Bout Time

I have been emailing back and forth for about a month now with some fellow magicians.
I have been trying to get some "sessions' off the ground.
Ever since my mentor Tom Frank moved to L.A. (two years ago) it has been hit and miss. Last night we had a group of four of us.

Gary Smith, Jose Floresca, Leslie Thyagarajan and I were in attendance!
Gary took center stage with some great card tricks and excellent teaching.
We worked on Think, Touch, Turn by Ed Marlo, and taught on the Bill Malone 'On the loose' DVD. This is a great effect that happens quickly and silently. Gary has a wonderful ending to the effect that isn't taught on the Malone dvd. I think Gary's ending adds completeness to an already good effect, making it greater!
Also worked on a beautiful no gimmick card rise from a deck. This involved a sweet control from a fanned deck.
Gary also showed us a really nice four ace effect from a book called "Variations Revisited" By Earl Nelson.

Mostly though, we worked on the sequencing and "moves" of Think, Touch, Turn.

We also discussed what we want to do as a group.
I kind of took charge here and suggested we write down all the magic we already do, the card tricks and coin tricks on separate lists, and the things we want to learn on another list and still another list that has all the things in our closet, so to speak. You know, all those tricks you bought that are put away in a box, or on a shelf somewhere collecting dust!
We talked about this group being focused on one or two tricks, working on it for two weeks and showing where we are at with it at the next session. Honest critique and help.
It was agreed that by writing down all the things in your repertoire, past and present, that it would help us to "see" the things we can do and remind us to occasionally re visit some card effects, or coin effects, or rope effects that are great, but have been set aside, and to keep brushing up on them. To keep them ready and handy and polished!
We have chosen to meet every two weeks. The next session is on Tuesday August 5th at Gary's home. ( I think he agreed to that? He said something about "running" it by his wife!)
Gary lives in Renton in Fairwood.
Leslie wants to work on cups and balls. We all agreed to this too, so there you have it, brush up on your cups and balls and card handling's, coins etc.
We are going to have fun and learn a ton!