Equivocation

Erik

What a worthwhile purchase! Lots has been written about equivoqué, and I’d thought I had a solid grasp of the principle, but oh my goodness there is so very much more to know! The basic method is relatively easy to understand, but throughout this Masterclass that basic method is applied to so many different situations that by the end you really know it inside and out. Ranging from a simple choice between 2 objects, to choice from a full deck of cards, to a choice within the 365 different days in the calendar, I am feeling more confident that I can use this method in almost any situation in which I want to “help” an audience member to make a choice. There is so much nuance in these 4 hours of teaching! I do have one quibble: I’ve found some of the stories woven around effects to be a little weak. For example, the story of “Blue Messenger” seems to me to be more than a bit contrived and really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. That said, the application of the method to this scenario is not dependent on the particulars of the story. There is no question … this teaching is well worth your time (and money)

Jorge

Love this session, love the way it was explained and various out come for the performance. . .

Vincent Kochetta

Wow! There was a TON of content here!

It would be better, in my opinion, if the Masterclass included notes, summaries or key points that can be printed and reviewed.

I can make my own, but it would have been a nice accompaniment.

Dave

Yet another brilliant stand alone download or part of the master class!
Dan harlon is a fantastic and creative magician who doesn't hold back sharing his ideas in these lessons, I love these effects and how dan breaks them down for us.

Philipp

Do not underestimate the depth of this masterclass! This is not a masterclass that you should just watch and then proceed to the next. Dan Harlan explains his ideas very well. Yet it will take you some practice to master the principles behind Equivocation.

Robert

Very Interesting

Jack

Just finished the first session, and my mind is already racing with ideas. Dan makes sure to leave no idea out, but always suggesting additional ideas on to how you might want to achieve the effect or similar. Can't wait for session 2, my mind will probably explode with the amount of possible ideas!!

Jose

Great first lesson of the Masterclass, truly a different approach to equivoque, very useful and different from lets say Max Maven's Multipilicity... I think this one is easier to apply.

Christopher

Excellent routines and a very thorough examination of equivoque. I highly recommend this masterclass.

Henry

What an interesting masterclass on equivoque! Dan Harlan goes into multiple methods and thoughts on the process across more than 4 hours, which really increased my understanding of the process. Loved his 'world's best magician' routine. Highly recommended.

Peter

Great material and a wonderful presentation.
Thank you Vanishing Inc for persuading Dan Harlan to deliver this Masterclass.

Terrence

Dan Harlan's Master Class on equivocate is brilliant! I laughed with glee when I understood the simple logic of his methodology and the ease with which his methods could fool an audience. His teaching style is excellent and easily understood. I loved the chain & lock routine which I plan to try. This class is worth more than the price asked. Thank you Vanishing Inc.

Allan

I got really interested by the subject of this Masterclass. I liked the idea of focusing on a single technique to study it in detail. Dan Harlan presented a different approach to equivoque and how to handle with the situation as it goes, which I have rarely seen other magicians do. I personally was not a big fan of using equivoque purely, but Dan showed in this Masterclass how powerful it can be on its own. I did like the plots, the ideas and the conditions presented as well.It is very likely that you use some equivoque in your routines, and if you don't, you will probably consider doing it after this masterclass. So I really recommend it to anyone.

Sebastian

This Masterclass is centered around equivoke. You get a bunch of routines using this technique, including one that uses Dan's Snaps deck. More valuable than these routines are Dan Harlan's insights and thoughts as well as his system that helps improving the use of equivoke.

Samuel

This MasterClass is an EXCELLENT CHOICE!
I believe that this is the finest set of material on equivocation to date. There is lots of good material out there. I’ve been studying and using this technique since attending a teach-in with Eugene Burger in the mid-eighties. I have tried to read/watch as much as I possibly could because I am fascinated with the technique.
All of that to say that I knew some things about equivocation before the Masterclass started. I was blown away by how much farther Mr. Harlan has taken this technique than anything I have read before. There are several “breakthrough” ideas here (e.g. every action should have an intention before the action, recap and reveal) that can change your use of the tool and make it much more effective.
Week one deals with the nature of equivocation, problems with some versions of this tool (generally done badly and readily apparent), and how to use it on small sets (generally 8 or smaller). Mr. Harlan explains different forms and nuances for getting from eight to one quickly. Generally, these classes last about an hour and fifteen or thirty. Dan went almost three hours this week!
Week two opens with a great piece that I could see working for children’s shows. With nothing more than a paper bag and a balloon animal the performer has a nice piece of material for older kids. Again, almost three hours.
Week three hasn’t happened yet but I’m sure that it will be great. I have several questions that I am planning on asking and I’m looking forward to hearing other questions. This should be a great part of the class.
I cannot recommend these lectures highly enough.

Ethan

This was really great! Such an awesome and fascinating masterclass. Dan gives you some just awesome tricks to perform with this. However, if you think that this is just a lecture with some tricks, then you’re wrong. This is Dan teaching you the system of equivocation. How to perform it well. I loved every second of it. I know you will too.

Frank

Excellent instruction on Equivoque. Dan discussed in great detail, and using precise wording and labeling in describing many different types of routines. Much more detailed than I have ever heard before.
This will enable the performer to navigate various circumstances with ease. Also the routines taught are able to be adapted readily with not too much trouble as they were performed with readily available materials. Excellent first class!

David Richard

good stuff

John

Dan is a superb teacher. He is energetic and engaging. It is obvious that he loves magic and is passionate about performing and teaching. His instruction is concise and thoughtful. Equivoque is a powerful technique when done properly. This first session has given me much clearer insight on how to execute this system with unambiguous accuracy.

Bob

I have studied equivoque for some time, but this series of approaches outshines anything I have explored up until now. Dan ranks deservedly at the peak of the pantheon, alongside Eugene Burger and Max Maven. The thinking is that good and the teaching is amazingly clear. This material is completely worth the effort of careful study and patient practice. Thank you so much. I am inspired.

Jacob

Absolutely one of magic's brightest, best and most generous out there.

I've watched day one so far, though to be fair, I've seen Dan do Equivoque for over seven or eight years as I went to the Penguin Live shows in Columbus, OH (AND he was always so generous and kind to help me with my ideas I had for the related methods as well) so I recognize some of the material presented, but HOLY CRAP is this guy seriously one of he smartest dudes on the planet. Dan's style and approach is lightyears ahead of most, it's like the Hector Chadwick material was put into a time accelerator and aged into a mature barrel aged whisky.

Mine is "Suckers," I saw him do a version like 6 years ago and loved the routine! I actually didn't suspect the sacred E technique when I saw him do it.

Congrats Dan for finally getting this material out there on a small scale. The passion and love you have for this really shines through the screen and I'm loving learning more with you.

Wayne

Dan is a natural-born teacher. He has taken the "magician's choice" and reimagined it in such a way that it doesn't look fishy. Mainly because it isn't. Looking forward to session 2.

James

Absolutely masterful! Probably the best investment in mentalism I've ever made.

GREGORY

Mr. Harlan's lecture was very thorough and well done. I especially liked the circling back to explain the variations and the numerous performance demonstrations.

Josh

Dan is just a legendary teacher. His cadence, thoughtfulness and thoroughness is some of the best out there. Dan constantly finds ways to take something most magicians know and just finds ways to teach everyone something new. Well done Dan!

Pierre

Gordon

I hate to go against the effusive reviews here, but I gotta say this class is a little too repetitive. There is much to be learned from Harlan's technique -- without a doubt -- but I feel like a lot of it could have been conveyed in a much more streamlined and cogent manner. Oh you'll get something out of it, but in keep in mind what Watts said -- "When you get the message, hang up the phone." The Fast Forward button is your friend.

Clyde

Dan talks too much. Too much redundancy.

Claudio

I liked to focus on one particular technique.

Eliyahu

I am a massive Dan Harlan fan and have purchased at least 50 of his products over the years. This is way below his usual standard and was honestly incredibly disappointing.

There is a lot of brilliant thinking on this that adds next to nothing to the equivoque concept. His massive breakthrough improves the weakness with using multiple equivoques by an incredibly small amount. It was originally B or C level material depending how well you presented it, it's still B or C level material depending how well you presented it.

Could you get a decent reaction out of this? Yes, but you could by doing the same thing without using his breakthrough. Are some people still going to be suspicious that there were other ways the selection process could have gone? Yeah, probably about the same percentage as any other time you used equivoque to whittle down from 8 to 1 using the more standard routes.

Additionally, even if one did want to learn any of these effects, it's very difficult to learn from the video. For the price you are paying, VI really should have provided a written script for each of the effects.