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Originally Posted by Scott McD
How does Copperfield do the flying in the air thing on stage ??
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Perhaps THE best stage illusion ever created. I remember the first time I saw him perform it. The illusion is all about proving to the audience that he's not using wires, when in reality that's exactly what he's doing.
The wavy blue curtain in the background that's constantly moving is an OLD technique to "break up" the wires so that they can't be seen. If the curtain behind him wasn't moving, the wires would be VERY visible.
The wires aren't straight up and down during most of the illusion, but rather are a giant V going from 1 end of the stage to the other, with the performer himself being the bottom point.
This allows for the double hoops to be rolled over top of him (which is what's actually happening), while the wires remain off to the sides. When he enters the plexiglass container the wires are again in V formation out of the top sides, and he's basically rotating himself on his center axis.
He's actually patented the technology that he had developed to accomplish the illusion, and you can read about the actual harness and wire configuration, along with seeing diagrams of the device here:
http://64.132.7.41/pcgi-bin/patents/...he/5354238.pdf