Giovanni Livera - Salt And Silver

LANG: English.

DEMO

In Giovanni Livera’s able and amazing hands, his “Salt and Silver” routine offers a magical ballet. Coins appear from sprays of salt and seemingly nowhere. They magically move to the top of a salt shaker, underneath the shaker and even underneath a napkin upon which the shaker rests. In the stunning finale, the coins vanish in a cascade of salt. I like the way that the salt adds to the magical feeling of the routine - almost as if it’s some kind of magical powder. It’s a beautifully structured routine that builds, offers excellent misdirection and culminates in its finale. This DVD will teach you the routine. All you need are your own coins and napkin.
Props
The “Salt and Silver” coin routine requires no gaffs or gimmicked props. It’s all superb sleight of hand and Livera’s routine is perfectly sequenced with misdirection that’s provided by a shake of salt here and there and more.

Livera performs with silver dollars but says that you may perform with half-dollars and even quarters. The routine employs a wand, or you can perform it as he does, with a butter knife. I agree with Livera that the use of the butter knife makes the routine seem more impromptu and creates the mystique that the magician can make magic with anything.

The kit comes with an ungimmicked salt shaker but you’re free to use any salt shaker that you wish. The only requirement is that the shaker needs a relatively flat top that you can quickly rest coins on top of. Livera uses a common salt shaker that is available in many stores and kitchen supply houses. (He offers discussion on your selection of a salt shaker and all of the props.) In fact, you’ll probably find these very same salt shakers on the table of a cafeteria or casual dining restaurant.
Learning the Routine
To learn and perform the effect you’ll need a solid foundation in coin sleight of hand. The DVD features video that was beautifully filmed and edited and offers thorough, step-by-step instructions. Livera teaches all of the moves that you will need to know. In addition to work with the retention pass, he teaches a first rate click pass. The routine is not overly complicated, but it’s going to require lots of practice to polish and eventually perform, particularly the finale. You’ll have to master the art of palming multiple coins and releasing them one at a time and handling the coins so that they don’t “talk.”

Study and master this routine and you’ll have a fantastic close-up routine for formal and impromptu settings and that also works in intimate stand up situations. You could perform this one in table-hopping situations, but you’ll probably want a close-up mat or least a table with a table cloth. Audience requirements are that your spectators will need to be seated as you stand and perform the effect.

Overall, Giovanni Livera’s “Salt and Silver” is a routine that’s worth learning and performing. It’s killer close-up material.