Project 365 (208/365): Zig-Zag Lady

.:208/365: Zig-Zag Lady:.

Conjuring images of the more iconic “Sawing The Lady In Half” illusion, the Zig-Zag Lady is an illusion wherein the magician apparently divides his assistant into three parts, then by pushing the boxes that have been divided into three pieces apart, demonstrates the sheer impossibility of the lady’s precarious position.

The Zig-Zag Lady illusion is brilliant and one of the most eye-popping illusions in the history of stage magic. Invented in the 1960’s by stage magician Roger Harbin, this relatively young illusion has gained a wide measure of renown already, for the sheer ingenuity involved in making it work.

Every single time I see this illusion, I really can’t help but be amazed. Even if I know the method behind it, there’s something so brilliant, so clever about the way the whole routine was pieced together that I am sufficiently impressed by seeing the performance right before my very eyes. Look out for local magician Wanlu’s two-piece version of this, as in my opinion, that illusion in particular looks even more impressive than the three-piece variation that has become the norm in the industry.