Levitate Like Criss Angel
Criss Angel, David Blaine, and many other magicians show off their powers of levitation to television or live audiences. When you see them rocketing high into the air, they are actually attached to an off-camera crane by thin wires, and sometimes surrounded by fake audience members pretending to be fooled. However, these magicians also do smaller-scale tricks, lifting themselves a short distance, and you can learn this technique at home with minimal preparation.
Contents
Steps
Using Criss Angel's Trick
- Practice this trick for a professional short-distance levitation. There are many ways to "levitate" a short distance off the ground, but Criss Angel's technique requires skilled misdirection techniques and practice, as well as advance preparation. There are other techniques described in their own section below, which are less impressive but easier to pull off.
- Criss Angel has also "levitated" many feet up into the air, but in that trick he is most likely wearing a wire harness attached to a crane. The black clothing, bright sky, and carefully selected camera angles make the wires invisible.
- Attach magnets in the heels of a pair of shoes. Find a pair of shoes that easily slip on and off, with a little extra room in them. Use tape to attach a strong magnet inside each one. Arrange the magnets so your shoe heels stick together firmly when you bring your feet together.
- You can use alternate methods of attaching the magnets, such as slitting a hole in the interior side of your shoes and inserting the magnets into the pocket.
- Try asking for rare earth magnets or other strong magnets at a home improvement store or online.
- Cut a slit in the front of one pant leg. This works best with slightly baggy pants. Cut a slit starting well above the knee, and extending most of the way down your leg. You will need to be able to lift your foot out of your shoe and through this slit in order to perform this trick, without anyone behind you noticing.
- Use dark pants to make the slit less obvious, and wear long underwear, tights, or tight pants underneath that blend in with the pants' color.
- If the slit is very obvious, extend it further downward, then pinch the lower end of the slit and bring it over so the two halves of the pant leg overlap slightly. Sew this material together at the bottom of the slit.
- Attach your shoes to your pants. The shoes and pants should hang sturdily, even when you are not wearing them. This can be done with tape, but sewing the pants leg to the shoe may be less noticeable.
- Use thread that blends in with the color of the pants.
- Stand in front of a platform or chair. Although Criss Angel always seems to simply be standing in front of a chair, he's actually using it as a very important prop. Start practicing with low platforms, that you can easily step onto with minimal foot movements. When facing the platform, your back should be facing the audience.
- Practice hovering. Once these preparations are complete, you are ready to levitate. You've probably guessed the basic movement by now, but here it is:
- Face toward the platform (away from the audience), and bring your feet together so the magnets hold your shoes together.
- Slip one foot out of its shoe and through the slit in the pants leg, and place it on the platform in front of you.
- Lean forward and lift your other foot in the air behind you, so you are balancing on one leg.
- Hover for a couple seconds. Move your "levitating" feet and your arms slightly to make this look like a great effort.
- Land on the platform. After hovering for a couple seconds, bring both shoes (attached together) onto the platform. Lift the heel of the foot you were balancing on as you do this, then bring it back down onto the toe of the empty shoe. Bend your knees as you "land" to make it seem like more of an impact, as though you had jumped. Once on the platform, slip your free foot back through the pants slit and into its shoe.
- You can instead land back on the ground, but this is harder to pull off convincingly. Also, if you don't land on the platform, the audience may wonder why it's there, and guess how you pulled off the trick.
- Use a video camera or friend to get feedback. Only audience members directly behind you will be fooled by this trick. While practicing, set up a video camera or recruit a friend to watch you behind you and to the left or right. Do this many times, moving the camera or friend each time, so you get a better idea of where the audience needs to stand to be fooled.
- Misdirect your audience. Once you're ready to perform in front of an audience, you'll need to distract them from your legs. As with many magic tricks, good misdirection skills will make this much easier to pull off without being caught. Keep up a stream of chatter before you "lift off," arch your back, throw your head back, and lift your arms in motions as though you were pushing off of the air. All of these will make the audience less likely to look at your feet while you slip your leg through the pants slit.
- It usually helps if you start doing this as you're walking towards the chair.
- Stress that the audience needs to stay back. Some magicians claim they might fall onto them and injure someone nearby.
Levitating Without Special Materials
- Stand away from the audience. This levitation trick is much simpler, though less impressive. All you'll be doing is standing on your toes, from a carefully chosen angle. The audience should be at least 8–10 feet (2.5–3 meters) away, behind you at roughly a 45º angle.
- Make sure the audience stays back. If they're antsy, demand space and make a big deal of "searching for the right spot."
- This trick is unlikely to succeed without practicing first. Use a video camera or friend to help you figure out the right angle and control your movements.
- Put your heels together and your toes apart. Arrange your feet so your audience can see our entire left foot and the heel of your right foot. The tip of your right foot should not be visible, due to the angle of your body and the left foot placed between you and the audience.
- Pretend to make a great effort. Pump your arms up, grunt, or bend your knees. The more you get into your body motions, the more you help your audience convince itself.
- Stand on your right toes only. With a final effort, "jump" off the ground an inch or two and hover. In reality, all you're doing is bending your right foot and standing on the toes. Your left foot should stay flat and lift completely off the ground. If your angle is well-chosen, the audience will only see the parts of your feet that are "hovering" off the ground.
- Bend your knees as you land. After a few seconds, bring your feet down and bend your knees and ankles as you "land," as though you dropped from a significant distance.
Tips
- While the principle of the trick is simple, it takes convincing theatrics and confidence to pull off. The more you practice, the better you'll get.
- Wear socks and underclothes that blend in with the pants, or a second inner layer of long underwear or tights.
- Low lighting makes it harder for the audience to catch you.
Warnings
- A large audience makes this trick very difficult to pull off.
Things You'll Need
- Old, dark pants
- Shoes, easy to slip on and off
- Strong magnets
- Scissors or utility knife
- Tape, or needle and dark thread
- A low platform or chair
- Bad lighting (optional)
- A small crowd (optional)
- A video camera or friend (for practicing)
