First edition limited to 1,000 copies. From the preface: "In The Dance, Brad Henderson explores some of the more guarded secrets in the cold reader's arsenal. With the techniques divulged in The Dance, you too can deliver readings as powerful as any seen on TV." Condition: Near Mint
Catch the tidal wave of demand for performers who can divine an audience’s innermost thoughts and feelings. The Dance is the most advanced work on the subject of Cold Reading to date. Where many of the manuals in the past have told you what to do, The Dance teaches you the ins and outs of HOW TO DO IT!
Topics include ethics, reading onstage, misses into hits, skeptics and two professional mind reading routines.
Few teaching texts have been released to the performance community of theatrical mind readers and ‘psychic entertainers’. Many are small pamphlets of 15-20 pages, which when available can command prices as high as $80-200. Unlike these ‘traditional’ texts, The Dance focuses on cold reading not as a product but as a process. The how’s and why’s of cold reading are presented to the student in a clear and concise fashion. Many books try to teach you what to say, The Dance teaches you how to say it, when and where.
Brad Henderson has been a professional entertainer and mind reader for over 20 years. He has lectured to some of the most exclusive gatherings of magicians and has garnered a considerable reputation for his own psychic reading skills. He presents seminars on the Psychology of Communication to business people from a multitude of industries. His own performances walk the edge of theatrical techniques and legitimate psychological manipulation that borders on eerie. Not only has he studied the art of cold reading for years, but has hands on experience, in the trenches, using his skills to entertain and educate audiences throughout the U.S.
The title typifies the author’s approach to the techniques used in psychic readings. Each reading is like a dance; interplay between psychic and subject whereby the reader surreptitiously gains information and leads the listener into believing he is speaking in terms of specifics, when in reality generalities abound. The key lies in keeping the listeners unaware of this process and rewriting their memories of the events which occurred. Teaching such an ‘organic’ and ‘live’ process is a difficult task; The Dance attempts and succeeds in a manner never before conveyed in print.
Though a rather advanced book, The Dance asks key questions which every potential reader should answer before embarking on their studies. Sections of The Dance include:
The Myth of the Cold Reading: There is a common perception that there exists one very general script that will hold true to most people. The Dance is one of the only texts written on the subject which abandons such a notion in favor of teaching the real techniques used by successful psychics. Our opening section lays down the philosophical framework of the text as well as explores the way general statements are believed to work, and reveal their inherent weaknesses.
Also, The Dance explores the ethics of misrepresenting to our audience that what we do is “real” and offers for the first time a reading paradigm which is both engaging and ethically sound. What’s My Motivation?: One of the more frightening revelations begins as a discussion of the personality types naturally drawn to the pursuit of Psychic Readings. Control, power, and ego fulfillment which pervade the industry.
The Dance advocates a NEW approach deviating from the Classic Svengali – the dark, mysterious, power hungry character who knows all and sees all. Learn how this more modern approach makes the public a willing accomplice to the “mediumship” process and insures that they receive real value from their time with the Psychic. Also, learn who should stay away from this kind of work and why. . Sections include: How to Ask a Question, Does This Make Sense, Multiple Choice, Negative Question and the Method, Beware the Stereotype, Tricks of the Trade (data collection), We have Ways of Making You Talk, Back Pedaling, Projectile Missiles, Celebrity, and Recapitulation. Finally, we close with PERFORMANCE PIECES. Here are two show stopping presentations straight from Brad’s working repertoire. Both will give you the opportunity to showcase your readings skills.
The Dance is a powerful, fascinating, and educational treatise on the techniques some ‘psychics’ use in their Mediumship practices. By offering informational tools of this sort, the performer is empowered to critically evaluate these types of psychic experience and make informed judgments as to their validity. At the very least, by allowing the performer to glimpse inside a very real world of deceit, connivers and their verbal deception which borders on art, they may walk away with a better understanding of how we as human being have the incredible power to deceive our fellow man for purposes of good or ill.
An incredible value. 121 pages of professional quality material designed for the working performer.
Contents:
About the Author
Preface
Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgements
Considerations
How to Use This Book
Sexism
Slippery Slopes
A (Jagged) Line in the Sand
I Come to Praise Ms. Browne, Not to Bury Her..
Foundations
The Myth of the Cold Reading
The Truth about Cold Reading
What’s My Motivation?
Methods in the Madness
Interpretation – The Method behind the Method
Just the Facts Ma’ am
Involvement: Sitter- Derived Readings
Climbing Out on the Psychic Limb
Immunity via Uniqueness
Dealing with Skeptics
Summary
The Dance
A Beast with Two Backs – The Rhythm of The Dance
Is It This One, or This One? How to Ask a Question
Does This Make Sense?
Multiple Choice
Off-Centered Fishing
Negative Question and the Method
Beware the Friendly Stereotype
Crafted Communication
Data Collection (a.k.a. Clipboards are forWussies)
We Have Ways of Making You Talk
Backpedaling
The Method as “The Method”
Pro] ect Misses into the Future
Projecting into the Shadows of the Past
An Anecdote for the Problem
The Ethical Issue
Recapitulation
The Dance and Method, a Summary
Attitudes
Headgames
Attitude and Private Readings
Commitment
The Stance
Who It’s NotAbout..
A Warning to Magicians, Mentalists, arid Performers
What’s That Really Saying, Sparky?
Who It Is About
Attitude and Performance Reading
When Skeptics Attack – Sacrifice the Ego
To Read or Not To Read
The Nature of the Beast
When THEY Decide It’ s Show Time
Going on Stage
We Might As Well Sell T-shirts
Dance a Little Side Step
Team Effort
I’m Ready for My Close Up, Mr. DeMille
Ask and Ye Shall Receive
The Wonderful Thing about Triggers
Conclusion
On Being Perfect
Performance Pieces
The Old Gypsy Woman
The Everlasting Pendulum Trick
- Publisher: Brad Henderson
- Pages: 121
- Location: Austin, TX, USA
- Dimensions: 6″x9″
- Date: 2000, 2003
- Binding: hardbound