How To Levitate

A good levitation gives any magician a very visual and mindblowing tool to wow an audience. The levitation technique described here is commonly known as the Balducci Levitation. While there are many different techniques on the market, the Balducci Levitation is the easiest and one of the most visually amazing techniques. Here are the steps required to perform a successful Balducci Levitation:

1. Wear the proper clothing. Long pants, preferably a dark-colored pair, will greatly help you pull off a good levitation. The length of the pants will hide your feet somewhat and cast more shadows on the ground.
2. Stand at the correct distance. Make sure you have about 10 feet between you and your audience. This will keep their wandering eyes in check and will give you some leeway.
3. Get the right angle. Looking from the audience's view, the optimum angle is about 45 degrees to the left. You should have your back to the audience, and they should only be able to see your left foot and your right heel. Here is what the audience should see:

   

4. Push up with your toes. By putting all your weight on your right toes, you can give the appearance that you are floating. Simply raise yourself up onto your right foot's toes while lifting up your left foot and right heel parallel to the ground. The picture below shows what it should look like. The red arrow highlights the distance off the ground, while the blue arrow shows the toes that are on the ground. The toes are only shown for reference. Make sure your audience cannot actually see the tip of your right foot!

   

5. Sell the effect. One of the most important parts of the whole effect is to sell the product. When you raise yourself up, it sometimes helps to put your arms out to the side or lift your head up like you are looking to the sky. In addition, when you bring yourself back down, try falling a bit or acting like you are out of breath and physically spent from the event. These little techniques greatly contribute to the overall impression of the illusion.

Oftentimes, a properly performed levitation is more effective than any card trick or big illusion. This simple technique will give you a powerful addition to your repertoire and allow you to amaze audiences anywhere!