Firstly may I wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. I hope that you all had a very nice Christmas and got all that you wished for. I must say that I have spent a very enjoyable Christmas watching four video tapes that were donated to the library by a Bradford Magic Circle member. If you have any interest in balloon modelling then these are just the tapes for you. Before I start though I would just like to say that I know absolutely nothing about balloon modelling so if I state the obvious you will have excuse me. Ok here we go. Balloon Modelling with Shirley Ray (2hrs 50min) First a word or two about Shirley Ray. Shirley is a third generation magician, a versatile and experienced performer. She first began to make her own name in magic when, in 1992, at the Scottish S.A.M.S. convention, she won "The Harold McMillan Shield" for her stage act and at the same convention was also awarded the prestigious "Murray Wand" for Showmanship. In 1994, with a new act entitled "The Prince of Humbug", Shirley was to win the title "British Ladies Magical Champion" in Blackpool and later the same year won "The Craig Trophy" at the International Brotherhood of Magicians convention in Eastbourne. Shirley, once described in the magical magazine "Abra" as having a bubbly Scottish personality, is one of the worlds leading balloon figure artists and has one of the most creative minds in the balloon business. Shirley’s first book on Balloon Modelling "Rainbow Balloons" was published in 1993.and her work has also been featured on T.V. and in the international magazine "Balloon Magic". Over the last few years, Shirley has presented her Balloon Modelling lecture at magical societies and for balloon twisting clubs both in the UK and on the continent. Shirley has her own unique style of teaching, she is known to have an eye for detail and is considered to be one of the best instructors in the field. Shirley is a member of Equity and a past President ( 2004 ) of Leeds Magical Association so she certainly knows what she is talking about. Anyway, back to the tape. This is a real tour-de-force of balloon modelling lasting almost 3 hours. Starting with a comparatively simple model of a Dalmatian dog or a Kangaroo right through to a large multi coloured, multi balloon model of Santa in his Sleigh. This is not really aimed at the ‘present for a helper’ quick model maker as her creations are often quite large and complex. Shirley makes an excellent job of explaining which balloons you require to make the model and a real time step by step demonstration of the method used to create the finished sculpture. I don’t think this is a video for the beginner or for the quick balloon modeller but it is a fascinating insight of what can be achieved with a few balloons. Balloons Here, There and Everywhere by Dan Craine (30 mins) This is just a 30 minute video of American children’s entertainer Dan Craine doing his balloon twisting act in front of an audience of children. A lot of the comedy and interaction is American based humour, however he does make many balloon models which might be useful to performers this side of the pond. (very transatlantic). There are no instructions as such given we just see him make the models. A useful feature of this tape is that Dan invites you to phone or e-mail him if you have any queries regarding the performance. While I phone call to Idaho USA might prove to be a little expensive, the e-mail address could be useful. Li’l John – Entertaining with Balloons – Vol. 2 - Advanced Balloon Sculpturing As with Dan Craine I could find little information on Li’l John on the internet. He is an American children’s entertainer/clown, but unlike Dan Craine Li’l John does actually demonstrate for the camera and you the viewer his technique for making the models. He has some clever ideas which just use one balloon but again they are quite complex in their construction. The gimmick that this guy has is that he can make a small ball with the balloon and goes on to show several models which have the little ball loose inside. As you can imagine a balloon model with a moving ‘part’ inside is quite an attraction. The one hour video ends with Li’l John doing his balloon twisting act in front of an audience of children. Li’l John – Entertaining with Balloons – Vol. 3 – Showpiece Balloons (71 mins) This tape is very similar to volume 2, the Advanced technique reviewed above. Li’l John once again demonstrates how to make the balloon models. This time they are bigger than before and most are multiple balloon models. Although Li’l John’s creations look deceptively simple I suspect they are not for beginners. Having said that, if you have an interest in balloon modelling these tapes show what can be done when the various techniques have been mastered. All four tapes are a very welcome addition to the library and will be available for loan from now on. If they are not on the table, just mention it to me and I reserve them for you as soon as they are returned. Well that’s about it for this time. We have a new DVD in the library on The Art of Levitation presented to the library by Losander after his lecture to the Circle. I will be reviewing that next time. Before I go don’t forget to see Keith Pickles about tickets for the Hey Presto show at the Bingley Arts Centre on the 14th April. They are bound to go like hot cakes so get yours now while he still has the good seats left. See you next time. More Balloon Modelling Resources | 
