Magic made simple with Patricia Are you fascinated by the world of magic? Have you always wanted to learn how to perform tricks that will leave your audience in awe? Look no further, because Patricia is here to make magic simple and accessible to everyone. Patricia is an experienced magician who has spent years perfecting her craft. She has performed at numerous events and has even been featured on television. But what sets Patricia apart is her ability to explain magic in a way that is easy to understand. **The main idea** behind Patricia's approach is that anyone can learn magic. Whether you're a beginner or have some experience with magic tricks, Patricia's tutorials will guide you step by step through each trick, breaking it down into simple and manageable parts.
Baba Yaga: The greatest 'wicked witch' of all?
The Slavic crone, known for living in a house built on chicken legs and feasting on children, is a complex, and arguably feminist, figure – as a new book shows, says David Barnett.
In fairy tales, women of a certain age usually take one of two roles: the wicked witch or the evil stepmother, and sometimes both.
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A key figure from Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga certainly fulfils the requirements of the wicked witch – she lives in a house that walks through the forest on chicken legs, and sometimes flies around (close to ground level) in a giant mortar and pestle. She usually appears as a hag or crone, and she is known in most witch-like fashion to feast upon children.
As demonstrated in the Russian fairy tale Vasilisa the Beautiful (depicted above in a 19th-Century illustration), Baba Yaga can be both heroine and villain (Credit: Getty Images)
However, she is also a far more complex character than that synopsis suggests. Cunning, clever, helpful as much as a hindrance, she could indeed be the most feminist character in folklore.
So enduring is the legend of Baba Yaga that a new anthology of short stories, Into the Forest (Black Spot Books), has just been released, featuring 23 interpretations of the character, all by leading women horror writers. The stories span centuries, with Sara Tantlinger's Of Moonlight and Moss offering a dream-like evocation of one of the classic Baba Yaga stories, Vasilisa the Beautiful, while Carina Bissett’s Water Like Broken Glass sets Baba Yaga against the backdrop of World War Two. Meanwhile Stork Bites by EV Knight ramps up the horrific aspects of the myth as a salutary tale for inquisitive children.
The history of Yaga
Baba Yaga appears in many Slavic and especially Russian folk tales, with the earliest recorded written mention of her coming in 1755, as part of a discourse on Slavic folk figures in Mikhail V Lomonosov's book Russian Grammar. Before that, she had appeared in woodcut art at least from the 17th Century, and then made regular appearances in books of Russian fairy tales and folklore.
If you’re a film fan, you might recognise the name from the John Wick films starring Keanu Reeves, in which the eponymous anti-hero is called Baba Yaga by his enemies, giving him the mysterious allure of an almost mythical bogeyman. Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki used Baba Yaga as the basis for the bathhouse proprietor in his award-winning 2001 movie Spirited Away. Baba Yaga appears in music, too; Modest Mussorgsky's 1874 suite Pictures at an Exhibition features a ninth movement called The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba Yaga). She might well be making an appearance on the small screen soon, as well; Neil Gaiman used her in his Sandman comics for DC, the adaptation of which has just had its second season announced by Netflix.
Whether you're a beginner or have some experience with magic tricks, Patricia's tutorials will guide you step by step through each trick, breaking it down into simple and manageable parts. **One of the key aspects** of Patricia's teaching style is her focus on practice. She emphasizes that magic, like any other skill, requires dedication and effort.
Baby Yaga crosses the wicked witch trope with the fairy godmother trope to create an ultimately far more unpredictable and powerful role than either of those – Yi Izzy Yu
Gaiman also used Baba Yaga in The Books of Magic comic series, and the way he has deployed the character highlights her moral ambiguity: where she was helpful in Sandman, she is more of a baddie in Books of Magic. He tells BBC Culture he first encountered Baba Yaga aged six or seven when he read children's fantasy book The Dragon's Sister and Timothy Travels by British writer Margaret Storey, in which she appeared. "[I] felt she was the most interesting of all the witches, and felt that way even more when I read some of the Russian stories in which she appears," he says. "She seems to have her own life outside of the story, which so few fairy tale characters do.”
Into the Forest is edited by Lindy Ryan, a writer and full-time professor of data science and visual analytics at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey who is also the founder of Into the Forest's publisher Black Spot Books, a small press dedicated to female horror writers. So how did an American end up fascinated by this Slavic myth?
"My Russian stepmother emigrated to the United States shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union," says Ryan, "and along with my stepsister and step-babushka, she brought borscht, matryoshka dolls, and Baba Yaga. While most girls my age were growing up with nicely sanitised Disney version princesses, I preferred the stories by Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, and Hans Christian Andersen – and, of course, in the books of Slavic fairytale and folklore that talked of Baba Yaga."
Baba Yaga has been an inspiration for animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, including with the character of the bathhouse proprietor in Spirited Away (Credit: Alamy)
In fact, the origins of Baba Yaga might go back far further than the 17th Century — there's a school of scholarly thought that says she's a Slavic analogue of the Greek deity Persephone, goddess of spring and nature. She's certainly associated with the woods and forests, and the wildness of nature. "The essence of Baba Yaga exists in many cultures and many stories, and symbolises the unpredictable and untameable nature of the female spirit, of Mother Earth, and the relationship of women to the wild," says Ryan.
What lifts Baba Yaga above the usual two-dimensional witches of folklore is her duality, sometimes as an almost-heroine, sometimes as a villain, and her rich, earthy evocation of womanhood. "Baba Yaga still remains one of the most ambiguous, cunning, and clever women of folklore," says Ryan. "[She] commands fear and respect, and simultaneously awe and desire. I admire her carelessness and her independence, even her cruelty, and in a world where women are so often reduced to hazy blurs of inconsequence, she is a figure that reminds us that we are ferocious and untameable, and that such freedoms often come at a cost."
In fact, she’s something of a proto-feminist icon. "Absolutely she is," says Yi Izzy Yu, one of the authors who has contributed a story to Into the Forest. One of the ways in which she merits such a description is that she completely upends the nurturing mother stereotype applied to women by eating children rather than pushing them out or breastfeeding them. "She’s powerful despite not being attractive in a conventional sense. She lives by her own magical terms rather than mundane rules," says Izzy. "And she challenges conceptual categories at every turn. Even her home is both house and chicken, making her, yes, housebound in a sense, but not in any way 'tied down'. In this [way], I guess, she is an early motorhome gypsy."
A true outlaw
Izzy likens Baba Yaga to trickster characters from many mythologies, such as Norse god of mischief Loki or Coyote from Native American folklore. "While Baba Yaga often plays a villain, she is also likely to offer assistance. For example, in Vasilisa the Beautiful, she helps free Vasilisa from the clutches of her evil stepfamily," she says. "And while Baba's dangerous to deal with, like many of those who operate on the shadowy side of the law in contemporary movies, she can as well prove herself invaluable in dangerous circumstances.
"In this way, Baba Yaga complicates the passive female nurturing role with a type of 'I'll do whatever the heck I want' outlaw power that you ordinarily only see associated with men. You could say then that Baba Yaga crosses the wicked witch trope with the fairy godmother trope to create an ultimately far more unpredictable and powerful role than either of those."
Izzy was born and grew up in Northern China, and as a great deal of Russian literature was translated into Chinese, Baba Yaga crossed the border and into the Chinese psyche. "My first exposure to Baba Yaga was a Chinese cartoon I saw when I was very young. I remember this cartoon because I told my grandmother that Baba Yaga looked exactly like my Big Uncle. This made her laugh. Big Uncle did not laugh," says Izzy.
The John Wick films are some of the unlikelier cultural works to reference Baba Yaga, as the name given to Keanu Reeves' anti-hero by his enemies (Credit: Alamy)
WITCHES OF THE WOODS
Patricia provides her students with exercises and drills to help them perfect their technique and build confidence. **Another important** aspect of Patricia's teaching is her emphasis on presentation. She believes that a great magician not only knows how to perform the trick but also knows how to engage and entertain the audience. Patricia provides tips and techniques on stage presence, timing, and storytelling, helping her students create a memorable performance. **Patricia's tutorials** cover a wide range of magic tricks, from card tricks to coin tricks to mind-reading tricks. Each tutorial is accompanied by detailed explanations, illustrations, and video demonstrations, making it easy for students to follow along. **What sets** Patricia's tutorials apart from others is her personal touch. She encourages her students to reach out to her with any questions or concerns they may have. Patricia creates a supportive and interactive community where students can connect with each other and share their progress. **Whether you're** interested in pursuing magic as a hobby or as a career, Patricia's tutorials are a great starting point. She believes that magic should be accessible to everyone, and through her tutorials, she empowers her students to explore their creativity and become confident magicians. So why wait? Dive into the world of magic with Patricia and unlock your potential as a magician. With her simple approach and expert guidance, you'll be performing mind-boggling tricks in no time..
Reviews for "Patrica's Enchanting Journey: Personal Stories and Insights"
1. John - 2 stars - I attended "Magic made simple with Patricia" with high hopes, but unfortunately, it left me disappointed. The tricks performed were basic and predictable, lacking any sort of innovation or creativity. It felt like a beginner's magic workshop rather than a professional performance. Additionally, Patricia lacked stage presence and failed to engage the audience. Overall, the show fell short of my expectations and failed to live up to its promise of making magic simple.
2. Lisa - 1 star - "Magic made simple with Patricia" was a complete waste of time and money. The tricks were elementary and poorly executed. I could see right through them, and there was no sense of mystery or wonder. Patricia seemed disinterested and uninspired, which made the whole experience even more underwhelming. I would not recommend this show to anyone looking for a magical experience.
3. Sam - 2 stars - As an avid magic enthusiast, "Magic made simple with Patricia" left me disappointed. The tricks performed were incredibly basic and lacked any real complexity. It felt like I was watching a beginner's tutorial on YouTube rather than a professional magic show. Patricia's delivery was lackluster, and she failed to captivate the audience or create any sense of awe. Overall, I found the show lacking in both substance and entertainment value.
4. Emma - 3 stars - While "Magic made simple with Patricia" wasn't exactly what I expected, it was an okay experience. The tricks performed were relatively simple, but I appreciate that it aimed to make magic accessible to a wide audience. However, Patricia's execution and stage presence could definitely use improvement. The show had some enjoyable moments, but I left wanting more. It's a decent introduction to magic for those completely unfamiliar with the art, but for those seeking a more immersive and intricate experience, it may fall short.
5. Alex - 2 stars - "Magic made simple with Patricia" was a bland and unimpressive show. The tricks were cliché and lacked any originality. Patricia's performance felt robotic and lacked enthusiasm. It was clear that she was going through the motions rather than genuinely connecting with the audience. Overall, the show lacked the excitement and surprise that are essential for a successful magic performance. I would not recommend it to anyone seeking a memorable and enjoyable magical experience.