Balducci Levitation - Solution

All you do is pretend to "float off of the ground while you tippee-toe on just one foot (the
foot furthest from their view) as shown below. Believe it, or not, this looks GREAT! The
small audience can not see your supporting foot because it is hidden by three things: your
pants, the angle of the trick and your closest shoe (which hides their view of the foot being
used to "levitate" you.) You might only rise 3 or 5 inches off of the ground, but it's all in
the presentation! You will want to slowly rise off of the ground . . . wait just one second
and then drop fast. Stay up too long and they will probably figure it out.

This is what the Balducci Levitation looks like during performance. The position on the
left is the start of the illusion. The position on the right shows the climax of the levitation.



Another thing. Don't just walk up to someone
and say, "wanna see me float?" You must
first show them, say, a bunch of card tricks.
This will let you know if you can perform the
Balducci Levitation for them, or not. If they
tend to grab at the cards or seem to go out of
their way to make magic life difficult for you,
then you do not want to show them this trick.
They will blow it for you, and everyone else.
The Balducci Levitation requires a
respectable, responsive audience - people that
like, and want, to be entertained. Part of
being a good magician is knowing who not
to show a trick to - no matter how much you
want to show it to them. You show them a
few card tricks first (or something of the
like). This establishes a "magical" mood, lets
you see if they are 'in the mood' and sets
them up for the big one. After seeing a bunch
of "small" stuff they will never

suspect a levitation. This is what blows
them away! After a few card tricks, simply
have them stand together and then set up
for the illusion. "Can everyone see my
feet?" is something good to say at this
point. "Everyone watch me while I float!"
is probably the crappiest thing you could
say. Never tell them exactly what to do
(this way, they won't be trying to figure it
out before you even get started).

Practice in front of a mirror, or better yet,
in front of a video camera on a tripod. Set
the camera at eye level and perform for the
camera several times. This will help you
learn your angles much faster, and better
than a mirror. Better yet, let a friend in on
the trick and have him/her videotape your
performance.

Good luck.