Heath is a magician who took cardistry and, in the words of Lev, “simply ran with it.” He uses his skill in cardistry to make cards stay in seemingly gravity-defying positions and fly into his hands.

Magicians like Noel Heath incorporate cardistry into their magic routines. When the KSDS middle school student body was surveyed about its knowledge of cardistry, almost 90% had never heard of it. As Julia points out, it is not easy to grow a genre of art. However, even today it is not especially well known. Using social media, “cardists” can share their skills and flourishes with other cardists. They were also the ones who hosted the first major cardistry convention, Cardistry Con, where cardists discuss their passion for this art form.ĭespite how common flourishes were, it was mainly social media platforms that gave cardistry the boost it needed to create a community. The Buck brothers coined the term cardistry after starting their own community that was more inclusive to new cardists as opposed to X.C.M. This could mean doing a flourish while a card was on fire, using a fan to keep a card in the air, or throwing cards underwater. was “elementals,” which would include fire, wind, or water in flourishes. However, it was much more intense than cardistry is now.

What most people consider cardistry originally started as a competition called extreme card manipulation (X.C.M.). On the Harry Houdini King of Cards poster (see image), Houdini, a famous magician and escape artist, showcases some of the first card flourishes. As Julia L, a seventh grader at KSDS points out, using cardistry in a magic act can attract the audience’s attention and add an extra flair to the performance.Īccording to, a website generated by two of the first cardists, brothers Dan and Dave Buck, even though card flourishes were performed through the 18th century, it was not until the late 1990s when it became its own art form. Gradually, magicians started inventing more flourishes. By Ezra R., 6th Grade, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno CongregationĬardistry is commonly described as juggling with cards however, it can pertain to so much more.Īccording to Lev E., a seventh-grade student at Krieger Schechter Day School (KSDS) and a cardistry enthusiast who is well-read about the topic, cardistry consists of doing cuts, shuffles, fans, and tricks with cards in ways that make for a performance similar to yoyoing or juggling.Ĭardistry started when magicians would do simple flourishes, flashy moves, such as fanning out cards or shooting them from one hand to another, which is called a spring.

Houdini king of cards poster