BEACON #5

The Mirror Myth

“Practice in front of a mirror!”—this is advice that probably every one of us has heard at some point. It sounds reasonable because it supposedly lets you see what the audience sees. You can monitor yourself and immediately notice if something is off. It’s quick, direct, and requires no technical effort. Mirrors are found everywhere movements need to be controlled. A ballet school without large practice mirrors is unthinkable. Even when playing music, it’s recommended to use a mirror now and then to check proper hand position, and so on.

Of course, I did this for years too, because early on, I was told from many sides that this was one of the most important pieces of advice and a prerequisite for properly practicing magic. Besides, back then, recording a performance on video was technically and financially demanding. So, the mirror was the only practice tool available. But then I noticed something that made me think—a hidden issue that can have fatal consequences.

When we practice in front of a mirror, we’re also training something that later gets in our way. Without meaning to, we’re training ourselves to watch ourselves. Our attention is split between what we’re doing and how it looks.

The problem is this: in a real performance, there is no mirror. If we still try to observe ourselves, we’re no longer with the audience. We’re with ourselves. And the spectators notice.

They sense that we’re not fully present. Our thoughts are elsewhere—on the technique, our appearance, or whether everything will go smoothly. The performer seems “disconnected,” and the connection with the audience never fully happens. The audience senses that “something isn’t quite right” with the performer and watches them suspiciously instead of being swept away by the magic.

The exceptional performers I know train differently. For example, they practice blindfolded until their hands know what to do without the mind interfering. The mirror is no longer their only reference. They record their practice sessions on video and critically review them afterward. They practice until they no longer need to think about technique and can fully focus on what’s happening in the audience.

A mirror shows us a different angle, a different distance, and thus a different experience than what the audience gets from our performance. It’s great for getting a rough first impression of how a technique looks. A three-part practice mirror is ideal for quickly assessing the various angle issues of a technique. But the mirror fails when it comes to audience impact and leads us astray.

If we want to know how our performance truly comes across, we need feedback from audience members. We need video recordings from the audience’s perspective. Above all, we need feedback from people who aren’t magicians.

This takes us further than any mirror ever could. I don’t want to demonize the mirror—it definitely has its place. The key is: the dose makes the poison.

Until next time!

Alexander