Beyond Secrets

by Jay Sankey

Are your ready to take your magic and mentalism to THE NEXT LEVEL?

Beyond the moves, beyond the gimmicks, beyond the patter, there exists a handful of fundamental truths about the performance and creation of magic. After performing for more than a quarter of a century and creating hundreds of innovative magic routines, Jay Sankey has written a book exploring these same truths.

This thought-provoking collection of short pieces ranges from the technical and psychological to the philosophical and sociological, while also staying rooted in the heartfelt and practical. After reading just a handful of the passages, you will see the craft of magic in a whole new light.

Learn from one of the most creative magicians on the planet and BECOME A BETTER MAGICIAN TODAY!

Learn how

* Practice more effectively
* Connect with your audience
* Invite wonder
* Nurture your creativity
* Add humor to your magic
* Create "Key Images"
* Market your unique talents
* Write powerful scripts
* Transition between effects
* Perform new material
* Choose spectators
* Avoid "Over Proving"
* Manage multiple climaxes
* Orchestrate your magic
* Simplify your magic
* Inspire belief ... and much, much more!

Foreword by Jon Racherbaumer.

Genres: Magic

182 pages, Hardcover

Reviews

[Sean Goh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly how bad habits are first picked up, when the clay is still soft and moldable.

Until we take more risks as performers, we cannot hope for our audiences to think of us as legitimate actors

In the grips of wonder we know so little and feel so much, which is precisely why the feeling is often described as a childlike state of consciousness

So what is the opposite of magic? The predictable? The unmysterious? Perhaps the everyday? By ruminating on magic's opposite (the non or even anti-magical), each of us cannot help but gain valuable insight into our own vision

The true adventurer goes forth aimless and uncalculating to meet and greet unknown fate

shake a hand or two and tell them I am a magician who has "been asked to walk around and show everyone a quick trick

While for many people the word "true" suggests a fixed, objective reality, the word "credible" immediately poses vital questions about your audience, performance context, etc. It explicitly points towards the idea of belief and the subjectivity of the human experience.Ultimately, the truth has nothing whatsoever to do with the effectiveness of an artful deception. People either believe it, thereby giving the performer something to work with, or they do not100

the "minimum effort" approach in mind as you polish the skills you already possess and learn new ones. Over time, such an approach will nurture grace and fluidity in your work that will in turn dramatically increase its deceptiveness

results from imagining dozens of doors closing rather than focusing on the handful of doors that will swing wide open if only we will have the courage to market ourselves in a decisive fashion

By “calling the situation” instead of ignoring the obvious interruption you will keep the audience with you. Responding and flowing with things as they unfold is precisely what being fully present is all about

very powerful means of directing the audience's attention, but during moments when you are more interested in diffusing focus rather than directing attention, be sure to explore the mirroring technique

The best you can hope to do is hang your sign straight. Do what you do, as best as you can, and the audience will either enjoy it or they won't. ” Inspiring words

and a little more time thinking about what you want to say and how you want to say it will yield amazing results

("Do As I Do") is found in the movie Magic (1978) directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Anthony Hopkins. The magician’s presentation is definitely "over the top" in a creepy and desperate kind of way, though it is without a doubt totally engaging. I do not believe it would be a very commercial character or tone to adopt, but it is a fine example of a magical effect performed in an extremely vulnerable fashion

the juncture where you must make the extremely important choice between being an actor and a presenter. Actors bring their roles to life by filling them with personal thoughts and feelings, while presenters (even the wittiest and most professional) are far less interested in personal and creative goals. They are more focused on smiling and speaking clearly while reading off their cue cards

exploring your own thoughts and feelings regarding magic.Tragically, it is this last activity that is most neglected by magicians. Your own creativity is a gift, and a responsibility. Water your originality, nurture your origins and explore what is truly yours169

This is one of the most fundamental differences between puzzles and mystery. Puzzles reek of a desire to control the experience, while mysteries only bloom in moments where the performer relinquishes just the right amount of control, leaving the audience to do what they will with the elements of the experience

While misdirection is borne of a fear of being caught, direction stems from a devotion to the perfect magic experience. Of course, this imagined ideal is seldom achieved. It is, in a sense, a destination rarely arrived at, making each of the steps along the way more valuable180

The most powerful magic tends to consist of utterly impossible events happening under "test conditions" including examination, open-handedness, even repetition

These are the lessons regarding why people believe what they do and how they respond to events beyond their understanding. In this way, your audience can teach you about you as a magician, while also teaching you about you as a human being. Consciously striving to learn from your audience, you will also become more open to the magic experience as an act of cocreation

[Fuentes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really into every kind of magic a few years back. Card tricks, illusions, coins and everything else. Knowing the slight of hand techniques were not to much of a problem, as with time and practice anyone can learn them. But I realized there was more to magic than just deception. I really loved this book because it emphasizes on the psychological importance of delivering the effect, rather than the technique one uses with their hands to deceive the eyes. It gives you methods of distracting not just one person but a crowd of people. I really like the way Jay Sankey added his comic wit as well as the years of experience being a house magician. It is a very light read and very simply written so anyone who likes Jay’s effects should definitely read this one.

[Jose Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good. They are a bunch of essays on the different aspects to magic. From audience management, to tips on how and when to practice, to secrets of magic. Thought provoking and very philosophical about the art of magic. I highly recommend this book to other magicians.

[Ryan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

easy read but felt long. But very insightful