Marc DeSouza has an international reputation in the magic community, having won some of the most prestigious magic competitions in the world. These prizes include three First Place wins in stage and close-up magic competitions from the Society of American Magicians and three silver medals from that same organization. Additionally, Marc is a three-time gold medal finalist in stage magic at the International Brotherhood of Magicians competition and won first place in close-up magic from them as well. This four-volume DVD set is a departure from what you have seen Marc do. This is the material that he has used to entertain lay audiences all over the world. These are fully routined and scripted presentations that come right out of Marc's performing repertoire and are a unique offering in the world of magic-real performance pieces that stun audiences. If you are looking for the latest card moves, these DVDs aren't for you. However, if you're looking for fully crafted magical presentations that you can adapt to your own performance style, look no further. Every detail is here; not just tricks, but the thinking that goes into the creation of magical masterpieces. Whether you are a close-up, parlor, cabaret or stage performer, there is certain to be something of real interest to you here-classical magic brought up to date, stunning mental magic, and brilliant story-telling. You'll enjoy and be inspired by the performances. Then, you will learn the real secrets behind these Master Works of Conjuring, most of which are being shown and taught here for the very first time. Volume 1, Music and Magic: Stand-Up Magic for Cabaret and Stage: MULTIPLYING BALLS - This is one of Marc's regular openers for his stand-up show. Based on Alan Wakeling's neo-classic routine, Marc has varied and tailored the original by adding ideas from Chanin, McComb, Rooklyn and others. THE FULL CIRCLE ROPE ROUTINE - A unique rope routine which begins and ends with a single length of rope. This piece combines ideas and sequences from Sands, Daryl, Tabary, Sanders and some unpublished ideas contributed by Tim Conover. A great commercial routine with lots of magic happening in three minutes. CARD AND BALL ROUTINE - A wonderful sequence of card manipulation, which culminates in the cards changing to a ball several times. Marc published just a small portion of this over 20 years ago, but it is taught here in its entirety for the first time. There are numerous card sequences that have never been seen in the U.S. LINKING HEARTS - This routine is right out of Marc's award-winning act. It uses three heart-shaped golden rings, but everything is easily adaptable to standard ring sets. Also, Marc's Floating Ring, created in 1980, is taught for the first time. BILLS AND COINS - This is in homage to the late, great Fred Kaps. It combines Marc's handling of Kaps' Diminishing Bills to Coins with an unpublished Pierre Brahma coin vanish sequence and ends with Marc's handling of Kaps' incredible manipulation routine with jumbo coins. This is all being explained for the first time in thorough detail. TEQUILA - Jerry Andrus' brilliant Zone Zero on steroids! You will need to know the original Andrus routine to be able to perform it as shown, but all of Marc's variations are fully explained. A lime appears and vanishes when dropped into a hole in a plastic board. At the end, a shot glass, a salt shaker and a full-sized bottle of tequila are produced. This is a killer opener! BONUS: COLOR CHANGING KNIVES. Running time approximately 1 hour 46 minutes. REVIEW: "If you plan on adding any of these tricks to your repertoire, learning Marc's handlings is an investment in time and effort you will not regret."--Matthew Field.