History of cardistry

Cardistry is a portmanteau of cards and artistry. The art form of card flourishing, commonly referred to as cardistry, grew out of simple flourishes used in close-up magic by magicians in the 1990s to early 2000s. Chris Kenner's notable two-handed Sybil cut from his 1992 publication Totally Out of Control has carried great influence and gave birth to a series of advanced flourishes which today represents the foundation of the performance art. Sleight of hand pioneers Dan and Dave popularized cardistry on the world stage with their instructional DVD releases from 2004 and 2007. Journalist Kevin Pang of Vanity Fair characterized the art of card flourishing as, "It's yo-yo tricks performed by cardsharps with the street cred of a Parkour video. There's a name for it: cardistry."

When conjuring tricks with playing cards became popular around the 19th century, magicians would often include card flourishes in their performances to demonstrate their sleight of hand abilities. Unlike tricks, flourishes were intended to be visually impressive and appear difficult to perform. Some of the first flourishes to be documented include the Charlier Cut, Riffle Shuffle and Thumb Fan. Several sleight of hand bestsellers, such as S. W. Erdnase's The Expert at the Card Table from 1902 (which shared roots in gambling and cheating at cards), emphasized the importance of incorporating flourishes into tricks. Up until the 2000s, card flourishing were considered a mere subsection of close-up magic and not an independent performance art.

Cardistry is a portmanteau of "card" and "artistry". It involves the use of hands to create cuts, displays, fans, patterns and sequences through the use of playing cards. Various armspreads, cuts, shuffles and springs can be used. The intent is to create a captivating motion and beautiful display. The effects are limited only by the types of cars used, the imagination, and the degree of manual dexterity of the performer. The presentation is typically neither "illusionary" nor purportedly "magic". At least in part, the color and form of cards affect visual perceptions of the act. The visual style of the art form is often associated or compared to juggling, hackey-sack, mimes and even skateboarding.

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