Missing My Other Half

Yes, I do get sawn in half but that isn't what I am referring to.
Friday I had the opportunity to do something I don't always get to do. Assist another magician. Which actually is one of the most nerve wracking things for me ever. Not because I only get a little bit of time to learn brand new illusions before we perform, but because I don't have Brandon. My other half. He's my rock onstage and nothing is weirder than seeing him in the audience. I get so nervous performing for him!
I've done little things here and there to assist other magicians but I guess technically I have only ever really done legit illusion performances with other magicians only 3 times. Twice with one magician and then the other day with our good friend Russell.
My favorite thing about helping out others is definitely getting to play with the illusions that are new to me. Every illusion has it's challenges and especially with me being as short as I am, some things are a stretch for me. I keep a list of all the illusions I have got to be in/play in/perform in and I always love adding to the list.

After that show the other night I was talking to Brandon about how hard it is for me to adjust with a new magician when I'm so used to him and I realized that it's actually normal for magic assistants to not really have a set magician. Which I now see is true but for the most part I have always studied couples in magic so they always work together like we do, but that isn't normal. Most magic assistants are just available to whoever needs the help. And I'm no exception to that.
It's very different when working with another if you don't know them well enough. If something goes wrong, I don't know their "oops" face or "we need to cut this trick" face. I can't judge them as well. So I have to be watching for little things that say "I need help".

Another really cool thing about assisting a different magician is I get to be a different assistant. My character has to fit to what his character is. My costume has to compliment them. My movement and dancing needs to fit their style. Every magician is different so I have to customize to that. I am always me but just a little different version according to the situation.
While I haven't officially been "borrowed" by other magicians a lot, I definitely hope it's something I can continue in the future. I have a different experience every time and it always gives me new stories to tell!