For more than two decades, the Invisible Chair has been one of the signature pieces of my work. Rather than presenting a conventional levitation, I wanted to create the impossible image of someone seated comfortably in midair—as though gravity itself had quietly stopped applying.
The Invisible Chair
The Story
I created The Invisible Chair in 2003 while developing a floating chair routine. My goal was to make it appear as though the chair was trying to pull away from me and I was using all my strength just to hold onto it. As I worked on the routine, I realized the most powerful ending wasn’t to keep fighting the chair—it was to stop fighting altogether. If I could simply sit comfortably in midair without it, the routine would have a natural and satisfying ending.
The illusion quickly became one of the defining pieces of my act and was performed throughout my career on stages around the world. In 2004 and again in 2005, I was honored to be named Stage Magician of the Year by the Academy of Magical Arts, and the Invisible Chair was an important part of the work that led to those recognitions.
In later years, the illusion was licensed to Cyril Takayama, who introduced his own presentation under the title the Matrix Levitation. Seeing another artist reinterpret the piece reinforced something I had always hoped—that the illusion could become a platform for individual expression rather than imitation.
Today, more than twenty years after its creation, it remains one of the signature pieces of my repertoire and is available on a limited licensing basis to a small number of professional performers.
More than twenty years after its creation, I have decided to make The Invisible Chair available on a limited licensing basis to a small number of professional performers.
Rather than manufacturing the illusion, I license the performance rights and provide the original construction plans so an experienced fabricator can build it. This approach allows each performer to have a custom-built illusion while preserving the integrity and exclusivity of the original design.
Each license includes:
Unlimited professional performance rights
Complete construction plans and technical drawings
Licensing is offered selectively to ensure the illusion remains distinctive and is presented with the care and artistry it deserves.
If you feel The Invisible Chair would be a meaningful addition to your own work, I’d be happy to hear from you.
Limited Licensing
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Yes. The Invisible Chair was later licensed to Cyril Takayama, who presented his own interpretation under the title Matrix Levitation. The licensing offered here is for Danny Cole’s original Invisible Chair, including the original construction plans and performance rights.
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Each license includes unlimited professional performance rights, complete construction plans, technical drawings, reference photographs and direct communication with Danny throughout the licensing process.
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No. Each Invisible Chair must be custom built by a fabricator. The license provides the original plans and reference materials needed for construction, allowing the illusion to be built specifically for your body and performance style. You must choose your own qualified fabricator.
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Licenses are offered on a limited basis to help preserve the uniqueness of the illusion. Each inquiry is considered individually.
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No. The license grants the right to perform The Invisible Chair illusion and includes the original construction plans and supporting materials. It does not include Danny Cole’s presentation, script, choreography, music, or staging. Licensees are encouraged to develop a presentation that reflects their own artistic style.
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The mechanics are only part of the challenge. Performing The Invisible Chair convincingly requires balance, physical control, and practice. Like any signature illusion, the strongest performances come from careful rehearsal and thoughtful presentation.