Cardistry Theory – A Start
By Eliot Slevin
So, outside of cardistry, I’m a designer, and I’m finishing up my third year of study in design. Design may appear to some people to be a very random discipline, but it actually isn’t quite like that.
Design is partly about feeling and intuition, but it also has clear rules, which is what separates graphic design from just random scribblings of a three-year-old. Visual design has theory.
So what about music? What transforms random frequencies into an actual song? If you’ve ever sat down at a piano with no training, you will quickly notice there’s many places to go wrong. How come your random blabbering doesn’t sound like actual music? Enter music theory. As soon as you start to play in key, acquire a sense of rhythm, and learn about those things called chords, your blabbering might start to sound musical. Then after a few years of studying the other 14 musical principles, you should be sounding like actual music. Music has theory.
So what about say, writing? What separates actual, solid, riveting novels from Twilight fanfiction? Well, writing has so many theories I won’t even list them all… you might’ve learnt about a few figures of speech at school, maybe metaphors, onomatopoeia? Well, Wikipedia lists 204. What about narrative technique, such as foreshadowing? There’s another 64! And thats just looking at story writing. So without a doubt, writing has theory.
So what about Cardistry?
uhhh… well… the thing is…
Wait, you have next to no defined theory? I thought you were a serious artform, I’m a little disappointed here.
Yeah, so was I, dear reader. So with this article I’m going to suggest some principles of cardistry. I don’t think this is the kind of task which can be done in one article, or by one cardist. I think it would take years of discussion to even nail a few down, so consider the principles in this article just my own proposals.
Before I jump into some principles, I think it is important to define the artistic medium of cardistry.
Visual Design’s medium is color and space.
Music’s medium is frequency and time.
Writing’s medium is words and ideas.
Cardistry’s medium is motion and cards.
So lets jump into it.
THE PRINCIPLES
1. Symmetry
So lets start with one that’s pretty obvious to notice: Symmetry.
(*editor’s note: the original embedded video, Punnett by Patrick Varnavas, is no longer available)
Symmetry comes in a lot of different forms: for example, there can be just translational symmetry, which is different from reflective symmetry. Take this moment from Black Belt: Zach with some translational symmetry
2. Structure / Alignment
I think of alignment and structure as when a bunch of cards are moving while being stuck together: either completely or only in one aspect. The key aspect of structure and alignment is that the cards move in relation to each other. Structure is when cards are touching and have actually created, well, a structure. Of course, when it comes to structure, nobody has anything on the king Andrew Avila:
Alignment is like a structure which is only the same in one aspect. For example, in the Werm, all the packets are aligned along a single flat plane on one axis. However, the packets aren’t aligned on the other axis — they’re moving all over the show (with a bit of symmetry). So structure is when packets are “joined together” (as in they move like one object) in all axes; however, alignment is when they’re joined on one plane.
3. Rotation
Every cardist ever loves rotation, so finding examples of this isn’t hard at all.
(*editor’s note: the original two embedded videos, an Instagram post by Alvin Herp and a clip of Antoine Cormerais’s Squall, are no longer available)
Rotation can happen in one, two, or all three axes. The center of rotation can be in all sorts of different places. I think the reason why we all love rotation so much is that you get so much motion, out of a very small movement. Minimal effort, maximum effect.
4. Isolation
So if structure is packets moving in relation to each other, isolation is packets moving in relation to the world around you. Just like a mime:
(*editor’s note: video is no longer available)
5. Flow / Rhythm
Everybody can spot a flowing cut. However, it’s actually kinda tricky to define, but here’s my attempt.
A cut is made out of motions. Motions follow a path. A flowing cut ensures that the path the motions take follow smooth curves. The motions don’t stop or change direction suddenly. Instead, they steer their way through space. This means no chunky movements are created.
For example, the closer to Aviv’s Revolver is incredibly flowing:
(*editor’s note: video is no longer available)
The other aspect of flow is the main point of attention. Often in a cut, your eyes are drawn to one specific spot as it moves around it. A flowing cut will smoothly shift attention from one area to another, continuing the flow of attention.
Now, flow doesn’t equal smoothness, so don’t get them confused. Smoothness is part of the execution — it’s how nicely you can mask the finger changes. A flowing cut can be performed rough, and a chunky cut can be performed smooth.
For example, Matt’s cut is practiced well, and is very smooth. However, it’s not a flowing cut. The movements are chunky, but that’s the point of the cut. It uses lots of symmetry and alignment (see principles 1 and 2).
6. Framing
Coined by Huron, framing is the space in which you perform your cut. You pick the size of your frame: is it a small frame for Prince Charming, or are you doing a behind-the-back Flicker Shot?
By defining the frame in which the cut is performed in, you define the space for a spectator to enjoy the cut.
7. Timing
Often in cuts you’ll have parts which can’t be continued until another part is finished. For example, say you’re doing a card twirl in one hand, and a Revolution Cut in the other. You want to twirl the card nicely on top of the deck. However, the card twirl takes way less time than the Revolution, so by the time you’re ready to drop the card you’re only halfway through the Rev, and you have to awkwardly wait.
Timing is ensuring you don’t have to awkwardly wait.
Conclusion
I don’t expect everybody will agree with this list. I think it would take years of discussion, disagreement, and arguing to get everybody to agree with even a few principles. However, I think it would be time well spent for cardistry as an art form — if we had a better understanding of what makes a cut good, we can have better insight when looking critically at our own flourishes. I hope more cardists start thinking about cardistry theory; I think its a largely unexplored topic with a lot to discover.
Do you agree with the principles I suggested? Disagree? Have I missed any? Let me know in the comments!
About the author, Eliot Slevin:
Made a bunch of viral videos, winner of the first ICO. Too lazy to make new videos. Follow me @eliot.slevin