JULY 2015 EXTRA: DON’T MISS YOUR SHOW

Nowdays we interchange information with many people all the time, more than ever in history; but I think we seldom communicate with other people. I mean expressing ourselves sincerely, sharing significant information for us, listening and caring about what the other people is saying…

There are great techniques to improve communication; I think sometimes we interpret those techniques like its final purpose were making it look as if communication is taking place, like “the illusion of communication”. Of course it is very important that while performing, it looks like we care about communicating with our spectators. But it not more important that we actually care about communicating with our spectators? If we don’t care is like if we were a fancy packaging with nothing valuable inside. So in order to improve real communication I think a very relevant thing is be willing to communicate something to someone.

Another thing that bothers me about communication are the roles, the roles that we assume and absorb our persona, what we truly are. Roles totally inhibit communication. When we assume a role is like we are in “autopilot” mode. Roles interchange information, persons communicates with each other in a much richer process, with many layers.

When we are at the bar and order a coffee normally we assume the role of “The Client”, so the girl behind the bar assumes “The Waitress” role. When that happens no real communication is possible because we closed the channel. No one would ever get to know that girl behind the bar or fall in love with her speaking from “The Client” to “The Waitress”. When we are absorbed by a role something incidental or out of the ordinary must happen so we can transcend the roles and communicate as persons again, like the girl dropping coffee on our pants. It may spoil our outfit but we may get to know that girl in the end. Same thing happen with many terrifying roles as “The Husband”, “The Wife”, “The Mother”, “The Teacher”, “The Rightist”, “The Leftist”…

We magicians have our own role, “The Magician”, such a silly one. When we address our spectators absorbed by that role no communication is possible, again, we speak in autopilot mode. We ask for the thought of card, a number or a name, and spectators answers. That is information interchange but not authentic communication. The role is on charge. We are not there. We are not present. The good thing is we have A LOT of opportunities to transcend our role and let the spectators transcend theirs, because we are constantly “dropping coffee on the spectator’s pants”.

So do it, be there, be present. Don’t miss your own show!

Thanks for reading.

Pipo