History of cardistry

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.

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.

The term itself was published as early as December 19, 1899, on page 3 of The Portsmouth Herald, which reported a performance of Boston "magician and cardist" Bennett Springer.

The short article spoke of Springer's "tricks in cardistry, sleights and flourishes with cards" and described them as "his manipulation of the wonderful" that "won him rounds of applause."

[1] Journalist Kevin Pang of Vanity Fair magazine noted that "every cardist can deftly perform Sybil the way guitarists can run through a blues progression".

[1] The most notable invention from Show Off was the one-handed Revolution Cut, a variation of the common Charlier, where the top packet spins an additional 180 degrees.

[1] In 2001, twin brothers and Sybil enthusiasts Daniel and David Buck (known as Dan and Dave) released Pasteboard Animations, another flourish-only instructional VHS tape.

[1] Although produced as a low-fi home video and relatively short compared to Show Off, it sold hundreds of copies at hotel lobbies and magic conventions at a cost of $25.

[1] In a Genii magazine review of the Magic Live convention in August 2001, the twins flourishes and Pasteboard Animations tape received mixed responses.

[1] Renowned magic historian Jamy Ian Swiss remarked: "It was an excellent show, though opinion was definitely mixed about the Buck boys, who sat and stared at their hands while oddly racing through flourishes.

[1] In a 2015 interview, Singaporean cardist Kevin Ho mentioned that cardistry grew in popularity during the 2000s because of promotion through social media and journalistic coverage.

[6][12] The 2015 convention was attended by journalists from magazines such as Vanity Fair and Wired as well as television stations, all of which helped further popularize cardistry as an art.