David Roth
Encyclopedia
David Roth is an American
magician.
Roth is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest living coin magicians. Roth is known both for tremendous technical mastery and for playful and surrealistic formal performance pieces. Roth was an important contributor to Richard Kaufman's Coinmagic a widely regarded text on contemporary coin technique; his major work was chronicled in David Roth's Expert Coin Magic, a book co-written with Richard Kaufman; Roth has lectured for magic enthusiasts around the world and has produced numerous instructional videos. Roth is now associated with Fantasma magic, a magic manufacturing and retail company in New York City.
The sleight of hand
artist Dai Vernon
, wrote about Roth:
"First let me state that David Roth has an amazing ability when performing with coins. He is truly a genius. I have been fortunate to have enjoyed the confidence and friendship of the leading exponents of coin manipulation of the past. T. Nelson Downs, Allan Shaw, Manuel and Welch Miller all specialized in this branch of the magical art. To the very best of my judgment, David’s ideas and execution far surpass any one of them. I feel quite certain that if they could witness his performance they would not only be astounded but realize that they had seen the master."
Roth's virtuoso execution of a "persistence of vision vanish" led to tremendous interest in his handling of the move (which he refers to "The Retention Vanish"), and – perhaps – to increased use of this move among magicians.
Roth's handling and application of a technique that has – largely thanks to him – become known as "The Shuttle Pass" is highly influential.
Roth's "The Original Chinese Coin Assembly" was highly influential as the first published coin assembly that used the bare hands. This was a highly influential development that has been widely used and explored by other sleight of hand experts.
His sister, Lisa Roth, is a graphic artist based in San Francisco.
in All of the People, All of the Time. It also co-starred actress Ruth Williamson and was co-written by Patrick Cook. It opened in Charlotte, North Carolina and later played in Waterford, Connecticut.
He has consulted for Ricky Jay
's production of On The Stem as well as Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants in which he was credited in the program as Ricky's '53rd Assistant'.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
magician.
Roth is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest living coin magicians. Roth is known both for tremendous technical mastery and for playful and surrealistic formal performance pieces. Roth was an important contributor to Richard Kaufman's Coinmagic a widely regarded text on contemporary coin technique; his major work was chronicled in David Roth's Expert Coin Magic, a book co-written with Richard Kaufman; Roth has lectured for magic enthusiasts around the world and has produced numerous instructional videos. Roth is now associated with Fantasma magic, a magic manufacturing and retail company in New York City.
The sleight of hand
Sleight of hand
Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
artist Dai Vernon
Dai Vernon
Dai Vernon , aka The Professor, was a Canadian magician. His expert sleight-of-hand technique and extensive knowledge garnered him respect among fellow magicians. His influence was considerable in the magic world, and he was a mentor to numerous famous magicians...
, wrote about Roth:
"First let me state that David Roth has an amazing ability when performing with coins. He is truly a genius. I have been fortunate to have enjoyed the confidence and friendship of the leading exponents of coin manipulation of the past. T. Nelson Downs, Allan Shaw, Manuel and Welch Miller all specialized in this branch of the magical art. To the very best of my judgment, David’s ideas and execution far surpass any one of them. I feel quite certain that if they could witness his performance they would not only be astounded but realize that they had seen the master."
Magic Castle awards
- 1974 "Visiting Magician of the Year"
- 1977 "Close Up Magician of the Year"
- 1998 "Creative Fellowship Award"
- 1999 The "Medal of the Inner Magic Circle with the Gold Star"
- 1999 "Lecturer of the Year"
Major technical contributions
Roth's trick "The Hanging Coins" (which was first revealed in Apocalypse magazine, Volume 1, No. 6, page 68, 1978) took an ancient, and long ignored, sleight of hand technique and made it far more deceptive and useful. This technique, which Roth dubbed "Edge Grip," has subsequently been explored in depth by other experts in the field. It is a significant tool of contemporary coin magic.Roth's virtuoso execution of a "persistence of vision vanish" led to tremendous interest in his handling of the move (which he refers to "The Retention Vanish"), and – perhaps – to increased use of this move among magicians.
Roth's handling and application of a technique that has – largely thanks to him – become known as "The Shuttle Pass" is highly influential.
Roth's "The Original Chinese Coin Assembly" was highly influential as the first published coin assembly that used the bare hands. This was a highly influential development that has been widely used and explored by other sleight of hand experts.
His sister, Lisa Roth, is a graphic artist based in San Francisco.
Roth's literary works
- Expert Coin Magic by David Roth (Instructional book on coin magic published by Richard Kauffman)
- Expert Coin Magic Made Easy vol 1 - 3 (Instructional DVD set)
- ULTIMATE COIN MAGIC COLLECTION vol 1 - 4 (Instructional DVD set)
Theatrical credits
In 2003 Roth co-wrote and co-starred along with Darwin OrtizDarwin Ortiz
Darwin Ortiz is a magician, who is an authority on gambling and card manipulation.Ortiz was born and raised in New York City where he had a keen interest in card tricks since childhood. In 1974, he dropped out of NYU Law School and pursued card magic full-time...
in All of the People, All of the Time. It also co-starred actress Ruth Williamson and was co-written by Patrick Cook. It opened in Charlotte, North Carolina and later played in Waterford, Connecticut.
He has consulted for Ricky Jay
Ricky Jay
Richard Jay Potash , better known by the stage name Ricky Jay, is an American stage magician, actor, and writer. He is a sleight-of-hand expert and is notable for his card tricks, card throwing, memory feats, and stage patter.-Life and career:...
's production of On The Stem as well as Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants in which he was credited in the program as Ricky's '53rd Assistant'.