Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Family Tradition by Hank Williams Jr.

Question: Why do you use that weird props with dragons on it?

Question: Why do you have a funny looking bag with a handle and a puff ball on the bottom of it?

Answer: Family Tradition (Thank you Bocephus).

I may get hung as a heretic for what I'm about to say, but here goes: I think that the traditional cups and balls use weird props; not as weird as the aforementioned weird dragon and puff ball props, but weird. I think that when someone sees you bring out the cups they just don't look like normal cups that people use everyday . . . just not my taste. Of course many others have used "real" cups and have drastically improved the effect by doing so.

What the heck does that have to do with Giovianni Livera'sSalt & Silver? Well it feels very much like a cups and balls routine (even though it totally is NOT). Though it feels like a cups and balls style of rhythm, it uses props that people recognize . . . coins, salt shaker, butter knife, napkin . . .

However, these ordinary props become extraordinary characters in a ballet of baffling and beautiful magic . . . I mean real magic, not just a "trick." This routine invokes feelings of wonder. Further, you'll learn several excellent utility coin moves that should be in the arsenal of every coin worker. Livera is a solid entertainer (though that does not impact the score of this review). He is obviously a seasoned pro who has clearly honed this routine over several thousand performances. He's an excellent teacher (which will impact the score) who knows how to properly season bland technical descriptions transforming them into easily digestible savory bites. The product values of the DVD are top notch. The camera angles and "teaching shots" were very well placed.

Livera teaches a coin vanish that looks like you truly throw the coins (one at a time) into your other hand. You even hear them each land on top of each other in the other hand, but alas . . . they have vanished. Even the exposed angle of this looks freaky . . . beautiful.

Additionally, one of the coolest things I've seen in a DVD was the "mirror image" option given. Livera is a lefty. However, knowing that most people are not, he gives the option on the DVD to watch the performance and teaching in mirror image mode. They just flipped the video so that it looks like he's right handed. I think this is an excellent idea for all videos. Why not have a lefty and a righty view. Smart idea.

Some Strangeness

The copy I was given for review was actually an mp4 file and not the actual DVD. That being the case, I did not have a menu. The whole DVD just played straight through. When it first started, there were three performances in a row, a studio version for the camera, a studio version with two audience members, and one at the magic castle. Then after the castle, the first two played again . . . weird. I'm not sure if this is an issue on the DVD or not.

A further strangeness is that in the learning section, Livera talks about the type of salt shaker to use and how easy they are to come by because you're just using a standard shaker. My understanding, however, is that the DVD comes with a salt shaker. The odd thing is that the routine does not require a gimmicked shaker or anything like that. It's just a plain old salt shaker, so it is a bit odd that one is included. I can't speak to the quality of the shaker or reason for including it because my MP4 version (obviously) does not come with a salt shaker.

I think they should have left the salt shaker out and cut the price (a lot) . . . $50 bucks is pretty steep for a one trick DVD. If it came with some sort of special gimmick or something needed to perform the trick that was hard to come by then maybe $50 could be justified, but a salt shaker? Weird.

Final Thoughts

As I mentioned at the beginning, I love the props used. For the record, I'm not anti-cups-and-balls even if the cups are weird. I was just merely pointing out that this particular routine is so beautiful and the fact that the props are so normal that the magic is further amplified and that much more amazing. The appearance of the three coins is beautiful. The vanishes and reappearances are incredible. I saw the performance several times and every time, I "fell for" the misdirection. It's soooooo solid and the entire choreography of the performance is so motivated and so streamlined. I just can't think of another word besides "beautiful" to describe it.

The routine is essentially coins being produced from grains of salt in your hand and vanishing into (or changing into) salt, so it's a bit messy . . . salt gets everywhere. I kind of think that's a cool thing. It adds a pinch of chaos into the pristine-ness of the routine. Further, if you wanna shake things up and exercise your sleight of hand chops, this routine is exactly what you're looking for.

I truly think that if you do any kind of coin work, you really should have this DVD. If it weren't for the steep price tag, I'd have given this 5 stars. You have to decide if it's worth it to you, and the bummer is that the teaser doesn't really show you the routine, so it's hard to judge whether or not you'll like it. As for me and my house . . . we love it. It's beautiful coin magic that has the real strong possibility of becoming a reputation maker.

Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone Status of GEM.