Uncovering the secrets of magic: a behind-the-scenes look at the most common tricks
As children, we loved good magic shows, we were fascinated by them, and now as adults, we find ourselves fascinated by witches to a great extent. Even after all these years, we still wonder about the secrets behind magic tricks.
Show key points
- Many people remain fascinated by magic tricks from childhood into adulthood, showing a continued interest in the mystery behind illusions.
- The “flying man” trick cleverly hides a metal support system within a stick and performer’s costume to create the illusion of levitation.
- The classic sawing-a-person-in-half act uses two assistants in a box to deceive the audience into thinking someone was split in half.
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- In the floating woman trick, a hidden rod connected to a platform supports the assistant while remaining concealed from viewers.
- The famous “rabbit out of the hat” trick involves hiding a rabbit in a bag under the table, rather than actual magic or conjuring.
- Almost all these illusions rely on clever physical props, hidden mechanisms, and misdirection rather than supernatural powers.
- Magicians use audience engagement, visual deception, and theatrical presentation to enhance the believability of each trick.
But you don't have to wonder about this anymore! Here we will show you how to perform the most common magic tricks. Get ready to be amazed!
Man flying trick
This common trick of many magicians is to fly a man (or woman) in the air. Many street artists love to try this trick, and it's usually fun. This trick shows us the magician seems to float in the air without anything underneath. The only thing that connects them to the ground is the stick they hold onto, but that can't be enough to keep them in the air for long, can it? Most pedestrians have no idea how these people manage this, so it's obviously a very convincing trick.
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The secret behind flying man
Did it occur to you that there was something elusive lurking in that stick? If they're really flying through the air, the magician doesn't need anything to hold onto. In fact, there is more in this stick than it might seem at first glance. Two metal plates are connected to it, one at the bottom and one at the top. The bottom panel provides stability in a stable way, and is hidden by a piece of the prop design, while the performer's clothes hide the other piece. The magician can sit on this plate all day, and it looks like hovering in the air.
The trick of cutting the help in half
This trick is one of the oldest magic tricks that most people are familiar with, it is one of the oldest tricks mentioned in books, yet it never fails to impress the glasses. There's really not much to do here, all the help has to do is get into a box with multiple holes with her head, arms and feet out of those holes. The magician then comes with multiple tools to pass through the box so that it seems to separate the body of the assistant into two parts. Although the assistant seems to have been cut up, she remains smiling throughout the magic show to the audience.
The secret behind cutting the help in half
It is not possible for someone to be cut in half in this way and survive, so it should not surprise us too much that there is more than one person hiding in this box. The feet we see hanging out are actually a second aid foot, and that other help has been there from the beginning. She cramms her body into the lower half of the box, while the assistant visible on stage occupies only the upper half. Of course, the helpers can't take the positions that are most comfortable for them, but we're sure that the illusion of glasses for the purpose of trick is worth it.
The Floating Woman Trick
To complete the trick here we will need Belle's help from the audience. This is how many magicians like to perform this trick. They bring someone in and make them lie on a baseboard, first on several chairs. The trick is done when the magician pulls the chairs away, and the help appears as if they are still floating in the air. Some members of the audience may think that the assistant and the board are suspended by wires, but the magician proves them wrong by passing a collar around the assistant's body. So how do they manage this?
The secret behind the floating woman
Again, there is no real magic in the process here. As with the previous flying trick, something is in place that lifts the assist up while the audience can't see it. Behind the magician is a platform to which a metal rod is connected. The latter passes a circle around the performer's body to connect to the board on which the assistant rests. It is strong enough to keep the help suspended in the air, while not being affected by the magician's ringing movement. After all, one day someone will fly in the air for real.
The trick of getting the rabbit out of the hat
This trick is considered absolutely classical. If the magician can't get the rabbit to appear from the hat, it means that he didn't pay enough attention during his training. This is what all budding magicians learn in their early days, and it immediately pleases the fans. All it takes is a high hat that they show the glasses to be empty. But when they put it on the table and tap it with their stick, it suddenly turns out that there is a rabbit inside. It's an extra bonus of humor given to the spectators.
The secret behind the rabbit coming out of the hat
Although we would like to actually have someone able to conjure up a lot of cute creatures anytime we want, these witches unfortunately don't bring these rabbits out of thin air. Instead, the rabbits are placed in a bag under the table. To hide the trick, a very long tablecloth is placed above the table, so that the audience does not have any impression that the rabbit is already in the room. Finally, for the trick to work, performers must secretly put the bag in the hat, so they can pull the animal out and show that they have magical abilities.
