Have you ever walked downtown in a busy city and seen street performers? Chances are, you have. Performers come in all kinds, be it music, jokes, or even magic. There's something about those sidewalk magicians that are truly mind-boggling, though. More recently, there has been an increase in a particular kind of street performance, being the levitating act in which the performer essentially mimics the levitating Yogis of India. Needless to say, this trick has left many people in awe because it seems so amazing.
Levitating performers are essentially a variation of the human statue. The biggest difference between the two is that the levitating performer seems to defy the laws of physics by floating on nothing other than a cane (or staff), making it look as if they are in a deep meditative state. Generally speaking, their attire tends to consist of Middle Eastern or Indian attire, such as draped clothing, turbans, and facemasks.
The truth behind the magic is actually much more simple than you could imagine. The street performers use a variety of hidden pieces in order to comfortably support themselves and, as a result, they appear to be levitating. Their extremely baggy clothing is what hides the platform that they use to sit on, as well as the other components of the support.
The device used to perform this magic trick is actually pretty simple. It consists of three main components, which are:
1) the seat
2) the shaft, which extends up from the platform (and appears as a staff), into the sleeve of the performer, then down to the seat
3) the platform, which is covered by some kind of rag or blanket (as shown in the picture), while the shaft and seat are covered by the baggy clothing of the performer.
For a trick that seems so complicated and amazing, it's awfully simple. For a more in-depth description of how the performers "levitate," watch the video below.
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