The Master of Misdirecton Part 1 of 2

The Master of Misdirection 2019 Edition Part One

by D. Angelo Ferri

Distributed by Smashwords

Copyright 2019

D. Angelo Ferri

The Fortune Teller by George de La Tour, French Baroque painter,

1593-1652

(at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

Contents Part 1

una fantasia

A Message to all Magicians.

The Science and Practical Application of Natural Misdirection

Section One Principles

Mind / Body / Movement This chapter deals with the principle ‘The Body Takes the Hand’ and complementary psychological principles. Slydini’s Sponge Ball Routine is used to introduce his system of movement.

Arousal / Suspicion / Justification / Reason /Proof /Acceptance/ Amplification

This is a study of the technique Slydini used to influence thought patterns and thereby create a justification for accomplishing necessary mechanics. The chapter highlights the use of this psychological misdirection in his Coins Through the Table.

Timing This chapter offers a definition of Slydini’s Timing, specific examples of Timing Sequences and their practical application. If your intention is to perform the One Coin Routine, The Torn & Restored Cigarette, and apply the principal of performing a necessary mechanic when the audience is mentally at rest, a complete understanding and ability to perform within Slydini’s Timing Construction is absolutely necessary.

Belief Without exception, in every lesson, at some point Slydini would tell me; You must believe what you are doing. If you believe it; they will believe it. To achieve perfection in our misdirection we must perform each movement; unconscious of technique; with complete belief.

The Misdirection Sleight This is a study of Slydini’s Misdirection Sleight, the move he used to vanish the ball in his Paper Balls into the Box. This chapter takes a close look at what Slydini is thinking to himself as he performs the move and therefore what he is projecting to his audience.

Guarding Your Center This is a study of the physical relationship of the seated Close Up Magician to his impromptu assistant and his audience. A functional awareness of this relationship is necessary on a routine by routine basis.

Some Technical Considerations A brief review of technical concerns that must be understood and addressed in this system of Close Up Magic.

Review and Definitions of Principals and Techniques.

Formulas / An Outline of Psychological Misdirective Techniques.

Section Two the Magic of Slydini

The Torn and Restored Cigarette is being offered to illustrate several principles working together to create the Magic. This routine features a basic timing sequence, the principle of the body taking the hand and performing the necessary mechanics of a trick when the audience is mentally at rest. This routine will enable the student to employ several very important principles and pave the way to other effects.

The Slydini Cigarette Palm

The Helicopter Card

Lesson One, The Fan Steal

The Second Version

On Leaving the Palmed Card

The First Card Switch / Steal

The Slydini Palm/Steal

Coins Through the Table / Part One

Six Coins and the English Penny (Photos)

Six Coins and the Ring

Six Coins and the Ring Photo’s

Six Coins Through the Table

Four Coins Through the Table

Two Coins Through the Table

The Coins through the Table / Part Two

The Right Hand

The Left Hand

The False Movement

Picking up the Coins from the Left Hand (After the False Move)

Slydini’s Hang Ping Chen Movement

Picking up the Coins from The Table After the Basic Movement

Passing the Coins Through the Table

Six Coins and the Ring (Part Two)

Six Coins Through the Table (Part Two)

The Audio Reinforcement

Four Coins Through the Table (Part Two)

Two Coins Through the Table

End of part One / The Master of Misdirection

una fantasia

by D. Angelo Ferri

The people ask me, how did you become a magician?

It began with a wonderful dream.

The moonlight lit my bedroom.

The fog streamed in through the open window.

The wind blew the fog into circles.

The fog changed its form. I saw an old man, very old, with a long white beard.

Long, white, white like the fog. I could not see where the beard ended and the fog began.

He was dressed in rags but his hat was beautiful.

He looked ridiculous and incredible at the same time.

He walked towards me, slowly. His eyes were gentle so I was not afraid.

Tell me why you want to be a magician, he asked?

Why? Because I love Magic.

He smiled at me sadly.

My son, the life of a magician is not easy.

You will live day by day. You will talk to mirrors. You will see things other people do not see.

You will die rich or poor. Most likely: poor. There is no middle way.

But I am poor!

The old man’s face became gentle.

My son, reality and fantasy are not the same thing.

But it is my destiny.

His eyes smiled at me. The next thing I knew we were in my Grandfather’s tailor shop.

He put a thimble on his finger. It disappeared and then came back. I did not know how.

He touched my grandfather’s yard stick and it flew in the air.

This is your magic place, begin here.

Now, go back to sleep.

The Master of Misdirection by D. Angelo Ferri aka Dennis Barlotta

A Message to all Magicians.

Slydini was 74 when I began studying with him; I was 28.

As I write this, I am approaching my 70th year.

I am very honored to say that Slydini picked me to be one of his featured students, in his final book, The Magical World of Slydini, written by Mr. Karl Fulves, and published by Tannen Magic, Inc. in 1979.

Slydini also picked me to be photographed as the assisting spectator in the chapter on his Linking Rings. I remember the day those pictures were taken, very well. Those pictures of my teacher and I together are precious to me.

Tannen’s also published The Best of Slydini and More in 1976.

This book was also written by Mr. Fulves. He, and Slydini spent many hours together creating these two master works.

I was with Slydini in those years. I know how important these books were to him. I believe they are still available from Tannen’s.

The highest compliment Slydini ever paid to me was: You understand my Magic.

My books about my teachers Magic are written from the perspective of the student. That understanding came from eight years of private lessons with a teacher that held nothing back and encouraged my thousands of questions.

It’s been over twenty-five years since my teacher passed away. I have to remind myself that most contemporary magicians never saw him perform or are aware of the most common objection voiced by the magicians of his era.

‘To do Slydini’s Magic, you have to become Slydini.’

After a couple of years, he stopped charging me for lessons. I did chores for him, painted his studio, took him places. Sometimes I’d be working when a student arrived for a lesson. Slydini did not want the student concerned with my presence. I’d go into the bedroom and sit until the lesson was over. I could hear the students voice change as he went through his lesson. He suddenly had an Italian accent, an accent that he did not have before the lesson began, or after the lesson finished.

Another Italian will intuitively understand and use the expressions and gestures of Slydini because he is Italian. We Italians have ways of expressing ourselves, verbally and physically that are unique to our culture. What is natural for us would be unnatural for a magician who is not Italian.

This System of Misdirection is an integrated system of thought, movement, psychology, and above all belief. All Magicians, regardless of ethnicity, can benefit from this system of Misdirection because it is based upon what people have in common.

Here is a brief physical example. While seated at a table, rotate your waist to the left. This ‘leftward rotation’ will carry your left shoulder away from the tables edge and your right shoulder towards it.

Understanding how to employ natural body mechanics is part of Slydini’s System of Misdirection.

To understand Slydini’s Misdirection is to understand other people.

To understand Slydini’s Misdirection is to discover yourself.

D. Angelo Ferri

New York, 2018

Slydini and I 1978

From: The Magical World of Slydini

Karl Fulves Author

Tannen Magic, Inc. Publisher

The Science and Practical Application of Natural Misdirection

Natural Misdirection exploits natural body mechanics.

The hands of the Magician are carried to the place they need to go as a result of the movement of the body; generating from the Magician’s center [waist /hips].

Natural Misdirection exploits universally understood forms of non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions, physical expressions (i.e. shrugging the shoulders) and, expressions of the eye.

Natural Misdirection recognizes, manipulates and exploits thought patterns (such as purposely creating doubt and thereby establishing the need to erase that doubt) in the mind of the observer.

Natural Misdirective Movement is based on a 72 beat per minute rhythm.

Natural Misdirective Principles are not employed in isolation; two or more principals are always working in harmony to misdirect the mind and the eye of the observer.

Natural Misdirective Principles enable the Magician to move in a way that does not disturb the mind of the observer because given the same set of physical circumstances the non-magician would move in the same way.

Natural Misdirection compels the observer to grants the Magician an unconscious acceptance of his actions.

Introduction

Slydini had to endure many struggles, many hardships. Those fires forged a very strong, unique man; extremely capable and independent. He had so much more to teach me than I realized.

It makes me happy to know he received the accolades he so richly deserved during his lifetime. I know however; his magic is rarely performed today. There are many talented students who have sculpted their own routines based upon his teachings but only a few were taught and perform all of the major routines; I am one of them.

If you are dedicated to learning Slydini’s Magic, my book can help you. I will cover mechanics but more time will be spent on the mental aspects of the routines (both in the mind of the magician and the spectator). Having been a student myself I understand the mental challenges this magic presents as we learn it.

Slydini could not express everything there was to know about his magic in a few books. My contribution to your study comes from my years of lessons and the thousands of questions I asked and Slydini answered.

Slydini taught by creating images. During one lesson he drew some flowers. They were standing very erect, one after another, like a fence. Then he drew a second picture. The flowers curved, swayed, their stems were interwoven.

'The One Coin Routine is not a series of tricks one after the other. It is like the wild flowers, one hiding the other. Like the wave coming to shore and then being swept back out to sea.’

Slydini believes so strongly in what he is doing that his audience believes it too. If any magician, can make his audience believe what he wants them to believe, his magic will succeed. Belief can lead to wonder and deep appreciation. When the manipulator transcends technique; he becomes an artist.

When a Magician performs his objectives include technical excellence, artistic interpretation and entertainment value. In order to accomplish these objectives, the magician must control the environment in every aspect. Ultimately the way to do this is by having your audience believe what you want them to believe. So, everything we do must be logical and purposeful if we are to have harmony with our audience.

Any magician knows that many hours must be invested mastering the technical aspects of our art. Once technique has been mastered the Magician must forget mechanics. He must trust them to the subconscious mind, and be completely involved in the moment.

How is this done? How do we become so confident in our technical ability that we simply let it happen by itself?

I have a very methodical approach to practice. I always include technical work in my practice but at some point, I have to trust the mechanics are correct.

This faith in my mechanics comes from experiencing success when I perform. If my technique is off, I will know it in an instant because my audience will tell me. The very next practice will include reviewing those things that need improvement.

Slydini invested many years in my education. I know he wanted his magic to continue. In the years to come I hope a few magicians will consider my work and among them one or two will seek to preserve this style of Close Up Magic for another generation.

There are many things that are common to all of us, the natural mechanics of the body and the inclinations of the mind, human nature.

There are things that are unique, our physical forms of expressions, the timing of our ethnicity.

This is the key, first to ‘realize’ yourself and then learn how to incorporate these principals into your own being.

If you do this your magic will become natural.

By natural I mean you will not transform yourself; rather you will transform the things you touch…and isn’t that a Magician after all?

I want to say a special thank you to Mr. Dick Cavett.

I was studying with Slydini when Mr. Cavett had him on his show.

Today we can see those shows on video.

Mr. Cavett gave us all a wonderful gift.

1

Mind/Body/ Movement

A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action. Samurai Maxim

Congruent: The quality of according or coinciding.

According: In conformity with.

Conformity: Harmony

Coinciding: To correspond or agree exactly.

Harmony: Pleasing arrangement of parts, eternal calm.

The Body takes the Hand

The fundamental principle of the physical aspect of Slydini’s approach to misdirection is: The body takes the hand to the place it needs to go.

This means the hand is carried to the place it needs to go as a result of the greater movement of the body.

The hand does not move independently of the body.

While there are some exceptions; generally, movements generate from the waist or center, be it forward or back, or side to side, including twisting and turning.

When Slydini told me you’re going there on purpose he meant my hand was acting independently; it was not a part of, or moving as a result of what the rest of my body was doing at that