#backpalm

While it is admittedly old-minded I am of the belief that the greatest Magic is the trick that is never performed. Let me explain...

Many of those young to the Magical Arts are unaware of the difference between a Presentation Angle and a Houdini (otherwise known as “Utility”) Angle. The simple distinction is that a Presentation Angle is a method that goes out of it’s way to boastfully present a move to the Audience, and a Houdini Angle is a method that the Audience never notices (and is not intended to notice). While Presentation Angles have become in-vogue because they challenge the Audience to feel like some “magic” has been committed, they are frequently less effective than Utility Angles and draw dangerous attention to the fact that a “trick” is being performed.

This is well beyond fixing at this point, but I have noticed that the previously frowned-upon (within elite magic circles) use of the Backpalm has entered ubiquity in the average Magician’s cardistry. When first conceived, the backpalm was considered a joke among Magicians-- a preposterous move that was only meant to entertain other Magicians. However, less-read Magicians began seeing it within Magic circles and it quickly became part of the public-facing array of basic cardistry methods. To be clear, this is a method that was never meant to reach the public eye. In fact, early editions of the European Code of Magic used footnotes to dissuade (though not entirely ban) European magicians from using it (when I return to Massachusetts this Fall I will attempt to dig up these exact footnotes).

I suggest that the Modern Magician remove it entirely from their repertoire. Any situation in which you make use of a backpalm can be easily swapped with the method of not actually having a card (more on this in future posts. see: Non-Magical Absence). The pure card-wranglers of the Magic World know that the greatest achievement in cardistry is to have the Audience not even understand that entertainment is taking place. If you use a Bernali Chart to plot your moves, it’s easy to see that every instance of backpalming is superfluous (and frequently means the moves before and after are as well). Remember, not performing is often more powerful than performing, and in the case specifically of the backpalm: exerting your arrogance over the audience can do more to harm your Magical status than any use of the backpalm could hope to add.

So next time you are tempted to slip a card behind your hand and make a name of yourself, remember that a firm handshake (absent of any cards) provides more soil for your Magical growth than “magic beans” of an arrogant method.

Quesce, palesque!