was plenty that I couldn't
understand on the site. Aside from the obvious advertising
through the web, what other techniques do you use to advertise
your product (your product being you and your magic performance)?
What do you consider to be the most important part of advertising,
as far as getting jobs goes? Could you share with us some
tips on how you publicize your act?
Tora:
Dear
Mike, To be honest I am not the one who can give advise on
advertising. "Anyone can paint a picture, but it takes
a wise man to sell it" So my friend I am a high paid
magician but do not work so often. Usually my bookings come
from my early performances and through my agent. I am so sorry
for not being so effective on the subject. If you learn more
do inform me please.
Mike:
What
I'm getting out of that, Tora, is that having an agent is
an important thing. Would you agree with that? Also, you are
saying that you get bookings simply based on your show - people
see you perform, then want to hire you for their private parties,
correct? Then, what this says to me is that an agent and an
excellent show are probably two of the most important parts
of success in this business. Would this be a good assessment?
Tora:
Dear
Mike what can I say more !!! An excellent summary of the thread
I wanted to tell. You are right my friend. A good agent is
the key word. And I am looking for one in the UK.
|