We all know that stage magicians perform illusions and what we’re seeing isn’t real, but sometimes it’s extremely tricky to figure out what’s going on. The magician’s code generally prohibits magicians from sharing the truth behind their illusions with the general public, but some of these highly guarded secrets have come out over the years. Here we have seven secret ways of performing five classic magic tricks. Take a look and learn the truth behind these outstanding illusions!
The ‘woman sawed in half’ illusion is an old classic, which you could probably figure out on your own (you didn’t really think they sawed her in half, did you?!). There are, however, two variations on this trick. One using fake legs and the other using two women. The latter has an extra degree of realism, as the women who’s in the second half and being the legs can move them around and so on, whereas the fake legs will have to remain stationary.
The ‘levitating woman’ is another classic illusion with two variations. In the first, the woman is ‘levitated’ using a clear glass support on one end of the board she’s lying on. As the glass is raised, the woman appears to levitate. The second is essentially the same, but the board is raised using a metal rod. The key of the illusion is for the magician to stand just right to conceal the rod.
The ‘zig-zag woman’ is a variation on the woman sawed in half illusion, but takes it a step further, as blades are used to apparently cut a woman in three parts, and then her severed mid-section is moved off to the side. How this illusion succeeds is by making it appear that there’s less usable space in the box than there is. Then the assistant can contort herself into the space that remains. See the diagram below for a more detailed explanation.
This ‘seated levitation’ is a clever illusion often used by street magicians. To look at it you can’t figure it out. Sure, he has the staff, but he couldn’t support his whole weight like that! Well, there’s a metal frame across the shoulders and down the arm of the jacket to help hold him up. This attaches to the staff, which in turn attaches to a special stand, which is concealed be a carpet.
In this illusion (or Michael Jackson-style dance move) there is a special catch in the heel of the shoe, which attaches to a lift. This allows the performer to lean over their center of gravity and then effortlessly stand back up straight, rather than face-planting into the floor!
