REVIEW: Master Course in Sponge Ball Magic. DESCRIPTION: Sponge Ball Magic always mystifies and delights audiences whenever it is performed and has become an essential element for magicians worldwide. Now, renowned Master Magician, DARYL, brings you the first and last word on the subject with the 4 Volume, Essentials in Magic, Master Course on Sponge Balls. INITIAL THOUGHTS: Admittedly I am not really a sponge ball guy. Don’t get me wrong, I do them from time to time. But I’ve never been a huge fan. Maybe its because I’ve never had a reason for having little red balls of sponge (audiences have got to wonder what the heck they are). I’m more of a sponge bunny guy. Always have been. They just make more sense – to me. But I still keep a set of sponge balls in my magic bag and another in my car just in case I forget the bunnies. Whether its balls or bunnies, sponges are without question one of the strongest routines any magician can perform. I actually have a love/hate relationship with sponges: Its always the one they remember. I do killer sleight of hand, turn $1 bills into $100 bills, find their chosen, signed card in impossible locations, make coins and objects vanish before their eyes, but this is the one they remember. This is the one they tell their friends about… Nevertheless, I was a bit hesitant to watch these DVDs. I mean, Daryl is great and sponge balls are great, but 4 DVDs?! But I gotta tell ya, these are great DVDs. THE REAL DEAL: Here’s a question: who decided that Daryl would be the go-to guy for encyclopedic DVDs of magic material? Whoever it was deserves a heart-felt THANK YOU. Daryl is by far one of the most enjoyable and talented magicians of our time. His chops are better than ever, his quirky laugh and pleasant demeanor are only augmented by his encyclopedic knowledge. I’m a fan. From the very beginning these DVDs pulled me in. Shot in HD in a nice studio, Daryl brings sponge ball magic to life. This is truly an exhaustive collection of vanishes, switches, passes, transfers, routines, tips and more all from the guy who knows. Each piece is performed and explained in detail, quickly and thoroughly. Daryl goes into detail when necessary and keeps it brief otherwise. When discussing retention vanishes, he even goes so far as to discuss the definition of “retention” and why it works. I was especially thrilled with the attention to crediting. Every move or routine is given the proper acknowledgment and credit. For true students, this is great. This is called a “master course” and it truly is. The DVDs start pretty basic but get more advanced quickly. I think anyone with even a basic knowledge of sponge balls could start with this set and find plenty of useful ideas. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about sponge balls, however I learned new moves and some fine touches on classic techniques. Here are some stand-outs: Volume 1 1) Producing a ball – a couple of nice productions here (check out the Pop Production) 2) Splitting a ball in two – this is a classic move, but Daryl has some touches that made me smile. 3) Particles - A great production of a sponge ball/ Darly has a couple of great retention passes that I’d never seen. Check these out. 4) Ball in Gazinta box Volume 2 1) Peter Samuelson techniquefor splitting a ball in two 2) The Gary Darwin retention vanish 3) The Roy Benson Retention pass (This fooled me so bad. I grabbed a sponge ball and a wand and started practicing) Volume 3 1) Florida Ice Cream Cone by Danny Tong (a strange name as this is essentially a ball from bill) 2) Mark Leverage’s Ball Production 3) and perhaps my favorite segment: Handling Your Spectators Volume 4 1) The Hiram retention is a lovely retention vanish I suspect a lot of people will use. 2) The Ireland Cups and Balls opening is great. This reveals a move that fooled me. 3) Chinese Chow by Fred Kaps is a great intro to the classic Benson Bowl routine I really appreciated the fact that Daryl includes some routines and not just sleights. Beginners will definitely find a place to start and veterans will certainly find something new. Routines and ideas from Pat Page, Stephen Tucker, Frank Garcia, Gary Darwin, Goshman, Slydini and more. Each volume could stand on its own but they work well as a set. If I had to choose my favorite, I’d choose Volume 3. My one and only complaint (which isn’t really a complaint) is that these are called the Master Course. The producers continually state that these are a follow up to the beginners course in sponge balls, yet a lot of beginner material is covered. This isn’t a bad thing; but in my opinion, any beginner would be just fine starting with these videos despite their “Master Course” title. Most veteran sponge balls practitioners will likely know much of the material, but there are certainly some gems and “bits of business” on each DVD. By the way, the artwork on the DVD covers is so cool. I love it. Overall, these DVDs are great. Daryl is great. Sponge balls are great. I recommend these to anyone interested in learning sponge balls or adding more to their existing repertoire.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 22:02:33 +0000
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