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00:00 Hi, hello, this is Jeremy Pei from Singapore and welcome to this DVD, Professional Cane
00:05 Techniques. In this DVD, I'll be sharing with you a variety of various routines using the
00:11 appearing canes. I've been performing with the appearing canes since I was at a very
00:15 young age and even till today, I still feature a full cane act in my show. So I hope you
00:21 enjoy the routines and ideas. So if you're ready, let's get started right now.
00:28 Alright, before we get into the magic and the routines using the appearing canes, right
00:35 now I would like to share with you a little bit of background and history with regards
00:41 to this apparatus based on my research and understanding. The appearing cane was first
00:46 invented back in the year 1947 by a gentleman named Rostel Walsh. Rostel Walsh invented
00:52 the appearing canes back then and it became very popular among magicians. There is a problem
00:59 however with regards to the Walsh appearing canes, especially in my country, in Singapore.
01:05 It's a very humid country so the cane, the spring, tends to rust in our country. So that
01:12 cane, I used to have one of those Walsh canes before, they rust very quickly and it kind
01:19 of can't expand anymore. So one of the more popular appearing canes which I used since
01:25 I was a kid was a cane right here. This is a plastic appearing cane made by Fantasio.
01:32 So Fantasio innovated a lot of these canes and candles and made them into plastic. So
01:41 this is a plastic appearing cane. It collapsed the exact same way as a regular appearing
01:46 cane and it has this little latch which locks on the cane like that. So this is the Fantasio
01:53 appearing cane. Now, of course the plastic canes, they are kind of wobbly sometimes,
02:01 even if you tighten them up and heat them up and all to keep them rather firm, but it's
02:12 still a little fragile. So the metal canes are still a little better. One of the most
02:18 popular metal canes ever made is from Japan, a company by the name of Harakan. What I'm
02:24 holding here is a Harakan appearing cane. This is a Harakan appearing cane. The Harakan
02:31 appearing cane has a nice bronze colour on it. This nice bronze colour shows up as black
02:38 on stage. It's a very strong, very durable appearing cane. Many magicians have been using
02:42 these canes in their performances. The Harakan appearing cane also pioneered a brand new
02:49 type of catch release. That is this spring catch release over here.
03:05 The spring catch release allows you to simply open the catch by tenkai palming the cane
03:12 and pushing down on the cane like this and that would release your appearing cane for
03:22 it to appear. Now, another very popular appearing cane made in the market is by a gentleman,
03:33 Maka Tendo. This is a Maka Tendo appearing cane. The Maka Tendo appearing cane, this
03:40 cane I'm holding here, is one which I purchased back in the late 90s. Back in the late 90s,
03:46 Maka Tendo sold these canes in conventions and in his lectures as well. It also has a
03:51 nice bronze colour on it. However, Maka Tendo innovated this appearing cane into what we
03:59 call a soft cane, such that this cane can be collapsed very quickly, just like this.
04:06 Unlike the Harakan cane, it can't really close that fast because of the spring tension. The
04:15 Maka Tendo cane is able to collapse very quickly. Now the concept of this soft cane was initially
04:25 meant just purely so that one could close the cane fast to set up. However, many magicians,
04:32 including Maka Tendo, have created some routines and ideas using a soft cane. I've also heard
04:38 stories from another magician, a friend of mine, Mr Albert Tan from Hong Kong, who told
04:43 me that this soft cane concept was first used by a magician from America, Dale Sawick, in
04:49 his act, because he has a Walsh cane which kind of closes pretty quickly. So he actually
04:55 used the concept of a soft cane in his act as well. So with the soft cane, many effects
05:01 are possible. However, this cane does not use the spring catch release, it still has
05:05 the old lever catch, whereby you have to use your thumb to push, then you release the cane.
05:14 In the year 2001, I think it's 2001 or 2002, Maka Tendo then made another revolutionary
05:21 change to the appearing canes which he sells, and that is by adding colours to the appearing
05:29 cane. So we have many different colours of the appearing cane, which allows the performer
05:37 to create many, many different routines with them. Now these appearing canes with the colours
05:44 on them still have the soft cane feature, therefore you could vanish them, and they
05:50 are all made now with the Harakan spring catch release, right here, which makes it really
05:57 easy to open. Now based on my research as well, I have also found out that the concept
06:02 for using a coloured cane on an appearing cane, especially a metal appearing cane, was
06:07 first introduced by a magician from Japan by the name of George Honda. He first introduced
06:12 the coloured cane back in the 90s, and Maka Tendo then made it popular when it was about
06:19 I think 2001 or 2002. So this is a little bit of history and background regarding the
06:26 appearing canes, so if you're ready, we're going to get on to some of the magic and routines
06:32 with them.
06:39 So now we're going to show the proper technique and safe way to close your appearing cane,
06:44 because the last thing you want to do is for the cane to fly away, hit someone, or for
06:48 it to fly up and hit yourself. So the best way, the proper way to close an appearing
06:54 cane, to learn closing the appearing cane, is to do this. First of all, you want to hold
06:59 the cane in the centre with your left hand, with the right hand we're going to come over
07:02 here to the end, and we're going to twist it to the front, or clockwise. And as we twist
07:08 it, you will realise that the spring is getting loose, right at this half here, which allows
07:14 you to bring both hands together easily like that. And after you've done that, have the
07:20 cane push right against your right palm, right hand will grab the entire cane, then the left
07:27 hand will come over here to the bottom part, and it's going to push everything down like
07:32 this, and you're going to twist it a little bit clockwise with your right hand, as such
07:36 that your left hand can take over, then apply the lock. It's very important whenever you
07:41 appear this cane, do not shoot it at someone, and try to avoid it, like just shooting it
07:46 against yourself, because it can get painful, it can hurt, if you're just starting out,
07:51 or if you're a kid, trying to start learning appearing canes, I recommend using the plastic
07:56 cane to begin with, instead of the metal canes. Please be very careful not to hurt yourself
08:03 with the appearing cane. So this is how you can properly close the appearing cane, and
08:08 it will apply to most appearing canes in the market, apart from the Macatando cane.
08:15 Okay right now we're going to discuss some flourishes which you can perform with a cane.
08:25 Now an appearing cane, some magicians may consider it a little bit old school, a little
08:30 bit old fashioned, however personally for myself, I think the appearing cane is a very
08:35 powerful magic apparatus, because it packs small, it plays big, and it allows the performer
08:40 to move on stage and create many many different pictures and poses on stage. I remember when
08:47 I was just 13 years old performing in my school, and I had one appearing cane in my act, all
08:53 I did was open the show with a silk, waving it around on stage, and transform the silk
08:59 to a cane. Instantly I got an ovation from the entire school, it was a very satisfying
09:04 feeling. Now of course there are many many ways you can use the cane as part of your
09:09 act, if you're using a traditional cane you can come in in a tails, with a top hat, kind
09:14 of like a classic top hat, tails, tuxedo magician look. All the canes can be used as part of
09:20 an illusion act, you know you could have something like a cane cabinet, just by appearing a few
09:25 canes. There are many ways to innovate as well, the cane could transform into many things,
09:30 it could transform into a perch for doves, it could also transform into a mic stand,
09:36 many many ideas. So with regards to flourishes, we're going to start off by showing you the
09:42 first flourish, this is the finger twirl, which looks like this. In finger twirl all
09:49 you have to do is clip the cane with the thumb and index finger, and with the middle finger
09:55 we're going to come over here to kick the cane to form a twist like this, and as we
10:01 go over to here we're going to take it over with the ring finger, then with the pinky,
10:05 and it's going to go back one round. So from the thumb and index finger it's going to go
10:09 to the middle and index, ring and middle, pinky and ring, and it's going to go back
10:14 up to the top, kind of like a coin roll. So if we do a complete roll like this, you get
10:19 about 6-7 turns of a cane, just like this. One complete finger twirl round. So this is
10:29 one of the most basic flourish with an appearing cane, or with a cane, a standard finger twirl.
10:35 Or you could simply just do a few rounds, just one, two, you could do that as well.
10:42 So the next flourish we're going to get into is a move which looks something like this.
10:50 This is a very pretty flourish which you could do with an appearing cane. The technique to
10:55 do this flourish looks something like this. First off, we hold the cane like this in your
11:00 fist, we're going to twist the cane, with the cane thumb down, twist the cane, twist
11:06 your arm, such that you can't twist anymore, you're going to bend your elbow, the cane
11:11 is going to go to the back of your arm, you're going to release the cane, turn your arm at
11:15 the same time and catch the cane, like this. And while you caught the cane like this, you
11:22 could actually go one more round again, like this. We're going to do it one more time in
11:26 slow motion, watch, from here, we're going to turn up, down, down and catch. One more
11:36 time, like this, twist your arm, bend your arm, drop the cane, straighten your arm, catch
11:45 the cane. Now personally I created a different flourish with this move using two canes. With
11:55 two canes you could also do the same move with your left hand, like this. But now what
12:00 we're going to do is we're going to do the move with both hands, like this. Instead of
12:05 dropping we're going to cross our hand, the right hand is going to come and grab the cane
12:10 on the left, which is the white cane, and the left hand is going to come over here and
12:14 grab the cane on the right, like that. Then I'm going to swing down with both hands and
12:21 this completes the flourish. I'm going to do it one more time in regular speed right
12:25 now, something like this. It's a very beautiful flourish with two canes. And if you play with
12:34 movement a little bit, I can spin this to the side, come down with the cane, and I can
12:40 then pose with one cane over my shoulder. Now, another flourish which you might want
12:48 to consider with an appearing cane is a few toss flourishes. Toss flourishes are flourishes
12:54 like this, tossing the cane from left to the right, like this, down to up. You might also
13:01 want to consider spinning the cane underneath your arm, so you can catch it right here on
13:07 the left hand. I'm tossing it from the right hand, underneath my left arm, and catching
13:12 it with my left hand. We're going to do it again, like this. Of course you can do it
13:17 with both sides as well, tossing it under the arm. Another flourish is just to do a
13:22 single turn by tossing the cane, have it spin one round, kind of like a juggling pin move,
13:29 and catch it just like this. This is also another flourish which you could do with an
13:33 appearing cane. So now that I've shared some flourishes with you which you could include
13:39 into your cane routines, now let's move on to some magic.
13:55 Hello and welcome to this section where I will be talking about routines and ideas using
14:00 an appearing cane. For explanation purposes, we'll be using for the entire DVD, Maka Tendo
14:07 appearing canes for the filming and explanation. If you'd like to purchase Maka Tendo appearing
14:11 canes, you could contact dealers from Japan, or if you're in America you might want to
14:15 contact Sew Magic USA, the website you can find at the end of the DVD, and you can purchase
14:23 Maka Tendo appearing canes from them.
14:27 The first thing we're going to talk about is the classic silk to cane effect. What I'm
14:32 holding here is a Maka Tendo appearing cane, it's a coloured appearing cane, purple colour,
14:36 and I have a purple silk tied to it. This is an 18 inch silk or 45 cm diagonal silk,
14:47 Japanese silk tied onto the appearing cane. So now I'm going to share with you different
14:53 methods of doing a silk to cane transformation. In fact, I'll be sharing with you 5 different
15:00 ways to do it.
15:01 The first method for a silk to cane transformation goes like this. This is a standard silk to
15:08 cane transformation. To practice how to appear the cane, what you want to do is you want
15:14 to just practice opening and closing your hand with the cane in your fist as it's about
15:21 to spring out. So we're holding onto it like this, you open and close your hand, and that
15:25 will cause the cane to appear. So this is a standard silk to cane transformation, what
15:28 you want to do is simply just wave the silk, and as the silk is on the upward wave, like
15:33 this, then you appear the cane, and that will cause the silk to transform into the cane.
15:37 So we're going to do it one more time, this time side view, you can see the silk go up,
15:43 and instantly open and close your hand will transform the silk into the appearing cane.
15:48 Okay, we're going to do it one more time, watch, it goes like this, silk to cane, like
15:55 that. Watch the silk transform into the cane. This is called the fist appearance, whereby
16:07 you have the silk wrapped up on your fist, and it instantly changes into a cane in your
16:12 fist. And this is in my opinion one of the prettiest silk to cane transformation sequence
16:16 which you can do. As usual, we have the cane collapse on the silk, tie it onto the silk,
16:23 then you're going to release the cane first, then you're going to punch your right fist
16:29 with the cane towards the center of the silk. So right here the cane is actually underneath,
16:37 there we go, and now I'm going to open and close my hand, appearing the cane on my hand,
16:43 and that will cause the entire silk draped around my fist to transform into the cane.
16:50 So this is the fist transformation. Another very simple and visual transformation, this
16:55 is called the toss appearance. For the toss appearance, it's the simplest silk to cane
17:03 transformation you can do. To do the toss appearance, same thing, you have the cane
17:10 held in your hand, just open the cane, and now you're going to let the cane spring out
17:16 from your fist, from your palm over here. It's going to just spring out, and with a
17:21 tossing motion that will cause the entire cane to expand in the air. I'm going to show
17:26 you in slow motion how this happens. With the silk here, as I toss it up, this is what's
17:30 going to happen, the cane will expand while pushing against the palm of my right hand,
17:37 then as I toss the cane up, that will cause the silk to transform into the appearing cane.
17:44 I'm going to do it one more time, this time at regular speed. Watch the silk, silk transform
17:51 into the appearing cane. That's one thing you do have to take note if you're performing
17:56 in low ceiling, like my ceiling over here, don't do the toss appearance, you might want
18:01 to consider another appearance. However, if you have a very high ceiling, the toss appearance
18:05 can be a very visual and nice transformation. Watch the silk, that's going to transform
18:12 into a cane. This is the stroke appearance. For the stroke appearance, it's another very
18:21 easy and simple silk to cane transformation, and also very visual. I highly recommend to
18:26 use the silk of the exact same colour as the cane. Some magicians may use a red silk with
18:32 a black cane, but if you're doing the stroke transformation, preferably use the exact same
18:36 colour, the effect is a bit better. So, to perform the stroke transformation, we have
18:42 the cane, tie on the silk as well, wave the silk like this, twirl the silk, and now I'm
18:50 going to toss the silk to the right, and with my right hand holding the cane palm upwards,
18:56 like this, I'm going to let the cane release towards my left palm, right here. As it's
19:03 released, I'm going to stroke to the right with my right hand, over the silk, as it reaches
19:09 to the end, I'm going to push the cane to the right, grabbing the centre of the cane,
19:15 turn around and display the cane. This is the stroke transformation, it's a very visual
19:22 transformation of the appearing cane, and if you do realise, it cuts away the sound.
19:27 Every time you appear the cane, there's usually a sound, doing this transformation cuts away
19:30 the sound from the appearing cane. The last transformation we're going to talk about is
19:35 another very stunning visual transformation, whereby the silk will get sucked into the
19:40 hand and instantly transform into a cane. This is also a very easy transformation to
19:47 learn. What we're going to do is the same thing, release the cane, twirl the silk, and
19:55 at this point, with the cane held in the right hand, I'm going to pull the silk with the
20:01 left hand, like this, forming a straight line, kind of like wanting to shoot the silk out
20:07 towards the front, and all I'm going to do is simply let the cane release downwards.
20:14 We're going to hold on to the top of the cane and let the cane release downwards, and as
20:18 it releases downwards, it's going to take the silk with it, and it's going to get sucked
20:22 into the fist and transform into the cane. In slow motion, it looks something like this,
20:29 the silk slowly goes into the fist and transforms into the cane.
20:37 So, I'm going to show you one more time in regular speed, and in regular speed, it looks
20:43 something like this. Toss the cane up, and then you can pose, and this is another visual
20:50 silk to cane transformation.
20:55 So there we have it, that's five ways to transform a silk into a cane. If you are performing
21:00 an act whereby you have multiple silk to cane effects in your show, I highly recommend to
21:06 use different versions and different methods to create variety in your routine. Thank you
21:12 very much.
21:19 Okay for this next part of the DVD, this next routine, we're going to talk about different
21:24 techniques to split an appearing cane. So over here we have two Maka Tendu appearing
21:31 canes. If you already transformed a silk into a cane, you can also next perform an effect
21:37 whereby you transform one cane into two by splitting it. Now it's a very different approach
21:42 as to appearing another cane and splitting a cane. If you do split a cane, it should
21:47 look like you are splitting a cane instead of appearing another cane like this. So if
21:52 you are going to split a cane, there are some techniques in terms of the movement and the
21:59 routine which you are going to do.
22:02 So the first one we are going to do is the basic cane split transforming one into two.
22:06 The technique to transform one into two, the split cane technique, the way I learnt it,
22:11 and I've also seen Maka Tendu in his lecture in the past, shared some ways to do a split
22:18 cane and the way I understand a split cane is you need to use a bigger action to cover
22:23 the smaller action of the cane appearing. So the action of the cane appearing, you've
22:29 got to use a bigger action to cover as such that it will look like both canes come from
22:33 the same place. It gets split into two from one to two.
22:37 So the action we are going to do is a double C. From down to up. This movement, drawing
22:45 two C's like this, when both hands meet, that is when the right hand is going to appear
22:52 this cane. Right here. So I'm going to try to do it in slow motion. From here, it's going
23:00 to go up and as they both meet in the center, this is when the cane will appear and then
23:07 I go up to show two canes. At regular speed, it will look a little bit more impressive
23:14 and it looks something like this. One, two, two canes.
23:21 Now we are going to talk about another cane split right now. The other cane split is not
23:27 as dynamic as the first one. The other cane split looks something like this. You show
23:31 one cane and it splits into two. So this cane split has a bit more gentle approach and the
23:43 technique is also rather simple. And also I highly recommend if you are doing cane splits,
23:49 I should say this just now, I think I should say that they should be the same color, especially
23:53 this one. So we start off with the cane and the collapsed cane right here. I usually hold
24:00 them in the same hand until I want to split the cane and then I toss it to the other hand
24:04 and then we split it. So now we are going to pass it around and we are going to hold
24:08 the cane by the bottom of the cane. Next I am going to appear the cane over here, release
24:14 the cane. I am going to come over to here and I am going to align both canes side by
24:21 side. And when I align them side by side, I am going to release the cane to the palm
24:26 of my hand. Kind of like the stroke cane appearance and I am going to hold them together. Now
24:31 I have one cane released at the back, right there. And now I am going to simply stroke
24:38 the cane as I stroke the cane in exposed view. I am going to release the other cane behind
24:47 this cane in front. Now when I reach the end, preferably they will appear about the same
24:53 length. So now I have two canes over here. I am going to keep them parallel to the floor.
24:57 I am going to move my hand back to the center. Move my hand back to the center and now we
25:04 can split the cane simply by bringing them up down like this, separating up and down.
25:10 Or you can do a technique whereby you use your thumb to suspend the cane and with the
25:16 index and middle finger I am going to clip the cane in front and pull it up like that.
25:21 Very simple, balance on the thumb, index and middle finger clip the cane in front and push
25:26 it upwards like that. So this is another version of the split cane.
25:33 Now next up I would like to share with you one of my version of a split cane, a version
25:40 of a split cane which I created I think it was back in 2002. It has kind of like a very
25:46 big action, it is more dynamic version of a split cane. It looks something like this,
25:52 we have a cane and splits into two canes. So basically the approach of this split cane,
25:59 what I was thinking back then was, if I am angry, actually I am not angry, it is just
26:06 more of a movement thing. I take a cane, I break it into two with my tie like this and
26:13 as I break it, it instantly transforms into two canes. So the technique wise is the exact
26:19 same thing, I release the cane in my right hand, so now the left hand is empty, I toss
26:23 it over, it should look like I am taking this cane and breaking it into two on my tie. But
26:28 actually what I am going to do is I am simply going to put both hands together, almost in
26:34 a crossing action, I am going to let this cane hit my tie, it should look like I am
26:39 holding this cane and breaking it with my tie. I am going to appear the cane over here
26:44 like creating an X, then I am going to come up with a big action. So 1, 2, 3 and this
26:51 should create a perfect illusion of one cane being broken into two canes. So if your act
27:00 has lots of big movements, if you are moving a lot, if you are dancing a lot or if it is
27:05 part of an act with Kung Fu or fighting, this may be a nice little flourish for a cane split
27:11 which you can do. So here we have it, three versions of a cane split, I hope you enjoy
27:18 it.
27:36 Okay right now we are going to explain a rather interesting way to appear an appearing cane.
27:42 And this is the interlock cane production. It was first shared to me in 2008 when I was
27:48 performing in a tour in China, I was performing with a friend by the name of John Song Min
27:53 from Korea and he shared this idea with me and he has given me permission to share it
27:58 in my lectures and in this DVD as well. So to do the interlock cane production is based
28:04 on a concept of interlock ball production. So if you do the ball production with the
28:11 interlock technique, it is a little similar. What we do is this, we start off with the
28:16 cane palm in the right hand of course and the left hand is empty, I am going to come
28:21 over here and with my left thumb and first finger I am going to take the appearing cane
28:26 like this. Left thumb and first finger is going to come and take the appearing cane
28:31 and next thing I am going to do is I am going to turn my right hand palm outwards and this
28:38 cane is going to be placed on the back of my right hand like that. It is a very simple
28:45 technique just the left hand come and take this, then the right hand will turn. Both
28:52 hands fingers crossed, thumb and first finger take this, right hand will turn and this goes
29:01 behind like that and when I turn around it is the exact same thing. Next thing I do I
29:06 just simply appear the cane in between both palms, separate both hands and there we go
29:12 we have a cane in between your hands. So this is the interlock cane production.
29:20 [Music]
29:27 Okay this is the double interlock cane production. It is an idea which I innovated from the single
29:46 interlock cane production because Song Ming did share with me a version of his double
29:50 interlock cane production as well but the technique, the handling was just a little
29:53 bit too difficult so I changed the technique of the handling slightly. However I have never
30:00 used this in a performance yet so maybe you could use this idea to innovate some other
30:07 cane production ideas from this or you could simply do the first interlock cane production
30:11 and the second cane perform a split cane. So to do a double interlock cane production
30:16 the technique goes like this, both canes are held in the right hand pretty much the same
30:20 way, the left hand is empty and now I am going to come over here to the bottom of this. Instead
30:27 of grabbing the cane like this for the single interlock held behind, now I am going to grab
30:31 the cane like this as such that I am able to grab two canes like this and it still can
30:38 be hidden behind. So with both canes right here, I am going to come here, thumb and index
30:45 finger is going to come and pick this up and then I am going to turn my wrist to cover
30:52 both canes at the back. Then I am going to turn my wrist back around and I am going to
30:59 feed both canes back into my right hand, pass one cane over to the left so I have one cane
31:03 in each hand. Now I could appear both canes, one in each hand or I can produce the first
31:08 cane in between two hands like this. Then I can do a hold out just by tossing the cane
31:13 to my arm, then perform a single interlock cane production of the second cane. So this
31:20 is the double interlock cane production. Thank you very much.
31:28 [Music]
31:35 This is absolutely one of my favourite cane production techniques. I first learnt it from
31:51 a video, a DVD from Shimada. It was published by Stephen's Magic Emporium and Shimada
31:58 explained this cane production which he used in his Dove Act. It was actually a cane production
32:03 also published inside a magazine, in Gini magazine I think it was many many years ago.
32:08 I kind of forgotten the technique, the exact technique which Shimada did so I created my
32:13 own technique in terms of performing this cane production and I would like to share
32:17 it with you. So to do this we need a silk and an appearing cane. So this silk is a 24
32:24 inch silk or 60 centimetre right across like this. So with the silk and a cane palm this
32:31 is what you are going to do. I am going to tie a knot with this silk and while tying
32:41 the knot I am not going to complete the knot just yet. As you can see I am tying the knot
32:48 and holding it out with the left hand. I am going to do it very slowly, the right hand
32:53 is going to go over the left hand like this, then the index finger, three fingers right
32:59 here, the index finger is going to kick this end right across underneath like this. So
33:03 we have two ends here and a big loop over there. Now usually if I am using a purple
33:08 silk I will use a purple cane but for explanation purposes I am going to be introducing the
33:12 white cane over here so you can see exactly where the cane goes. So to appear the cane
33:19 I am going to take this cane, I am going to go in from the right, punching my arm through
33:24 the hole. I am going to appear the cane and appear the cane to the palm of the left hand.
33:31 I will do it one more time, watch this goes right in here, goes into the palm of the left
33:35 hand. So here we have the cane pushed between both palms with the thumb and the index finger
33:42 I am going to clip this end over here, thumb and index finger is going to clip the other
33:45 end over there like that. So now we have the silk, it is knotted around the appearing cane.
33:52 If I keep my hand close the cane is right there, if I extend the cane and tie the knot
33:59 at the same time this will cause the knot to tie around the cane. So we can do this
34:04 right now in slow motion you can see, in exposed view it looks something like this. We are
34:09 going to try to keep the silk and the cane parallel to the floor as I extend all the
34:14 way towards the end. You can do two things, one you can drop the two ends down like this
34:21 appearing the cane. Either that or you can toss the entire cane and the silk up into
34:26 the air and that will reveal the cane dropping both ends over here. Usually after this I
34:33 like to just slide the knot down and remove the cane upwards to complete this routine.
34:38 We are going to do it one more time in performance mode with the white cane so you can see exactly
34:45 where it goes. We are going to rope the silk, tie a knot like this, take this cane, punch
34:53 it right through the silk, appear the cane, pull both ends, drop the silk and there we
35:01 go we have a cane. There you go this is Shimada cane production, I hope you like it.
35:08 [Music]
35:15 [Music]
35:22 [Music]
35:50 This is the rainbow cane production. Now Makatendo have also produced one of the most
35:56 beautiful canes, it's called a rainbow cane or a four colored cane. It has four colors
36:00 here, the green, red, yellow and blue. I guess the reason why they call it the rainbow cane
36:05 because it would be too many syllables to say green, red, yellow, blue cane or blue,
36:10 yellow, red, green cane. So it's commonly known as a rainbow appearing cane. So this
36:15 is a Makatendo rainbow appearing cane and I have combined it with another effect which
36:20 is known as the four square blendo. So what I have here is a four square blendo routine.
36:27 This is made in Italy, the four square blendo silk, very nice silk. And personally when
36:33 I create routines for my commercial shows I like everything to be self-contained. Meaning
36:38 I don't have to hold out too many things or ditch and take still too many things when
36:44 I'm doing one routine. So this is a perfect example of a routine which I do in my show
36:49 which is entirely self-contained. Now if you have a four square blendo set you will know
36:54 that apart from this blendo silk there should also be four additional ends and they are
37:00 missing. And you realize I didn't ditch anything. Where are the four ends? The four ends are
37:06 hidden inside this cane right over here.
37:14 Okay, right here. I basically tied the four ends onto the rainbow appearing cane like
37:19 this. Next thing, when you are performing the classic four square blendo you would have
37:26 to hold the blendo silk and the four ends in one hand. And you have to maybe set them
37:32 up inside your case with a clip or a rubber band tying them together and when you pick
37:36 them up you can release the clip. Now the appearing cane apart from using it as an appearance
37:43 prop it could also be a very good silk holder. Let me explain. Now we can take this silk
37:50 and push it right here, put it underneath the spring flap of the cane. So now this cane
38:01 acts as a perfect silk holder for your four square blendo routine. Therefore when I am
38:07 holding the cane I am holding four silks. It is very natural. I could pass them from
38:13 hand to hand. I could have this entire thing set up inside my case and when I want to perform
38:18 this effect it is as simple as going in, look for the cane, pick up the cane and I have
38:22 four silks in my hand. There we go. So this is a silk holder and it is a production prop
38:30 as well. And not only that the cane will vanish these four ends later. So let me explain the
38:35 performance of the four square blendo. What we do is this. First you start by showing
38:40 the four silks. I like to call attention to the four ends on top right here. Shake the
38:45 silk wave at the bottom. We are going to gather the silk just like this in between both hands,
38:49 pull up the silk, rope it up and we are going to do a zig zag fold from the right to the
38:54 left. And as I continue towards the end as you see when I do the last fold basically
39:01 I am removing this setup, this blendo silk away from the appearing cane. But both hands
39:10 are placed next to each other. Up next what I am going to do is I am going to raise two
39:15 fingers from my left hand, index and middle finger and we are going to use the index and
39:19 middle finger to clip the entire blendo silk. So the right hand is free and everything is
39:25 here. So in the palm I have the cane with the four ends and left hand, index and middle
39:31 finger clipping the blendo silk. The next thing I am going to do is transfer the cane
39:36 from my left hand to the right hand. I am going to grab the cane with the right hand
39:41 and not only that I am going to fold this four little tiny silks in half. So I am going
39:49 to push them into my right hand. So after this is done, now we are going to perform
39:55 the blendo effect. To perform the blendo effect there is one thing you do have to take note
39:58 you have to remember colors. I always remember blue and yellow. These are two colors I remember.
40:04 So blue and yellow, so I grab blue and with one hand I am going to pass it over to the
40:08 thumb of the left hand. Yellow with the right hand and when I drop off everything we have
40:16 the blendo silk. So this is a very nice visual effect. I am going to release the silk from
40:21 here. So over here we have just performed the first effect. We transform four silks
40:25 into one and next with the cane palm here and with the four ends over here we are going
40:31 to do the Shimada cane production like we learned before. Tying a knot right here like
40:37 this. Taking this cane, punch it right through the knot. But now you do have to take note
40:43 about one thing because we have silks tied onto this so you can't move that fast. So
40:47 after I release the cane as I put my palm towards this I am going to slowly slowly get
40:53 the silks into the cane first and after it pass the cane which is about this much then
41:00 I am safe to move fast and appear the four colored cane just like this. I know what you
41:11 are thinking right now. You must be thinking what if I am already doing the Shimada cane
41:16 production in another part of my routine. In another cane act you are already doing
41:21 the Shimada cane production. So you do have one more possibility. Another way to appear
41:28 this rainbow cane with the four square blendo silk and I am going to show it to you right
41:34 now. So I am going to set it up again. So we are going to set up the entire four square
41:38 blendo setup. So now this is the way you can appear your cane as well. Just swap the silk,
41:45 perform the four square blendo effect exactly the same way. Just like this. We are going
41:53 to grab the blue and the yellow, produce the blendo. So now if you are not doing the Shimada
41:58 cane production you can do a production which looks something like this. Just simply toss
42:03 the silk, I usually like to release the silk on the right, over the right hand, appear
42:10 the cane underneath, remove the silk and appear the cane under the silk. It kind of looks
42:18 like you are removing the four colors from the silk transforming it into a cane. And
42:22 this is another very pretty production of a rainbow cane from a blendo silk. Now this
42:29 routine does not necessarily have to be part of a cane act. I have used this routine as
42:36 part of a silk act. I have also used this routine as part of an MC opening sequence
42:41 or as an opening sequence for a kid's show, as a talking act, or as part of almost any
42:47 general magic act you can do this routine. It's one of my favorite routines as well to
42:52 do in my show so I hope you like it. Thank you very much.
42:55 Next I would like to share with you another effect which I perform in my shows. This is
43:02 the rose to silk to cane transformation. It's always nice to have this three step transformation
43:24 effect and I do a couple of this version in my shows. I have different other ideas as
43:28 well. And one of the more popular routines include one from Fantasio whereby a candle
43:32 transforms into a silk then into a cane. For this rose to silk to cane it's very convenient,
43:38 it's very easy to do and it's a nice act which you can do in the middle of your show or as
43:44 part of an opening sequence as well. So this is a standard silk to cane setup. We are going
43:51 to roll up the silk just like how you would roll up a regular silk, just like this. And
43:58 now I'm going to show you this little gimmick which I make over here. Now this is a rose
44:05 stem with a wire hook on top. Now many magicians have created similar gimmicks. One of the
44:13 most popular ones comes from Norm Nielsen. Norm Nielsen has this rose to silk gimmick
44:18 which he attaches to a lapel and has the silk there and transforms a rose into a silk. Tony
44:25 Clark has a version as well. I've seen a couple of more versions released by other magicians.
44:29 And Tom Urasied from America has a version whereby it's a rose stem as well. The only
44:35 thing I added because of the appearing cane sequence, I use this for an appearing cane,
44:39 I added magnets to the edge right here, the top over here, because the cane will then
44:46 attach onto the magnet right there, just like this. As you can see. So now this is a complete
44:53 self-contained act which you can perform easily. So this is set usually inside my case. When
45:02 I want to move on to this effect, I go inside, I grab the cane like this. Now while grabbing
45:08 the cane it looks like I'm holding the rose. At this point of time I'm going to tip the
45:11 rose like this. When I tip the rose it shows the entire rose, I'm holding it only with
45:16 my thumb and index finger and my palm is holding the cane. I'll smell the rose, remove the
45:22 rose from this, tap the rose with the stem, that transforms the rose into a silk. Then
45:29 I can go on to transform this silk into a cane. Now, if you are doing this rose to silk
45:39 transformation, this gives you an opportunity as well to create a couple more routines with
45:46 this. Such as, if you have the rose, take the rose out, tap it, change it to a silk.
45:55 And as you put this away, it gives you a chance to pick up something from your case. In this
46:01 case I'm going to pick up another appearing cane. So we have the purple silk, then I take
46:06 the purple silk and transform it into two appearing canes. So this is another nice way
46:12 to involve some other elements into a cane routine as well. So this is the rose to silk
46:19 to cane transformation. I hope you'll like this one.
46:26 [Music]
46:33 This is the cane to silk routine. Now as I mentioned earlier, Makatendo's canes are soft
46:51 canes which allows you to collapse the canes very quickly. So we're going to show you how
46:57 we can transform the cane into a silk. As you can see, I have rolled up the silk already.
47:01 So it's rolled up right here. Next thing, we're going to have the silk, it could be
47:06 in your pocket, it could be in a case, ready for you to pick it up. So this is a cane which
47:12 we are going to be using to perform the cane to silk transformation. Now to practice this
47:18 technique of closing the cane, what we're going to do is this. We are going to twist
47:25 the cane, twisting it one side makes it tighter, twisting it the other side, and this way it's
47:32 actually clockwise, that will make it looser. So this hand is going to twist this way, this
47:36 hand is going to twist this way in reverse action, and we're going to put both hands
47:40 together, and that will collapse the cane. Just like this. So now we are going to show
47:47 you how to do that. With the cane in the left hand, the right hand I'm going to go there
47:51 and pick up the silk. So usually if you are ditching away something, that's when you have
47:55 the perfect opportunity to grab the silk. So the silk is grabbed entirely inside the
47:59 palm of my hand, right here. So this cane is spun, all I need is the thumb and index
48:04 finger of the right hand, I'm going to put the index finger into the hole of the appearing
48:08 cane, this hand is going to come here to the palm, I'm going to twist the cane and push
48:13 it together, but I'm going to go sideways, like that. As I turn, I'm going to go sideways
48:18 because it's not so impressive to do this, people can see you collapsing the cane. So
48:22 if you do this, it kind of hides the action of you pushing it together. So now we're going
48:29 to do it from an exposed view, let's say the audience is on this side, you can see this.
48:32 We're going to turn to this side, close the cane, and at this point in time my left hand
48:38 is going to take over the cane, and my right hand holding the silk is just simply going
48:42 to pinch the end of the silk and drop the silk, just like this. And after I drop the
48:46 silk, then I carry on to push the cane into the left hand, then we can move on. So we're
48:53 going to show you one more time in slow motion. The silk rolled up and pumped in the right
49:00 hand. Okay, right here, palm of the right hand, the cane already extended, audience
49:08 on this side, we're going to hold the cane like this to the audience, we're going to
49:14 twist, come to the side, left hand take over, right hand release the silk, and we're going
49:20 to gather the cane together with both hands. Then we can move on. And after this, if you
49:25 want to, you can then produce the cane from the silk with the Shimada cane production,
49:29 with just a flash appearance like this, that is possible as well. So, this is the cane
49:35 to silk transformation, thank you very much.
49:42 Now we're going to show you how you can add a burst of confetti from your appearing cane.
49:57 Now as mentioned before, the cane can be used to clip different objects like the silk, which
50:03 you saw in the rainbow cane production, so you can also use the cane to clip a stack
50:07 of confetti. Now I first saw this idea used by my friend from Korea as well, Song Min,
50:13 and what you do is you add a little stack of snowstorm confetti onto his appearing cane,
50:17 on all his appearing cane to create that little effect. Over here I have some Mylar confetti,
50:23 some square Mylar confetti, so I'm going to just add a little small stack and clip it
50:28 to the cane right here. There we go. So now the cane can still be handled like a regular
50:35 appearing cane, only thing is that when it appears, when the spring appears, it's going
50:39 to cause confetti to burst right in mid-air, so it creates a very nice flutter effect.
50:45 Personally, I would not add this into every single appearing cane I use in my show, maybe
50:50 just one or two, that would add some nice touches to your act.
50:58 Now, while on the subject of using the cane as a holder, you can also use the cane as
51:05 a holder for your silk to cane routine, to hold this silk. Let me explain. So if you
51:14 have the cane here, and the silk rolled up on the cane, of course sometimes you can have
51:20 this in your case, you can have it on a holder so that it will not move around, or you can
51:24 simply take this rolled up silk and stuff it into the spring flap of the appearing cane,
51:31 right here, just like this. Now if you stuff it right over here, now this entire setup
51:38 can go into your case, can go into your pocket without worrying the silk will go out of place.
51:43 When you pick up the entire setup in your hand, all you have to do to appear the silk
51:47 is simply use your thumb to go from the bottom and push the silk upwards, and that way we
51:53 have a silk, which allows you to transform the silk into a cane.
52:00 Okay, I hope you have enjoyed this DVD, but just before we go, there's just one last
52:09 final thing I'd like to share with you. If you are using appearing canes in your act,
52:13 you might be thinking about one thing, it's where you put your canes after you appear
52:16 them. Well, if you have a case which has a holder, like a ditch bag, you can of course
52:23 put the cane in the ditch bag, or you can put the cane on the table like this, however
52:29 this may create a bit of an obstruction, you know, you may hit on something. I don't think
52:33 you should drop the cane on the floor, I've ever left a cane on the floor and forgotten
52:37 to pick it up. There we go, that's a couple hundred dollars lost, just like this. If you
52:41 are using a little briefcase to hold, this is a little leather briefcase to hold your
52:47 canes and your accessories, it's a little messy inside, you can see the silks. However
52:51 the handle over here, okay, it's a little leather handle, it's perfect for me to put
52:57 a cane right there. Now if your table is not that tall, for this case it's just nice, you
53:02 can see we still have about maybe 10 inches on top over here, so that the cane will not
53:08 slide off easily. Now if you are using a toolbox with a plastic handle, those handles are a
53:12 little bit bigger, and because they are plastic they are a little smooth, so the canes might
53:17 slide off, but with the leather handle, this works perfectly. Now, if you do not have a
53:23 case, you are using just a manipulator's table, you might want to consider making a ditch
53:28 bag. Let me explain what's a ditch bag, and this is the ditch bag which I use, right over
53:33 here. Now this ditch bag is made of a basket, a basket with two hooks over here, where you
53:40 can hook it onto a table, onto a case, and I simply cut the bottom of the basket off
53:46 so it's bottomless, then I sew up a little black bag, I tip it to the basket, and there
53:51 we go, we have a little ditch bag. Now this ditch bag can be used for canes, it can be
53:56 used for silks, or anything, so if I have a case or a manipulator's table, I will then
54:00 take this and hook it onto the case, which allows me to ditch my canes into that, just
54:07 like this. So, these are just some ideas and final thoughts for professional cane techniques,
54:18 I hope you have enjoyed this DVD, if you do have any questions, please do contact me,
54:24 and I look forward to seeing you soon. Thank you very much.
54:27 [Music]
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