"Flow" DVD by Dan Hauss
Suggested Retail USD$35.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

"Flow", by Dan Hauss, is one of those rare things that completely sinks spectators and performers alike and, while suffering in terms of practicality, at the right place and time can make a reputation.

That's not hype at all: "Flow" really is just that good. You're carrying an open water bottle and casually hand it some someone. They put their hand over the mouth of it and turn it upside down. Naturally some water trickles out, but not for long. They remove their hand from the mouth of the bottle and the remaining water stays suspended inside. They can look into the bottle and they see nothing other than the suspended water. They can look inside the mouth of it and see nothing but the water. They then squeeze the bottle and the water pours out as it should, gravity apparently being restored.

Did you catch that all that? The spectators see nothing at all except the result of the magic. More than that, they handle it all -- once you give them the bottle, that's it; you touch nothing. You can even, in the tradition of the classic, float a toothpick up through the suspended water. There's nothing to add to the bottle during performance or take away afterwards. In reality, there's nothing to conceal at all.

In other words, "Anti-Gravico" this ain't. With all those little touches added together, this is just a solid piece of astonishing magic.

Now if it were only more practical...

You see, "Flow" is not something you'll be performing professionally. Sure, you can use pretty much any bottle (as long as it's the plastic type; I've used with with Coke bottles, Mountain Dew bottles, and the odd Lipton Tea bottle) and setting the bottle up is fairly easy (the ad's claim of doing it "under ten seconds" still eludes me, but I'm getting there). And yes, you can do it completely surrounded. But from that point on, things get dicey performance-wise.

Once the bottle is set-up, it can't be used for anything else, including its intended purpose (no drinking allowed). The bottle also has to be pretty much full. Setting up the bottle requires privacy and time. There's no reset here: this is something you do once then have to set-up from scratch. And then there's the fact the liquid involved does have to go somewhere at the end (you have to completely empty the bottle for the climax), and that means having a bowl or bucket handy or doing it outside.

What you're left with in "Flow", then, is a one-off, standalone piece that's suitable for what is now popularly referred to as "street magic", something you do once to show off and move on to something else if you move on at all. That statement has the air of snobbery about it, I'll admit, but it's as plain a statement as I can make. I can also say that, under those circumstances and a few others, "Flow" is still powerful stuff. Do this one at, say, an outdoor party or gathering -- such gigs do exist, after all -- and you'll have them gasping for air. To me, it's worth knowing specifically for those admittedly rare times you'll break out "Flow"; it's just that good.

And really, besides the plot, those performance restrictions are all that should be considered when purchasing this one. You get enough of the special something to last about a hundred performances or so; all things considered, that's pretty much a lifetime supply (more is available online, as well as at some stores, though you'll have to look hard for it). If you can see yourself doing this enough to justify the price, then by all means go for it; you'll be more than glad you did.

"Flow" DVD by Dan Hauss
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

Material: 10
This is an extremely clever idea, period. Hauss' work with it, the psychology of it, and all the bits and pieces are put together brilliantly. For an apparently impromptu piece of one-off magic, this is as good as it gets.

Practicality: 4
This isn't one for formal performances: you'll need to set-up a bottle for each performance and need privacy and time to do it. As a one-off, you're carrying something a prepared bottle that only has one use (drinking from it isn't an option). All in all, this is one you're likely to perform rarely unless you find a specific fit for it somewhere.

Quality of Production: 8
The video is well done, though there are some sound issues through pieces of it and some artifacts here and there. Nothing too worrisome, though, but distracting.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Hauss does a masterful job of teaching his idea here and upped the ante by having him actually teach someone who hasn't seen the effect before, let alone done it. That's a brilliant piece of business and makes learning this a breeze.

Presentation: 10
This one is a mind-blower. It's open, visual, clean... there's nothing here for the spectators to hang their Holmsian hats on except the Real Thing and that's saying something.


Shane

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