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Volume One - Parlor Mentalism

It's done under what can be the most difficult conditions: performing for a medium - sized audience with no formal stage setting to focus attention. Sightlines are often poor, and people must be drawn into the experience even if they can't see everything clearly. Too, you may be working surrounded, so you'd better be sure there are no angle problems. And, as it's likely to be a social occasion filled with potential distractions, your material needs to be compelling from the very first moment: intriguing presentations that build to powerful conclusions. This video features a range of commercial Parlor Mentalism. No pre-show work, no secret assistance; this is practical material for the solo performer, using subtle and unusual methods that are as fascinating as the effects they produce. You'll learn:

• The Mockingbird - A sampling from the fabled "Birds of Prey" series. At its core, an inexplicable demonstration of playing card telepathy - but you'll discover how audience participation and an unfolding plot structure can transform an already strong effect into a full - fledged routine.
• Autome - An extraordinary book test using plain, ungimmicked props under the fairest conditions. This is a remarkable routine in and of itself, but it also introduces principles for which you'll find a host of other uses.
• Divine Write - (Previously Unrevealed): Mutual mentalism with built - in appeal. The performer tries an imposing experiment in clairvoyance, working simultaneously with a member of the audience. Despite the overwhelming odds, the outcome is successful for both!
• Zenvelopes: - A test of intuition using several participants and a number of ESP symbol cards hidden inside opaque envelopes. These are thoroughly mixed by the spectators, who then pair them off by playing their hunches. When the contents are examined, all the symbols have matched perfectly.
• Kurotsuke - (Previously Unrevealed) An ancient game from the imperial court of Japan is turned into a delightful routine of stand - up mentalism that lets several people get involved. And, best of all, it can be done entirely impromptu using only borrowed materials.
• The Mind's Eye Deck - A pack of some 40 design cards is used. Each one is different, and the deck is shuffled. While the performer's back is turned, a spectator removes a card. Without turning around, the mentalist starts describing the thought - of design, eventually drawing it on a pad of paper. It's as straightforward as that.

Volume Two - Close-Up Mentalism

Perhaps the most intimate form of entertainment that can be presented in public. It requires a delicate interplay in order to achieve a balance between the charming and the disquieting. This is material designed for very small groups, or even working one - on - one. This video features a range of commercial Close - Up Mentalism. No pre - show work, no secret assistance; this is practical material for the solo performer, using subtle and unusual methods that are as fascinating as the effects they produce. You'll learn:

• Shape - Up (Previously Unrevealed) - One card has been removed from as ESP deck. A person is invited to deal through the rest of the pack, turning cards face - up one by one and stopping at any time. The stopped - at symbol is the same as on the card that was previously set aside.
• Changeling - A pleasingly simple routine using a handful of ordinary coins, in which the mentalist successfully predicts precisely how many coins will be selected by the spectator.
• Isolation - The participant chooses which of several unprepared magazines will be used. That is opened to a random page, from which a random word is noted while the performer's head is turned away. In a convincing telepathic display, the mentalist extracts the word from the person's mind
• Key To The Future - An amiable variation on the classic "Seven Keys to Baldpate" effect using an ungimmicked padlock and several keys, only one of which can open the lock. This time it is the spectator whose psychic abilities are tested. Will the working key be located - and will the performer know the outcome in advance?
• Symbalance (Previously Unrevealed) - A standard pack of ESP symbol cards is employed along with two participants. The mentalist divines the first person's thought - of design. He then discerns the second person's symbol with an offbeat demonstration of "tactile intuition.";
• Positive Negative - A lesson in spectator management in the form of an engaging bit of prognostic pantomime with a baffling payoff. Better yet, it's completely impromptu - you an do it with a moment's notice, using borrowed items.
• The Hawk - Another impossible card routine from the "Birds of Prey" series. Two spectators select and replace cards while the performer's back is turned. They also shuffle the deck. Nevertheless, the mentalist deals through the face - down pack and stops on one selection, then tops that by promptly naming the other.

Volume Three - Stage Mentalism

Formal performance conditions: a stage, a schedule, and the obligation to entertain an audience of paying customers. What you need for this type of situation is material that will allow you to connect with a large group; routines that are efficiently structured for maximum impact so that they'll generate interest, maintain a robust energy level, and hold the spectators' attention from start to finish. Goal Mine (Previously Unrevealed) - This is an ideal opener: a routine of mental persuasion that serves to establish the performer's credentials, gets several audience members involved, has a climax that virtually guarantees laughter and applause - and all of the props can fit in your breast pocket.

• Tossed - Out Tech (Previously Unrevealed) - One of the most valuable techniques of mentalism has also been one of the least understood - until now. This section covers an effect that has been a feature item in Max Maven's professional repertoire for over two decades. This is not a basic "bare bones" description; it is an in - depth analysis; knowledge developed through years of study, and honed during thousands of performances. The information that is disclosed here constitutes a virtual "post - graduate course" in mentalism.
• Khan Artist (Previously Unrevealed) - The performer forecasts how members of the audience will rearrange a set of symbols. The props are so uncomplicated, so innocent in appearance....it's no wonder that this deceptively simple effect has hoodwinked some of the keenest minds in the business.
• Contimental - Could there be more direct exhibition of mindreading? Consider this: A spectator thinks of an international location; the mentalist reveals it. The end. There's no advance work, nothing is written down, and there are no props required. You can even perform this over the telephone
• Psign - A prediction, quick and to the point. A large board is displayed, back - out. A spectator selects one of eight different designs, which proves to be the very one printed on the front of the board. The participant can stay seated in the audience - leaving the performer alone on stage at the finish, to accept all of the applause.