Touch of the Ancients
by Cara Hamilton

In a Touch of the Ancients, Cara provides succinct research and context for some really well devised mystery performance pieces and other creative nuances, all with a genuinely ‘ancient’ principle. The routines demonstrate how practical and diabolical a tool this is for many performance types, and generically a worthy springboard for your own creativity too.

She has taken an old principle and developed it into a practical and effective way of making a small image appear on a spectator’s hand. The method employed is simple and practical to use in almost any performing situation, uses materials which readily available and is clearly explained. Using the basic method the remainder of the text is devoted to an explanation of six routines from Cara’s own repertoire. Cara is a working magician and understands that impact and effect is the key to successful performance and theses two elements are central to all six routines. Two things stand out. First, that all the methods are simple, direct and fairly foolproof. Second, unlike many effects you may buy, here there is great attention to presentation, to the words said and unsaid, to the artifacts used, to timing and to the way spectators are used, all developed to create the strongest impact possible. There is some neat thinking in many of these routines. For example in the Armanen Codex the spectator has a free choice from eighteen different tablets each marked with a different rune. Gazing into a crystal ball a second spectator can divine the shape chosen. Difficult to do? Not at all. A simple method and subtle handling make this miracle almost in the category of ‘self working’. There is an apparent element of mystery, other worldliness and danger to the routines all created by presentation and style. Well almost all. In the Voodoo Curse the performer invokes the God of Fire. After the appropriate ritual a coconut, held in the spectators outstretched hand bursts into flame! The effect is certainly amazing, but this is one routine where the method is not for the faint hearted! Overall ‘Touch of the Ancients’ gives you a practical and workable development to the ashes on the palm effect. Even if you don’t want to set coconuts on fire there are other very workable and impressive effects and the general principles of direct methods and dramatic choreographed presentations are adaptable to many other styles.