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Tora
 

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.


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