With unpretentious showmanship, Ling began the evening by introducing herself as an entertainer and not some sort of false medium. Instead of doing the usual sleight of hand for which she is known (biting quarters in half, finding cards in inexplicable places and so on), she experimented with what she called "sleight of mind." Throughout the performance, she predicted the arbitrary or chance choices that her volunteers made. She calls this sort of magic "mentalism."
For her first effect, Ling presented three types of gum, several cards with her own drawings (available for sale after the show, she said half-jokingly) and an article from our very own Amherst Student. She asked the participants to select one pack of gum, one card and one place where the article should be cut. Ling then carefully unraveled a scroll of paper on which she had written her predictions beforehand-and she was exactly right on all counts. She proceeded to foretell correctly the playing cards in one volunteer's hand, the time written down by another, and the number between one and 100 that an audience member's sister in North Carolina gave over the phone. Perhaps what was most amazing was when she could tell when her volunteers changed their minds. When one participant circled a word in a magazine, for instance, Ling changed her prediction from "battle" to "weeks" just as he changed his mind about which word was in the center of the circle. Bizarre, but to be expected given the advertisement for "Felice" warned of "Mental explosions" and "eye-popping." The magician certainly has a sense of humor. What is more, though, her hesitation to reveal her recorded guesses only heightened the suspense and ultimate incredulity.
Presentation is incredibly important to Ling. "I've found that the impact that an effect has on someone can change drastically if I perform it differently. That's what I'm going for. I'm trying to shake up your perception of the world," she said. Ling thrives on the reactions she gets to her performances: "People scream. They run away. And, sometimes, they just stare silently. That's the best reaction, simply because that's how someone would react to real magic."
Ling's interaction with her enthusiastic audience further enriched the show. For another effect, she asked students to write down something important to them and she mentally picked up on their thoughts. As she "read" people's minds, she would periodically exclaim, "Who's thinking about so-and-so? You're interrupting my thoughts!" to which an audience member would sheepishly raise his or her hand.
Ling has been interested in magic since she was a child. "When I was four years old, my older brother pulled his thumb off his hand. That gave me nightmares, but it also hooked me into magic," she recalled. She used to perform small shows for her family with the magic kits that she had received as gifts. Although her pursuit of learning magician's techniques lay dormant for several years thereafter, Ling transformed "a childhood interest" into "a real hobby" after she studied Houdini in high school. She has been performing ever since.
Although her effects were not completely perfect, they were definitely dumbfounding and her presentation was superb. As to the lesson of the show? Do not think about your credit card or PIN number if you are around Ling.