Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps. Escapologists (also called escape artists) escape from handcuffs, straitjackets, cages, coffins, steel boxes, barrels, bags, burning buildings, fish-tanks and other perils, often in combination.
History
The art of escaping from restraints and confined spaces has been a skill employed by performers for a very long time. It was not originally displayed as an overt act in itself but was instead used secretly to create illusions such as a disappearance or transmutation. In the 1860s, the Davenport Brothers, who were skilled at releasing themselves from rope ties, used the art to convey the impression they were restrained while they created spirit phenomena.
Other illusionists, including John Nevil Maskelyne, worked out how the Davenports did their act and re-created the tricks to debunk the brothers' claims of psychic power. However the re-creations did not involve overt escape, merely a replication of tricks with the statement that they were accomplished by secret magicians' skills rather than spirits. It took another thirty years before the pure skill of escape began to be displayed as an act in itself. The figure most responsible for making escapology a recognized entertainment was Harry Houdini, who built his career on demonstrating the ability to escape from a huge variety of restraints and difficult situations.
Houdini made no secret of the fact that he was an expert on restraints and the skills needed to overcome them but he often concealed the exact details of his escapes to maintain an air of mystery and suspense. Although many of his escapes relied on technical skills such as lock-picking and contortion, he also performed tricks such as Metamorphosis and the Chinese Water Torture Cell, which are essentially classic stage illusions reliant on cleverly designed props. Houdini's feats helped to define the basic repertoire of escapology, including escapes from handcuffs, padlocks, straitjackets, and prison cells.
The actual term 'escapology' is reputed to have been coined originally by Australian escapologist and illusionist Murray (Norman Murray Walters), a Houdini contemporary.
A succession of performers have added new ideas and created variations on old stunts, but it is common for even the best contemporary escapologists to be dubbed modern day "Houdinis". Beginning with pioneer performer "Female Houdini" Dorothy Dietrich, who broke the glass ceiling in the escape field, and was the first woman to gain prominence as an escape artist since the days of Houdini, many women have followed in her footsteps and entered the field.
Because of St. Nicholas Owen's exploits of having successfully escaped the Tower of London and arranged the escape of two Jesuit inmates of the prison, this 16th-century Christian martyr is considered by Catholic escapologists as their patron saint. Along with St. John Don Bosco, the two are considered the primary patrons of Catholic Gospel Magicians.
Escapology Societies
The UKEA was formed in 2004 and is currently the only organisation in the United Kingdom devoted to the promotion of UK escape artists and the preservation of escapology within the UK. Its members are made up of professional escapologists, restraint collectors, master locksmiths and historians. The UKEA meet once a year for their AGM.
The International Escapologists Society is an online society with its own monthly newsletter that is dedicated to the art of escape on an international level.
Forms of escape performance
Hidden: A style of escape performance popularised by the late Harry Houdini that involved much of the performance taking place behind some form of screen or inside a cabinet in order to protect the secrets of the performer. This style of escape performance was popular with the majority of escape artists until the end of the 20th Century and is still preferred by many performers today.
Full View: This form of escape performance was popularised by Escape Master Norman Bigelow Sr. during the 1970s. He presented his escapes as pure tests of human skill and endurance and the audience could actually see everything from start to finish. His signature escape, The Doors of Death, inspired many escape artists to adopt this style of performance in their own shows.
Escape or Die: This form of escape performance was originated by Houdini and is the standard for top of the line escape artists. Death by drowning, as in water escapes pioneered by Houdini; Death by falling; as a straitjacket escape hanging from a burning rope hundreds of feet in the air, as created by UK escape artist Alan Alan[6] and in the US by Dorothy Dietrich; Buried Alive, as done by Dean Gunnarson and others; being Burned Alive or suffocated in the Chrysalis Escape both performed by Roslyn Walker. Steve Santini is a master of this kind of extreme escape and has been named the World's Most Extreme Escape Artist by Ripley's Believe It Or Not! This type of escapology does go wrong and has resulted in escape artists losing their lives. Both the buried alive stunt and the Chrysalis escape have claimed lives in recent times.
The Alternative Escape Artist: As the name suggests is a form of escapology that appeals to the modern alternative market and takes the full view style in a new direction. Performers create ever more perverse contraptions to try and free themselves from. This form of escapology is popular with the fetish scene but often alienates a mainstream audience.
The Gentleman Escape Artist: A style of escapology created by British escape artist, Roslyn Walker as an alternative to the alternative and "escape or die" style of escape performance. Roslyn Walker: the Gentleman Escape Artist performs extreme, death defying escape stunts but also adds story telling, theatre and showmanship to create something new and unique within the world of the escape arts that is appropriate for the modern audience.
The Escape Artist as Contortionist/Mystic: A style of escapology going back to the Pre-Houdini era. These performers feature contortionism or yogiism as the cornerstone of their escape performances, often including feats of contortionism, fakir feats or enterology to their shows in addition to escapes. Performers sporting this style include 1890s performer Major Zamora "The Triple-Jointed Wonder," Dorothy Dietrich, with her catching of a bullet in her mouth, and modern escapologist Steve M (Mollett) "The Escape Guru." The bullet catch has claimed lives in recent times.
The Magician as Escape Artist: This is when a magician attempts to recreate the genuine stunts of the escape artist by using trickery. These escape illusions are used by magicians to try and spice up their stage shows. Real stunts that have been copied by magicians include the straitjacket and the mailbag escape. These are easily spotted as they often employ unnecessary extra props.
List of famous escape artists
Jonathon Bryce
Curtis Lovell II..... International Escape Artist
Michael Griffin, ..... "The Great Escape Artist"
David Blaine
Harry Houdini
Vincent Vaude
Roslyn Walker,..... "the Gentleman Escape Artist"
Norman Bigelow Sr
Weasel Dandaw
Criss Angel
Nick Janson
P. C. Sorcar, Jr.
Matt the Knife
Steve Baker, ....... "Mr. Escape"
Derek Butler
Dick Long
Thomas Blacke
Alan Alan
Dick Smalls
Anthony Martin
Adam Blumpkin
Bill Shirk
Mark Cannon
Arthur Coghlan
Tupack Shaker
Josh Knotts
Clyde Mighells
Tim Ellis
David Merlini
Ken "Kondini" Dean,........ "the World's Only Human Toolbox"
David Straitjacket
Dayle Krall
Leah Young
Dorothy Dietrich
Frank 'Pop' Reno
Dean Gunnarson
James Randi
Jari Tapanainen
John Novak
Jonathan Goodwin
Kristen Johnson
Leo Irby
Cynthia Morrison
Mario Manzini
Murray (Norman Murray Walters)
Prynce Wheeler
Scott Interrante
Stephen Mollett ...........("Steve M, The Escape Guru")
"Crazy" Chris Rubow
Theo 'Dash' Hardeen
Thomas Solomon
Johnny Rivers
Major Zamora
Morgan The Escapist
Tony Laffan
Robert Zarins
Dean Carnegie
Richard Sherry
Cliff Gerstman
Tim Ellis
Victor Norén
Eric Hall
Wolflock (South Africa)
Iron Will (Singapore)
MAKS (Illusionist)
Steve Santini
Bonald Smith
Alexanderia the Great
Lea Teyssier
History
The art of escaping from restraints and confined spaces has been a skill employed by performers for a very long time. It was not originally displayed as an overt act in itself but was instead used secretly to create illusions such as a disappearance or transmutation. In the 1860s, the Davenport Brothers, who were skilled at releasing themselves from rope ties, used the art to convey the impression they were restrained while they created spirit phenomena.
Other illusionists, including John Nevil Maskelyne, worked out how the Davenports did their act and re-created the tricks to debunk the brothers' claims of psychic power. However the re-creations did not involve overt escape, merely a replication of tricks with the statement that they were accomplished by secret magicians' skills rather than spirits. It took another thirty years before the pure skill of escape began to be displayed as an act in itself. The figure most responsible for making escapology a recognized entertainment was Harry Houdini, who built his career on demonstrating the ability to escape from a huge variety of restraints and difficult situations.
Houdini made no secret of the fact that he was an expert on restraints and the skills needed to overcome them but he often concealed the exact details of his escapes to maintain an air of mystery and suspense. Although many of his escapes relied on technical skills such as lock-picking and contortion, he also performed tricks such as Metamorphosis and the Chinese Water Torture Cell, which are essentially classic stage illusions reliant on cleverly designed props. Houdini's feats helped to define the basic repertoire of escapology, including escapes from handcuffs, padlocks, straitjackets, and prison cells.
The actual term 'escapology' is reputed to have been coined originally by Australian escapologist and illusionist Murray (Norman Murray Walters), a Houdini contemporary.
A succession of performers have added new ideas and created variations on old stunts, but it is common for even the best contemporary escapologists to be dubbed modern day "Houdinis". Beginning with pioneer performer "Female Houdini" Dorothy Dietrich, who broke the glass ceiling in the escape field, and was the first woman to gain prominence as an escape artist since the days of Houdini, many women have followed in her footsteps and entered the field.
Because of St. Nicholas Owen's exploits of having successfully escaped the Tower of London and arranged the escape of two Jesuit inmates of the prison, this 16th-century Christian martyr is considered by Catholic escapologists as their patron saint. Along with St. John Don Bosco, the two are considered the primary patrons of Catholic Gospel Magicians.
Escapology Societies
The UKEA was formed in 2004 and is currently the only organisation in the United Kingdom devoted to the promotion of UK escape artists and the preservation of escapology within the UK. Its members are made up of professional escapologists, restraint collectors, master locksmiths and historians. The UKEA meet once a year for their AGM.
The International Escapologists Society is an online society with its own monthly newsletter that is dedicated to the art of escape on an international level.
Forms of escape performance
Hidden: A style of escape performance popularised by the late Harry Houdini that involved much of the performance taking place behind some form of screen or inside a cabinet in order to protect the secrets of the performer. This style of escape performance was popular with the majority of escape artists until the end of the 20th Century and is still preferred by many performers today.
Full View: This form of escape performance was popularised by Escape Master Norman Bigelow Sr. during the 1970s. He presented his escapes as pure tests of human skill and endurance and the audience could actually see everything from start to finish. His signature escape, The Doors of Death, inspired many escape artists to adopt this style of performance in their own shows.
Escape or Die: This form of escape performance was originated by Houdini and is the standard for top of the line escape artists. Death by drowning, as in water escapes pioneered by Houdini; Death by falling; as a straitjacket escape hanging from a burning rope hundreds of feet in the air, as created by UK escape artist Alan Alan[6] and in the US by Dorothy Dietrich; Buried Alive, as done by Dean Gunnarson and others; being Burned Alive or suffocated in the Chrysalis Escape both performed by Roslyn Walker. Steve Santini is a master of this kind of extreme escape and has been named the World's Most Extreme Escape Artist by Ripley's Believe It Or Not! This type of escapology does go wrong and has resulted in escape artists losing their lives. Both the buried alive stunt and the Chrysalis escape have claimed lives in recent times.
The Alternative Escape Artist: As the name suggests is a form of escapology that appeals to the modern alternative market and takes the full view style in a new direction. Performers create ever more perverse contraptions to try and free themselves from. This form of escapology is popular with the fetish scene but often alienates a mainstream audience.
The Gentleman Escape Artist: A style of escapology created by British escape artist, Roslyn Walker as an alternative to the alternative and "escape or die" style of escape performance. Roslyn Walker: the Gentleman Escape Artist performs extreme, death defying escape stunts but also adds story telling, theatre and showmanship to create something new and unique within the world of the escape arts that is appropriate for the modern audience.
The Escape Artist as Contortionist/Mystic: A style of escapology going back to the Pre-Houdini era. These performers feature contortionism or yogiism as the cornerstone of their escape performances, often including feats of contortionism, fakir feats or enterology to their shows in addition to escapes. Performers sporting this style include 1890s performer Major Zamora "The Triple-Jointed Wonder," Dorothy Dietrich, with her catching of a bullet in her mouth, and modern escapologist Steve M (Mollett) "The Escape Guru." The bullet catch has claimed lives in recent times.
The Magician as Escape Artist: This is when a magician attempts to recreate the genuine stunts of the escape artist by using trickery. These escape illusions are used by magicians to try and spice up their stage shows. Real stunts that have been copied by magicians include the straitjacket and the mailbag escape. These are easily spotted as they often employ unnecessary extra props.
List of famous escape artists
Jonathon Bryce
Curtis Lovell II..... International Escape Artist
Michael Griffin, ..... "The Great Escape Artist"
David Blaine
Harry Houdini
Vincent Vaude
Roslyn Walker,..... "the Gentleman Escape Artist"
Norman Bigelow Sr
Weasel Dandaw
Criss Angel
Nick Janson
P. C. Sorcar, Jr.
Matt the Knife
Steve Baker, ....... "Mr. Escape"
Derek Butler
Dick Long
Thomas Blacke
Alan Alan
Dick Smalls
Anthony Martin
Adam Blumpkin
Bill Shirk
Mark Cannon
Arthur Coghlan
Tupack Shaker
Josh Knotts
Clyde Mighells
Tim Ellis
David Merlini
Ken "Kondini" Dean,........ "the World's Only Human Toolbox"
David Straitjacket
Dayle Krall
Leah Young
Dorothy Dietrich
Frank 'Pop' Reno
Dean Gunnarson
James Randi
Jari Tapanainen
John Novak
Jonathan Goodwin
Kristen Johnson
Leo Irby
Cynthia Morrison
Mario Manzini
Murray (Norman Murray Walters)
Prynce Wheeler
Scott Interrante
Stephen Mollett ...........("Steve M, The Escape Guru")
"Crazy" Chris Rubow
Theo 'Dash' Hardeen
Thomas Solomon
Johnny Rivers
Major Zamora
Morgan The Escapist
Tony Laffan
Robert Zarins
Dean Carnegie
Richard Sherry
Cliff Gerstman
Tim Ellis
Victor Norén
Eric Hall
Wolflock (South Africa)
Iron Will (Singapore)
MAKS (Illusionist)
Steve Santini
Bonald Smith
Alexanderia the Great
Lea Teyssier
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