Continuing with the Peter Loughran Week! Today's item: Elevator and Elevator 2. Both are bunched together, because they are basically the same. This is one of many self levitation out there. And pretty much all of them are trash. (save Steve Fearson's Fantastic Floatation) This is no exception. But it was the first self levitation that got major hype after David Blaine did his fake levitation on his first TV special. And it is pretty much what one expects to get. Something you stand on (how else, applying the too perfect theory) and a way to get rid of the gimmick.
Btw: It is kind of cute how the advertisement picture above says that the picture doesn't show the actual height and that it will not create a blue sphere around you.
But what is the actual levitation height? A laughable inch. It claims to do 3-4 inches, which is still laughable but one inch is about right. Of course the gimmick requires you to balance, something that not even Peter is able to do in the demo video.
If you make the claim that you can levitate... why only an inch for about half a second? This is weak magic. Imagine I claim I can make a coin vanish and I do it, for half a second, showing a half open empty fist and then the coin is back. You would say, that this is stupid. Same with levitations. Copperfield did it right, Criss Angel did it right and even Blaine did it right. But all of them used elaborate rigging, impractical for the usual magician.
If you need a good practical self levitation, go with the one by Steve Fearson. It is tongue in cheek yet high and quite deceptive.
Tomorrow: The Ultimate Cane
This so-called levitation isn't a levitation at all. Even in the preview you can clearly see his right foot is standing on some support.
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