In the Great Indian Rope Trick, a thick coiled rope is
placed
in a domed wicker basket in front of a tansfixed
audience.
The magician then conjures the rope to rise vertically
from
the basket like a pole. When it reaches far into the air, a
child ascends the rope, and in the mythical
version, this
child disappears in a puff of smoke when he reaches the
very top. (witnesses report seeing this extreme version)
In the more modest spectacle, the child slides back
down
the rope, which is subsequently revealed to be the same
flexible coil that was originally placed in the basket.(see
link)
The Great Indian Lateral Rope Trick takes all of these
elements, but places them in the context of a horizontal
variation.
Instead of the rope ascending vertically the magician
charms it out parallel to the ground where it remains
unsupported except at the end where it leaves the
basket, which has been turned on its side.
The same child then dramatically walks along its entire
length, returning to complete the spectacle. The rope
retreats back into the basket as a finale to the
performance.
In the extreme version, the horizontal rope extends
across
a pit containing snapping crocodiles, poisonous snakes or
via a vertiginous gap between two tall buildings.
This entire phenomena is achieved using the exact same
method as the proven vertical technique, except that its
reorientation is parallel to the ground. No good Fakir
ever
reveals how this is done.