411: Luke Dancy In Front And Behind The Camera

Luke Dancy may not be a familiar name...for now. But that is about to change. Luke worked behind the scenes with Criss Angel for seven years as a consultant and helping direct through the camera for some of Criss' TV shows. Luke now works for Murphy's Magic Supplies and hosts a regular vlog that is posted on Murphy's YouTube channel and their Facebook page.

Luke hosted my "At The Table" lecture taping (which will be due out later this Fall) as well as those of many others.He has had a lifetime of experience as a professional magician and shares some of his stories with us on this week's podcast.

As a resident of Las Vegas, Luke Dancy knows all too well that it's a city of smoke and mirrors. It's a magical place that plays with people's perceptions on a daily basis. In this opener with a brilliant kicker, Luke shows just how much the city has rubbed off on him.

Timestamps for this week's podcast:

00:04:45 - Luke Dancy talks about his work with Murphy's Magic Supplies and his time with Criss Angel.

00:59:35 - Product Review: "Aiden" by Ryuhei Nakamuraor from SansMinds - a Sharpie Pen comes to life and inscribes a symbol/design on an index card. Pretty finicky and requires a lot of preparation and correct lightiing. Recommended for those who like this type of thing.

01:05:39 - Product Review: "Holely Change" from SansMinds - a visual card routine where the back of a signed card changes colors. Recommended for walk-around magic if you watch your handling.

01:10:46 - Product Review: "The Casino Con" by Steve Gore and Gregory Wilson from Steven G Presents - a three phase card routine using playing cards from Las Vegas casinos that have closed. Clever and recommended.

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410 - Carisa Hendrix - Getting Uncomfortable

Caria Hendrix is a magician who is on the rise. Oh, also, she happens to be a woman. She is one of the new breed who I believe is one of the "Stars of Tomorrow" as she pursues her dreams on stage. Most young people I see today seem to be involved in close-up and entertaining small groups of people, but few true entertainers are comfortable on stage in front of a large audience. Carisa is one of that rare breed.

She suggests that we should step out of our comfort zone and try new things that stretch our boundaries and move into new, perhaps uncomfortable, areas that will make us better performers and people. She says that artists should practice "moving towards the place of greatest discomfort and just sitting in that space." She suggests that magicians should not be afraid to fail.

On another matter, there was quite a bit of controversy about her July 2017 cover on VANISH Magazine. She addresses it quite well and succinctly on her blog. Click Here to read her comments on the controversy.

The Lady Magician, Lucy Darling plays a game of "hide and seek" with the Rone, Wednesday night at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Performed November 15th, 2017 Special. Thank you to Pop Hayden for the footage and lovely introduction. Written and performed by Carisa Hendrix Additional thanks to David Par, Joe Diamond, Tim Ellis, Jimbo Jordan, Jason Melnychu, Chris Visse, John Lovick and Bizzaro Galore for their notes and suggestions.

This is the video that Carisa talks about late in the podcast. 20 years after ruining/improving Dave Williamson's magic career, Murray returns to The 2011 International Magic convention in London to try again.

Here is the poem that inspires Carisa that applies to all creators:

So You Want To Be A Writer - Poem by Charles Bukowski

if it doesn't come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don't do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don't do it.
if you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don't do it.
if you're doing it for money or
fame,
don't do it.
if you're doing it because you want
women in your bed,
don't do it.
if you have to sit there and
rewrite it again and again,
don't do it.
if it's hard work just thinking about doing it,
don't do it.
if you're trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.
if you have to wait for it to roar out of
you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you're not ready.

don't be like so many writers,
don't be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don't be dull and boring and
pretentious, don't be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don't add to that.
don't do it.
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don't do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don't do it.

when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

and there never was.

Charles Bukowski

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Since this original podcast was released, Carisa has lived to her potential. So in July 2019, we give a major congratulations to Carisa Hendrix for winning the 2019 Allan Slaight Award for Canadian Rising Star!

We’re so proud of her! Carisa truly is a rising star, with many talents to boot! She’s done tons of magic shows for children at parties, schools, and other family events, but she also does stilt walking, fire eating, and is even a professional bubble blower. Make sure that your check out her Bubble act here.

And that’s just in laypeople-land, specifically for children. She’s been taking the magic world by storm with her character, Lucy Darling, playing at the Chicago Magic Lounge, the Magic Castle, and currently at the Melbourne Magic Festival in Australia.

Check out the video (above) from the Slaight Family Foundation, highlighting Carisa and her many skills.

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A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

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