Make a Cup Float off the Table!
Effect: A styrofome cup appears to float right off the table!
Props Needed: A styrofome cup.
Secret: There is a secret hole in the back of the cup that your thumb goes in, lifting the cup off the table!
Preparation: Poke a hole in the back of the cup–just large enough to stick your thumb into.
Mechanics: Put fingers from both hands on both sides of the cup. Secretly slip 1 of your thumbs in the secret hole in the back. Wiggle your fingers, a couple inches from the cup, as you lift your hands, and the cup comes with, appearing to rise by itself! Have it go 6-12 inches out toward the audience, as though it has a mind of it’s own, and you are trying to catch it. Let it float for just a moment (t00 long and they may catch on), then bring it back down to the table. Hold it in place with your finges as you secretly slip out your thumb.
Presentation: “Do you ever have trouble drinking water? Sometimes when I go to pick up my cup, it starts floating away from me. It has a mind of its own! Oh well. I guess that’s one of the hazards of being a magician!” This is one presentation idea. Feel free to invent your own.
More Tricks: If you want to learn more levitation tricks, come to our magic camp this summer. Our theme is levitations and animations. You will learn to bend spoons, make inanimate objects move, and levitate all sorts of things–even people!
