If people are scattered about the room, ask them to move to the same area. Make sure they don’t spread out in a semicircle, or stand behind you, since they’ll be able to see how you performed the trick. If you have a small stage, position yourself upon it. You may also want to dim the lights a bit to give yourself more leeway when you perform the levitation.
Consider building suspense throughout the magic show, so that the audience looks forward to the levitation the entire time. To make the event seem even more mysterious, have an assistant come out and announce that you will be levitating before you walk onto the stage or into the room.
The angle and positioning of your feet must be correct, or the audience will be able to clearly see that you aren’t levitating. Practice in front of a mirror or with a friend who knows what you’re up to before your performance. If the audience asks you to move closer or turn around, tell them that this exact spot on the floor has the best vibes, or that you’ll break your concentration if you move.
Hold the position for five to ten seconds. Any longer, and your audience might try to peek behind your front foot. You might want to experiment with different pairs of pants to figure out which ones best obscure your rear toe without getting in the way.
You can also control the angle by controlling where the audience sits. Try positioning them at different distances from the stage. You can also deliberately block the audience’s view as is done in the Superman or King levitation, where you place a jacket in front of your feet while setting up the illusion.
Widely known magician David Blaine even pretends to be sick after performing the levitation, further convincing the audience that he exerted tremendous energy during the trick. Pretending to be surprised or shocked that the levitation worked can also be convincing.
