Concept

Magic (illusion)

Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close-up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It is to be distinguished from paranormal magic which are effects claimed to be created through supernatural means. It is one of the oldest performing arts in the world. Modern entertainment magic, as pioneered by 19th-century magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, has become a popular theatrical art form. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, magicians such as John Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant, Howard Thurston, Harry Kellar, and Harry Houdini achieved widespread commercial success during what has become known as "the Golden Age of Magic". During this period, performance magic became a staple of Broadway theatre, vaudeville, and music halls. Magic retained its popularity in the television age, with magicians such as Paul Daniels, David Copperfield, Criss Angel, Doug Henning, Penn & Teller, David Blaine, and Derren Brown modernizing the art form. The world's largest-selling publication for magicians, Magic magazine, curated a list of the "100 most influential magicians of the 20th century" to have contributed to the modern development of the art of magic. According to the magician-culled list titled "Those Who Most Affected The Art in America", Harry Houdini holds the first rank, followed in decreasing order by Dai Vernon, David Copperfield, Harry Blackstone Sr., Doug Henning, Harlan Tarbell, Cardini, Mark Wilson, Siegfried & Roy, and Howard Thurston. History of magic The term "magic" etymologically derives from the Greek word mageia (μαγεία). In ancient times, Greeks and Persians had been at war for centuries, and the Persian priests, called magosh in Persian, came to be known as magoi in Greek. Ritual acts of Persian priests came to be known as mageia, and then magika—which eventually came to mean any foreign, unorthodox, or illegitimate ritual practice.

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Related publications (1)

Reentrant magic-angle phenomena in twisted bilayer graphene in integer magnetic fluxes

Oleg Yazyev, Yifei Guan

In this Letter we address the reentrance of magic-angle phenomena (band flatness and quantum-geometric transport) in twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) subjected to strong magnetic fluxes +/-(1)0, +/- 200, +/- 3(p0 ... ((D0 = h/e is the flux quantum per moire ...
AMER PHYSICAL SOC2022
Related concepts (17)
Sword swallowing
Sword swallowing is a skill in which the performer passes a sword through the mouth and down the esophagus to the stomach. This feat is not swallowing in the traditional sense. The natural processes that constitute swallowing do not take place, but are repressed to keep the passage from the mouth to the stomach open for the sword. The practice is dangerous and there is risk of injury or death. Sword swallowing spread to Greece and Rome in the 1st century AD and to China in the 8th century.
Street performance
Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is practiced all over the world and dates back to antiquity. People engaging in this practice are called street performers or buskers in Ireland. Outside of New York, buskers is not a term generally used in American English.
Sleight of hand
Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain ()) refers to fine motor skills when used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card flourishing and stealing. Because of its heavy use and practice by magicians, sleight of hand is often confused as a branch of magic; however, it is a separate genre of entertainment and many artists practice sleight of hand as an independent skill.
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