David Copperfield's flying
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David Copperfield performs a flying levitation created by John Gaughan that is considered by both magicians and laymen to be the world's finest. After his acrobatic flying around the stage, the audience suspects he may be suspended on wires, so Copperfield apparently has spinning hoops passed over him and then floats inside a covered acrylic glass box to convince them otherwise. He selects a female volunteer from his audience and flies with her in a fashion similar to Superman carrying Lois Lane. The illusion sometimes ends with a falcon named "Icarus" grasping Copperfield by the wrist and flying off stage with him.
The performance is accompanied by a piece of orchestral film score called "East of Eden Suite" by film composer Lee Holdridge, originally written as the theme music for the 1981 miniseries East of Eden.
David Copperfield is supported by a pair of thin but strong wire clusters that remain perceptibly invisible to the audience when viewed against the light blue background. The wire clusters are mounted at the hips, conveniently near the human center of mass, to a harness worn under the clothing. This creates a balance point that allows Copperfield a wide range of natural movement while suspended. When the hoops are passed over his body (Copperfield remains in a horizontal position) they are rotated, or turned upside down thus bypassing the wires.
[edit] External links
- U.S. patent number 5,354,238 describing the trick
