120 - SECRETS!!! with Nick Difatte (part 1 of 2)

Nov 12, 2024

Nick Difatte, an astounding performer from Cirque du Soleil's Mad Apple, dives deep into the mystical world of magic and performance. He discusses the essence of masterclasses versus traditional teaching and the importance of mentorship in honing magical skills. The conversation touches on the allure of secrets and the overwhelming number of tricks that don’t always translate to performance. Difatte also reflects on identity and cultural appropriation in magic, revealing the emotional journey behind magic tricks and the vibrant community spirit among amateur magicians.

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Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 5min

Exploring the Depths of Teaching and Mastery

05:19 • 3min

Building Audience Connection Through Performance

08:06 • 2min

The Secrets of Magic and Mentorship

10:17 • 23min

The Artistry and History of Magic and Juggling

33:12 • 15min

The Illusions of Identity and Transformation

48:04 • 2min

The Magic of Discovery

50:30 • 14min

Exploring Secrets and Ethics in Creative Communities

01:04:04 • 3min

In November it's Nick Difatte month along the Way of the Showman. We have a wideranging and circuitous conversation. We touch on the following topics and many more.

What is a masterclass

Secrets

Nick’s book Offbeat by Squash Publishing is sold out, but will be back in print…

It’s got essays one which was a big topic in the previous episode with Nick (E113)

Mentor Tyler Ericson.

Learning cheating

Secret collecting. And becoming overwhelmed by having too many tricks. Many of those who have the most tricks have non to perform when asked.

What’s being displayed in secrets is what you see. Magic what’s “really going on” is hidden.

Oriental magic done by white folks. Okito, Fu Manchu, Chung Ling Soo by Jim Steinmeier.

The importance of being fooled to remember what it’s like. Rekindle the passion.

The importance of searching for secrets to value them.

Amateurs doing it for the love of it, not the money. Using the money they make from work to buy secrets.

Old men in magic. SO old they piss their pants…

We talk about what we wanted to talk about the next time. Do we follow up these things? Tune into next episode to find out…

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