Criss Angel Levitation Explained

Criss Angel performed a fantastic looking levitation on his A & E Series Mindfreak. He was seen to float straight up into the air off the pavement and onto a higher ledge on the streets of Las Vegas. He then went on to do the same stunt in a bar, which again, looked truly spectacular.

This stunt is very angle specific and can be performed with your audience or the camera, directly behind you. This is the only believable angle that the trick can be performed with. The illusion can be performed for more than one person but this requires them to be a reasonable distance away from you.

The levitation that was shown on the criss Angel televison special was shown with the audience, viewing from the side and they looked gobsmacked .

This was all an act, as they would have seen the secret method used to pull off the effect and they were all in on the act and play acting their shocked reactions.

The method is roughly explained below although it is very impractical and not something that you would seriously consider for a working magicians act. It depends very much on specific angles and therefore is ideally suited for a television performance.

Preparing Your Custom Clothes

Shoes

You will need :-

Black shoes that are easy to slip out from

Velcro patches on the back of the shoes to allow them to stick to your trousers.

Place strong magnets on the inner sides of each shoe that will allow them to stick to each other.

Trousers

Black, smooth baggy fit with some weight to them.

A slit with an overlap in the front of one of the legs.

Pair of braces to keep the trousers from falling down.

A frame to maintain the shape of the trousers when you step out of them.

Velcro patches on the back that will allow them to stick to your shoes.

Performing The Levitation

Stand in front of a raised platform

Make sure that your audience is placed at a fair distance, directly behind you.

Slip your feet out of shoes and trousers and place one foot on the raised surface.

In true performance mode, arch your back and raise up your arms.

Raise yourself up slowly, similar to doing a lunge.

When you land, make sure that your empty shoe is under the heel of your foot.

Maintain your balance and slip back into your shoes and trousers.

Quick Shortcuts For A Video Performance

All this elaborate set up can be shortcut ted if the performance is just for a one off social media video by using the suggestions below.

Attach shoes together with elastic bands of sticky tape.

Cutting a slit in baggy jeans or track suit bottoms.

Stuff your trouser legs with socks and then tuck them into your shoes.

So to conclude, these types of levitation are best left to the professionals with big budgets who can give them all the production values and presentation that is needed to make them a highly entertaining spectacle. There are other levitation techniques such as the Balducci Levitation that are far more practical for the everyday entertainer.

Want to learn an easy card vanish method ?