Thursday, March 7, 2013

Michael Vincent's Quest for Mastery

michael, vincent, magic, london, british, england, close-up, classic, classics, sleight-of-hand, dai, vernon, slydini, new, york, city, nyc, tannen's, tannens
Michael Vincent at Tannen's in NYC
British magician, Michael Vincent, lectured for a sold-out Tannen's crowd on Tuesday night in New York City. Michael shared his thoughts on how to adjust a close-up trick into a parlor effect that plays for dozens of people.

He was giddy with enthusiasm when describing his effects and theories on how to master the art of magic. Michael told us that he believes mastery comes through unconscious competency, he said once a magician reaches that state "the magic just happens." His influence for this idea was Bruce Lee who described mastery as "Mushin No Shin" which translates to "A State of No Mind." Michael's goal is to achieve that state with every piece he performs.

For the past 15 years Michael has obsessed over Dai Vernon's Travelers which was first published in The Stars of Magic. Michael has put his soul into the routine and has transformed it into his variation where his hands are always shown empty before going into his pockets to retrieve the signed aces. This routine was thoughtful and  powerful and is available for the first time ever in Michael's book The Ultimate Travelers.

Enjoy this video of Michael at Tannen's!