Halving The Assistant
So, how in the world does a magician “cut” somebody’s body in half and then put them back together in a matter of minutes? You should know by now that there is a fairly simple explanation for how the magician manages to pull this trick off and that most likely, the assistant isn’t actually being dissected.
The secret behind the trick might be very surprising.
The Levitating Man
You may have seen this trick at some point being performed by a street performer. If you’re like us, then you stopped and wondered how in the world they are floating in mid-air. You among a crowd of many were standing, dumbfounded. Well, it’s a logical question to ask yourself. The levitator usually holds a rod and floats above a carpet or bed of flowers. But, the unbelievable part is that there is an obvious gap in between them and the ground. There’s no way that the person could be so strong so as to prop himself up just holding on with his hand, right? And even so, nobody could possibly do that for hours on end.
I mean, Simone Biles isn’t even capable of that sort of strength. Well, these street performers perform this trick with ease and use it as a way to make a little bit of money from onlookers. Once you learn how the trick is performed, you may regret all those times you gave money to the street levitator.
What's Really Levitating
Turns out, the genie isn’t the only one who’s able to float mid-air, nor are Indian yogis the only ones. So, how in the world do street levitators join the ranks of the genie Well, when you know and yogis of the world? Well, it’s pretty simple, actually. The trick only involves three parts; the rod, the seat they are sitting on, and the platform on the ground.
The seat is attached to the rod which is attached to the platform on the ground. Got it? The way they pull off this trick is by concealing the seat and the platform with the clothes they are wearing and the prop on the ground is typically covered by a carpet or flowers. The performer sits on the first platform, in comfort and ease, and passersby wonder how in the world they’re able to pull this off so effortlessly. Well, they aren’t defying gravity or doing anything supernatural, they are just using age-old foolery and making money off of it.
The Secret of The Halved Assistant
The first thing to know is that there are actually two assistants involved in the trick, not only the one assistant that the audience members see. Both of these assistants have different roles, which are necessary to making the trick look believable.
One assistant remains hidden inside of the box and sticks her legs out of the box when it’s the right time. When the magician appears to be cutting the one assistant in half, each assistant flails his arms or legs in order to make it appear as though the dismembered body is creepily still able to move. And that is how it’s done, ladies and gents.
The Floating Woman Trick
The floating woman trick is an old time classic. If you’ve ever been to a magic show, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen this one being performed. For the trick to be performed, the magician first needs a woman. He either selects a woman from the audience or already has selected a woman before the show who’s waiting to be his assistant in the trick.
In the trick, there is a wooden board which rests on two chairs. The woman lies on the board on her back. Then two assistants pull the chairs away, which leaves the woman suspended in mid-air and leaves the audience with their mouths wide open, hanging to the floor. The magician, to further prove his skill, will sometimes choose to run a metal hoop around the body of the woman, to show the audience that there aren’t any cables in place holding up her body. So, if there aren’t any cables involved, how does the woman’s body stay in place like that? Well, we’re going to reveal that to you in the next slide.