About Illusionists
There's a fine line between cheating and illusion, and the illusionist does in fact, cheat the senses of the average audience. Using a mixture of clever distraction and lightning fast and nimble fingers, magicians have used sleight of hand, vanishing acts, exotic animals and mechanical trick devices to dazzle audiences around the globe for centuries. From Houdini to David Blaine, a talented magician can bend the mind with everything from simple card trick to making the Great Wall of China seem to disappear.
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History
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Magic or illusions have been performed for centuries. Originally thought to be an element of witchcraft, magic was first performed in secrecy. During the 1700's, hiring illusionists became a popular form of entertainment. Audiences began to flock to performances of illusion in Europe and Russia. Illusionists have typically gained popularity during bleak times in history, when common people are in need of a sense of magic in their daily lives.
Function
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The function of an illusionist is to perform a magic trick using sleight of hand, visual deception, conjuring and mechanical deception. The tricks are designed to instill the audience with a sense of wonder and awe--a feeling that "magic" was performed. Illusionists provide escapist entertainment.
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Misconceptions
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Throughout history, some illusionists were thought to have supernatural powers. This was usually hype that the illusionists themselves helped spread to maintain their popularity. All magic tricks are man-made, and can be learned or taught.
Effects
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A talented illusionist can transport an entire audience (that knows intellectually that magic is illusion manipulated by the magician) and have them nonetheless, transfixed by the amazing feats they perform onstage. Murmurs of "How did he DO that?" as audience members leave a particularly stunning magic performance is an indication of how powerful the illusionist's skills are at inspiring awe and mystery over the rational human mind. The bending of scientific properties (like levitation, vanishing acts, producing a rabbit from a hat, having cards appear in the pocket of an unsuspecting audience member, making the Statue of Liberty disappear) will happily baffle and astound the average person. An illusionist can lift the human spirit, and spread joy and wonder.
Time Frame
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The key to an illusionist's act is timing. Tricks are performed quickly, averaging a few seconds to a few minutes per illusion. Keeping the human mind distracted, while performing a fast illusion is what makes magic seem magical. A bigger illusion may take more time to set up, and the magician will incorporate music, smoke, sound effects, and assistants to make the trick appear to run quickly, smoothly and visually spectacular.
Benefits
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Illusionists are precise performers, and their tricks are designed to inspire, stump, shock and surprise. Human brains sort all incoming information into designated areas, to assimilate and make sense of the visual and auditory input, counting heavily on the solid aspects of physics keeping objects permanent and reliable in the outside world. Illusionists take what is physically impossible (tear up a newspaper and restore it to it's original whole state) and confuse the brain. An illusionist can make the common man feel like there is more to life than meets the eye.
Types
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There are different types of illusionists and illusions. Harry Houdini was an illusionist known for his escape artistry. The historic Maskelyne, modern Penn and Teller, and David Copperfield perform stage magic. David Blaine and Criss Angel are popular modern street magicians. Each artist uses several different types of illusions: prediction ("I will guess which card you have hidden behind your back"), penetration (sawing a lady in half), levitation (floating on air), escapism (getting out of a locked box or straight jacket), vanishing (lady vanishes in closet), production (producing an object from nowhere, rabbit from a hat), among others.
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