For episode 150, Jonah would like to thank the listeners for accompanying him on this journey. To do so, he has sat down to reflect on a trick he has been performing for a while now to see how it has changed with him. Alongside the audio, there is a video component to accompany Jonah’s reflection.

Thank you to Jacque Swan for cutting together the video.

For the past few years, Jonah has been performing the balloon sword swallow trick in his stage act. What started off as an awkward experience for him and the audience, slowly developed into a fun, scripted trick that ends his set and gets the audience ready for the next performer. This performance has undergone major changes in presentation, and Jonah thought he would sit down to see how and why these changes happened.

Jonah’s first performance of the balloon swallow on stage was rough. There is no music, no scripting or blocking, and he struggles to do the trick smoothly. Additionally, he performs the trick  at the beginning of his act, which doesn’t necessarily setup the atmosphere he wants for the rest of his set. However, he has jokes that land and the audience is attentive, so there is a foundation for a performance to develop out of overtime.

With the addition of music, a script and some practice, his balloon swallow developed into a trick that made the routine more than just  a man eating a balloon on stage. He now has a character and specific beats he is hitting during the performance. The trick, however, is still at the beginning of his set, making it difficult for him to bring the audience back in for the rest of his performance.

Between music that suits his goal, a script with specific beats, blocking, and moving the trick to the end of the act, Jonah has greatly improved his presentation for the balloon swallow. While there are still aspects he would like to change, he has managed to get the balloon swallow to a place where he feels that it’s a strong act.  

Once more, Jonah would like to thank everyone who has gone on this journey with him. His hope is that as he’s grown over the 150 episodes, you have too, and he hopes that you’ll continue this journey with him.

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