Couch Levitation Trick

Effect: The assistant is brought up to centre stage. She is placed in a reclining position on a couch. Then covered with a large cloth.

She is commanded to rise. Once she has risen to a height of one foot above the couch, the couch is taken away and the performer walks all around the floating woman.

She continues to rise until she is well over the head of the performer. Then she slowly descends until she is level with the performer's head. Again she begins to rise. This time, the performer takes hold of the cloth and while she is rising, the cloth is whisked away. The woman is gone, vanished right in front of the audience.

The secret: The secret is in the couch (remember the couch from the above trick description?) and the rest of the effect depends on a mesh-like screen which is shaped like the assistant's body. As soon as the assistant lies down on the couch, the performer picks up the cloth which will be used to cover her. While this is taking place, the body mesh or screen is lowered over the assistant. Since the body mesh is clear, it is not seen by members of the audience. This movement is done by someone behind or off in the stage wings. The body mesh is moulded to resemble a woman, it is attached by four strings of invisible thread to a location controlled by another assistant. When the performer covers the woman with the cloth, it is the screen which is really being covered.

As soon as the woman is fully covered, she secretly slips into a hidden compartment in the couch. After the couch is removed to a backstage area, the woman gets out of the couch. Because the couch has played such a small role in the effect, most people forget about it.

The shape of the screen leads everyone to believe that the woman can still be seen from the audience. In reality, the trick is already done. Now the performer merely plays out his or her part.

The off-stage assistant watches the moves of the performer, lowering or raising the cloth covered screen as per the performer's commands. When the cloth is whisked away, the invisible screen can't be seen by the audience.

The body screen seems invisible for a couple of reasons, first the back ground or back drop is dark. Black is best. The mesh is made of a nylon material which can also be black or transparent. Either way the audience is unable to distinguish the mesh from the dark background.

It is usually a good idea to have the off-stage assistant raise the uncovered screen completely up out of view anyway at the conclusion of the trick, this keeps the stage area clear.

This effect is difficult for television, because the television eye can often pick up the movements. But this effect is great for a full stage presentation.

Voodoo Ash Trick

Effect: A name is written on a piece of paper on a notepad by the spectator, the paper is torn off unseen by the magician, crumpled up and placed in an ashtray. It is then set alight.

The ashes are then rubbed on the magicians arm and the name of the person written on the paper mysteriously appears.

Preparation : You will need a small notepad, pen, ashtray, lighter and a small piece of soap or wax.

Method: The spectator is asked to write the name of a person or favourite anything of theirs on a notepad.

Then to tear of the sheet of notepaper, crumple it up and place it in the ashtray, where the magician then sets the paper alight.

The magician takes the notepad of the spectator and should be able to see the imprint of the name written on the paper above in the next sheet of the notepad.

Looking at the pad should not be made obvious and some misdirection carried out while he carefully takes the small piece of wax or soap and writes the name on the imprint on his arm or hand ( this action should not be visible to anyone ).

The magician can then take some ash from the ashtray and rub it over the wax where it will stick and create an impression of the spectators word to their amazement.

This is a great trick but depends on the magician creating an atmosphere with an entertaining routine and patter about black magic to enhance the effect and create misdirection to allow him time to pull off the trick.

Small Objects Levitation

David Blaine demonstrated a classic object levitation on his TV special where he asks a spectator to watch while he picks up a leaf and causes it to levitate above his hand.

This appeared to be totally impromptu which made it even more impressive.

This type of levitation skill is performed by using "invisible thread" which can either be purchased as a proprietary brand from good magic suppliers or by separating some fine polyester thread into individual strands and using a single strand.

One end of this strand should be attached to some sticky tape and placed in the mouth between the gum and cheek or a high shirt button while the other end can be placed at the right moment to a solid object ( In David Blaines case, the tree.) The magician then stands at the correct distance so that the string is tight and the object ( a bill or a leaf) wrapped around the thread which is above the magicians hand.

This should look like the magician is just scrunching up the note in the palm of their hand.

By using very small movements of the head or body, the magician can then tighten the thread causing the note to rise and is also able to move his hands around the object to show that it really is levitating.

The object can then be made to return to the palm and be examined by the spectator.

The magician can then casually walk away, the thread breaking which is not a problem as it is cheap to replace.

This levitating skill trick is also performed more smoothly and discretely by use of an ITR which is used by professional magicians and which can be ordered online here by clicking the link above .

The Box Levitation

THE EFFECT: You show a cardboard box to your audience and place it onto a table. They can clearly see under and around it.

Opening the top of the box you step into it. Once inside you open two flaps on the front so the spectators can clearly see your feet inside. You start to concentrate and slowly both your feet can be seen to rise off the floor of the box. You rise up to about 7 - 9 inches then slowly return to the ground.

You close the front flaps step out of the box and take your applause!

• Great for stage magic
• Perform like Criss Angel
• Easy to construct
• Gets great reactions

THE SECRET: You know the saying "It's all done with smoke and mirrors" with this trick it really is, well minus the smoke! The cardboard box is gimmicked with a mirror.

CONSTRUCTION: This levitation illusion is really easy to build. You first need to go and buy a fairly large mirror. It is a lot easier to find a cardboard box that the mirror you have just bought fits into rather than having to get the glass cut to fit into the box - trust me!

You need a mirror that has no frame or decoration around the edges. The mirror needs to be about 50cm square. Remember this is an approximate measurement and you will need to find the one that works best for you. You can get a mirror from your local D.I.Y store, some cheaper ones come with frames that can be easily removed.

Once you have your mirror you need to find a cardboard box that the mirror fits into exactly from diagonal corners. The cardboard box you need has to be exactly square. Feel free to download the plan by clicking HERE. You can then print it off or view it on your computer at your leisure while constructing the illusion.

If the cardboard box is not exactly square then the mirror placed diagonally will not reflect perfectly and will look very odd.

You can get a cardboard box from your local grocery store, I'm sure if you ask nicely they will give you one. The box needs to be fairly sturdy with the usual top flaps. This is so that you can shut the box up before and after the illusion to stop anyone looking in from the top.

You next need to cut two doors in the front of the cardboard box with some scissors or an Exacto knife. Leave a small border around the edge of the box. This hides the corners where the mirror fits from your spectators. (pic 1) Thats pretty much the construction done!

TIP: Place some polystyrene pieces or shredded paper into the bottom of the box. This does not look out of the ordinary and helps disguise the line that the bottom of the mirror may create.

PERFORMANCE: Lift up the box and show it to your audience, show all sides of it so they can clearly see you are not hiding anything. Place the box onto a table or platform so your spectators can clearly see under and around it. This also gets the box to more of a level that they can see your feet. Step up onto the table, open the top flaps and step into the box.

Now here is the clever part when you step into the box place one foot either side of the mirror (pic 3). Now when you open the front doors the spectators think they can see both your feet but in actual fact they see one foot and the reflection of the very same foot!

Now all you need to do is slowly lift the foot that they can see up and it will look like you are levitating.

TIP: Before you begin the levitation crouch over slightly so when you start to rise up your feet will look natural. If you are standing bolt upright it looks odd. Hold your arms out to the side this also heightens the effect.

Do this slowly and really act as though it is taking a lot of energy for you to do this. Once you have levitated for a few seconds float back down and close the front flaps. Step out of the box, close the top flaps and take your applause!

TIP: You could if you wish paint the box with stars and moons etc but I prefer to keep it as a plain box. It looks far less suspicious that way. You can draw arrows on the box pointing up, with the words "This way up" That is a normal thing to see on a box and adds a little humor to the illusion.


TIP: Make sure the mirror is perfectly clean for the performance any dirt or dust may reveal it. Angle wise spectators need to be looking exactly front on, not from the sides.

Credits to freemagictrics4u for this trick

Impromtu Rise

THE EFFECT: You choose an assistant from the audience and get them to lay on the floor on their back. You take a large cloth or blanket and drape it over their entire body. Upon your command the spectator starts to rise up off the ground. A full two feet in fact! Slowly the spectator is lowered back down again, the sheet is removed and everything is shown to be normal and unprepared.

• Nothing added or taken away
• Both spectator and cloth can be fully examined
• Impromptu, literally only spectator and sheet needed

THE SECRET: This David Blaine levitation style effect has been around for centuries. Despite its age, performed correctly it still looks stunning! As soon as you discover the secret you may think it’s too simple and will never work - Let me assure you it will.

Although completely impromptu and really simple, this is a very strong piece of stage or street magic. Actually go out and perform it and you will see the reactions this gets.

The first thing you need to know is that the spectator you use is in on the trick, they are a stooge or plant by you. To the rest of your spectators they are just a random person. Do not be put off by using a plant David Copperfield uses them all the time!

Your assistant is the one who really performs the magic, without you having to do very much at all. They have to perform a very simple secret move under the cover of the sheet. Start by getting you assistant to lay down on their back, legs and arms together. Now take a large cloth (big enough to cover their whole body) and hand it out to the audience for inspection. There is nothing to find.

Here comes the move, take back the cloth and stand in front of your assistant with your back to the audience, lift up the cloth with your arms spread in preparation to cover your assistant. In this brief moment when the cloth is shielding the assistant, they secretly roll over onto their stomach! As soon as they have done this, bend down and cover their entire body with the sheet.

TIP: You must cover their entire body do not leave any part of them sticking out or the illusion will be discovered!

Spread your hands and pretend to be concentrating really hard on the spectator to rise off the ground. After a few moments your spectator needs to do a very slow push up but keeping one leg, out straight perfectly parallel to the floor at all times. This is what creates the
illusion of levitation.

When they do their "one legged push up" they should stop at the top of the push up for a few seconds then slowly lower back down again. I know this seems very silly and too simple to work but it does.

After the assistant has returned to the ground simply reverse all the moves at the beginning of the trick. Raise the cloth (still hiding the assistant from the audiences view) the assistant rolls over again onto their back, remove the cloth and let everything be examined!

TIP: When the assistant rolls over at the beginning and end of the trick, they must do it on the spot so they don't seem to have moved when the cloth covers them.

TIP: This David Blaine levitation style effect works because of a couple of subtleties. A random spectator is seemingly chosen at the beginning which dispels any involvement on their part. Secondly spectators see the assistant laying on their back at the beginning and end of the trick. With this consistency they have no reason to think that changes!