I’ll Start Again!

In the pantheon of sleight of hand, perhaps no sleight receives less respect than the hoary Paddle Move. This is a shame, as some great close-up effects make excellent use of it (Dr. Sack’s Dice Routine comes to mind). Certainly, I recall being thrilled as a boy when I first saw a demonstration of the once omnipresent Jumping Gems, the routine that used two small black acrylic bars that, for some mysterious reason, had diamonds inset on their ends. What dazzled me were the many uncluttered, visual beats of magic that occurred during the routine. I bought it for the three dollars or so they were charging, and once back at home I marveled at the magic effects produced by the sticks even though I was doing the move.