How Do Street Performers Float? The Levitating Trick Explained - Metro

Many questions plague people’s mind when they are out and about, but few are more puzzling than how ‘floating’ street performers stay floating?

You may often find yourself thinking about it at the most random of times, it may keep you awake at night, it is one of life’s big mysteries.

But here we are, about to lift the lid on the secrets of floating street performers who always gather the most obnoxious of crowds who make getting from A to B all the more stressful.

I’m sure we all know that one person who shatters the illusion right then and there when you are cast in the shadow of illusion.

Digging into your pocket for some money to make them move, so you can try catch them out.

Europe full of street performers that appear to be floating in the air: pic.twitter.com/6Rq3DsC9BV

— Mario Livio (@Mario_Livio) September 28, 2016

It is quite a long winded trick in order to gather the crowds.

First the street performer needs to build a kind of mechanism by which they are grounded.

Usually when you see them you cannot see the ground under them, they are covering it with boxes or a rug.

There is something hidden under the rug that balances them – a base plate.

https://twitter.com/CollinMMcKenzie/status/780458216375328768

Also you will notice that they are usually wearing a lot of clothes, larger or loose clothes that could have something hidden underneath.

You need to think about where the centre of gravity is, the person is, of course, not balancing on one hand.

The street performer dazzling the crowds with their levitating trick, is usually sitting or standing on a seat or plates.

The base, under the rug, is connected to whatever they are sitting on through steel rods – you will have noticed they are always resting their hand on something – it comes through here.

Think about what is under their clothes and how everything is connected.

Next time you won’t spend too long staring.

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