Have you ever seen a celebrity magician read someone’s mind on TV? Or guess something about a total stranger they could have never known? Consider bringing those larger-than-life moments to your next event!
Kaleidoscope now offers jaw-dropping, impossible-for-you-to-know, and get out of my head! psychic encounters with our resident mentalist, Marissa.
What is mentalism?
Mentalism is a performing art, just like ballet, mime, puppetry, circus arts, improv, or theatre.
The performer, in this case Marissa, will use normal playing cards, special sensory objects (such as essential oils, crystals, or colors), eye contact, and speech to demonstrate seemingly impossible feats of human connection.
Typically, a mentalist will perform their own “supernatural” abilities to read others’ minds in front of an audience. They might guess someone’s name, guess a playing card, or guess a piece of information they couldn’t possibly know to prove their abilities.
But with Marissa, she’ll invite others to connect with her and each other. Depending on guests’ preferences, she may be invited to read a shape that they’re thinking of. Or, they’ll be asked to tap into a smell that she’s thinking of, given several vials of essential oils to choose from.
Like any performing art, mentalism requires years of dedication, extensive study, practice, and skill to perform well. Mentalism requires an extreme ability to read a person in specific detail after only a few seconds of contact, as well as an extensive understanding of communication and linguistics, and finally a serious study of performing arts.
There are only a few in New England, and only a few hundred in the world.
What is tarot reading?
Tarot reading is (in Marissa’s words) a “conversation” between her and your event guests which uses an antique deck of playing cards from Italy. Guests sit down and ask to talk about a question in their life–maybe a frustration at school, a question about their career, an uncertainty in their relationships, or a situation which they never had closure on.
Marissa will examine the questions in their life in the past, present, and future using tarot cards. While she does not give advice or predict the future, her goal is to inspire new insight, a new lense, and a refreshed curiosity about the question.
Tarot readings with Marissa leave guests feeling heard, listened to, and understood. They complement mentalism well in that they create intense one-on-one experiences at an event, and are best suited for events that are upscale, have a long duration and a lot of guests, or are looking for something totally unique.
Tarot, like mentalism, is best suited for ages 14+. There’s nothing scary about the experience, but young children can confuse tarot with being told what to do by an adult or asking an adult to solve their problems for them.
Is Marissa really psychic?
“I believe human brains are supercomputers,” says Marissa. “I believe that we are able to observe the world around us in a way that we still can’t quantify by psychology or neuroscience. And the way that I’m able to observe humans and read them is as close to a ‘psychic connection’ as I think is possible.”
So it’s up to you: do you believe that humans have a supernatural ability? Do you think that this is all psychology? Either way, you might be right.
(And as far as who is Marissa, she’s a veteran graphic designer and visual artist who’s been with Kaleidoscope since 2013. She began tarot reading as a hobby outside of work, and began using her skills as a mentalist for Kaleidoscope since 2017.)
Is there anything scary about her performances?
Nope! Marissa is friendly and approachable above all. She doesn’t talk to dead people, summon ghosts, use witchcraft, or push religious beliefs.
She often asks guests for what they think of something like mentalism or tarot reading, and invites them to bring their own interpretations to their experiences with her. Everyone from Christians to atheists to skeptics to the curious are invited to bring their own beliefs and made to feel comfortable.
(And she’s also not a stuffy magician. At your event you’ll see her in jeans and a t-shirt or a formal black dress, depending on your even, but unlike many stereotypical “magicians” will never play a joke on a guest, never embarrass anyone, and never talk down to them. Her goal is to form a human connection with anyone she speaks with and leave them feeling good.)
That all said, we recommend mentalism and tarot reading for ages 14+, since small children may feel confused by whether or not someone can “see inside their head”, or ask her to solve problems for them which she’s not able to do.
If you book Marissa for a family event she does bring simple “magic tricks” for kids, but will reserve her mentalism and tarot reading for teens and adults.
Can I book Marissa for a show?
Marissa doing henna at a festival in 2013. Ask our offices about her palm reading x henna combination packages!
Marissa is currently working on a sit-down show suited for large audiences.
For now, she’s available for packages with strolling mentalism, tarot reading, palm reading, and henna in different combinations for different sizes of events.
If you’re only looking to book a show over strolling entertainment, we would suggest booking one of our other magicians.
If you’re looking to book Marissa for additional types of entertainment, check out her extensive experience as a visual artist.
Categories: Artist Spotlight, classic & cultural, Corporate Party Ideas, magical, marketing & promotional, over-the-top, teens