Asrah levitation
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The Asrah levitation is an illusion effect where the magician hypnotizes his/her assistant and commands him/her to recline on a table or couch. The assistant is then fully covered with a cloth and levitated under the cloth. The form of the assistant is still visible while levitating. Moments later, the assistant slowly floats down. As the magician pulls off the cloth, the assistant vanishes instantly. This Illusion is credited to Servais LeRoy and first performed in 1902.
In most versions of the Asrah, the assistant is not levitated. What happens is the assistant lies on a table and as the cloth covers her she either lowers herself into the false table and disappears through a trap or she rolls off the back of the table. A form is placed over her or in her place. It's this form which is levitated.
The form is usually a collapsing wire frame covered in black cloth the same shape as the assistant. When the magician wants to vanish the girl, he collapses the frame and it falls to the floor where being black it is hidden by the black carpet (black art). A black polystyrene form can also be used which will fall to the floor as the magician tosses off the cloth.
The levitation of the form is achieved by a zombie type rod (European Asrah) or it can be on threads and pulleys from above (Asian Asrah). Later on, the assistant can appear from the audience or if she is still on stage, she can be produced in another apparatus. However the Asrah is often the concluding effect.
The beauty and real secret of the Asrah lies in the acting of the magician and his assistant. The costumes, the music, the stage setting and stage effects will also play their part in making true artform from this illusion.
