Canada's Magic: ~Magicana

Showing posts with label ~Magicana. Show all posts

17 July 2012

Magic for healing

We currently have two specially focused sessions with Holland Bloorview called, Helping Hands and Hand 2 Hand.

These summer programs focus on strengthening the client’s less dominant hand by restraining the dominant hand, on and off throughout the camp. Naturally in this conditions, magic becomes increasingly difficult to perform – especially when clients naturally want to use their dominant hand for fine motor tasks, such as shuffling a deck of cards.

Read more.

07 July 2012

Review: Banachek’s The Alpha Project

From The Toronto Review of Books:

Do certain individuals have the ability to see the future, to read the thoughts of others, or to communicate with the spirit world? Whatever your answers to these questions might be, in his show The Alpha Project an extraordinary performer named Banachek invites spectators into a universe where such superhuman feats are possible. At least, this is true for the first half of his one-man performance, which recently finished its world premiere.

Read more.

02 July 2012

Toronto: Magicana casting call

From Sharing Wonder:

Magicana is looking for experienced entertainers, specializing in magic, dance and music for a variety of community programs to be conducted in the Greater Toronto Area. If interested, please contact us along with your theatre and entertainment experience.

Read more.

They are looking for instructors and instructor assistants for children's programming as well as entertainers for senior's programming.

I have had the privilege of participating with children in Magicana's My Magic Hands program. They do great work!

15 June 2012

From the Dark: an interview with Juan Esteban Varela and Michael Weber

From Cadence Canada:

Cadence recently had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Juan Esteban Varela and Michael Weber, the incredible mind and director behind the astonishing illusionary production From the Dark, which makes its North American debut this weekend as part of the sixth annual Luminato Festival of Arts and Creativity. As part of the third joint venture between Luminato and the Canadian magic non-profit group Magicana—this year titled Mind over Matter—Varela’s show is one of the most unique magical productions to ever be staged, a production that involves blindfolding both the performer and the audience, to experience a wide breadth of classic magic tricks from a sightless perspective. A novel show and celebration of magic unlike any other, Varela’s show debuted in 2010 at the National Magic Congress in Madrid, Spain, and has since been spellbinding audiences around the world. Stemming from an idea that pegs the question of whether a person truly needs the sense of sight to reason, imagine, and be amazed, Varela’s From the Dark is a conceptual behemoth and an experience that will surely tanzilize the senses—minus those involving the eyes, of course—and promises to give the audience a show unlike any they’ve experienced before.

Read more.

Visit Magcana's website for more information about The Luminato Mind Over Matter magic series.

21 May 2012

Tony Eng Youth Fund bursary winner and IMX competitor

From Sharing Wonder:

Sawyer reached out to us through the Tony Eng Youth Fund. At 16, his passion for magic appears to have no bounds and magic has enriched his life for the last four years. We provided Sawyer, a community-driven young man teeming with leadership qualities, a bursary to help him attend the Canadian Association of Magicians (CAM) 2012 convention. In his application, Sawyer expressed a heartfelt desire to meet Vancouver-based magician and President of CAM, Shawn Farquhar. We were pleased to provide Sawyer with the grant to achieve this goal and to also compete in the magic competitions at CAM.

Read more.

From the CAM website:

This year there is a special addition to the convention where youth were invited from around the globe to compete in a contest that is endorsed by FISM. This is the first contest of it’s kind and representing Canada is Sawyer Bullock of Ontario.

Read more.

Wishing Sawyer the best of luck at the 2012 International Youth Magic Championships!

20 May 2012

One handed CUT- A-THON winner!

From Sharing Wonder:

Congratulations to Sebastian Dagenais, winner of the Canadian Association of Magicians (CAM) 2012 One Handed CUT- A-THON contest.

The young and talented Sebastian hails from Montreal and performed 119 one-handed cuts for three rounds.

Read more to find out what Sebastian won!

22 April 2012

Toronto: Call for volunteers

From Sharing Wonder:

Seeking volunteer magicians/performers for a Luminato show. No experience required.

Can the non-sighted experience the same sense of astonishment that those with sight feel when witnessing magic? For Chilean magician Juan Esteban Varela, anyone with an imagination can transform fantasy into reality. In From the Dark, he does just that. Each audience member is blindfolded, provided with a box of props and then, individually and collectively, directed by him to create magical feats. It is a unique and thrilling experience.

We are looking for volunteer magicians/performers to help make the magic happen!

Read more.

Please note that this is a Toronto-based opportunity.

21 April 2012

Toronto: Luminato tickets on sale now

From Sharing Wonder:

Luminato tickets can now be purchased by the general public, bringing you one step closer to Toronto’s electrifying festival.

Magicana is proud to present three enthralling, cutting-edge shows that will surely challenge the way you perceive the world.

Read more.

The Luminato Mind Over Matter magic series features Banachek, Richard Turner and Juan Esteban Varela. Buy your tickets now!

13 April 2012

Toronto: Luminato advance tickets

From Sharing Wonder:

We would like to extend the opportunity to buy advance tickets for Luminato 2012, before they go on sale to the general public on April 14.

From now to April 13, pre-sale tickets can be purchased online via the special BUY TICKETS links located throughout this blog (or by phone at 416-368-4849). Please use the code SEASONS for phone-based orders. Not only will you be able to purchase tickets for the magic programs (see below), but you will also have access to ALL Luminato ticketed events.

Read more.

10 April 2012

CAMaraderie: The Paul Gertner Super Session Workshop

From the April 6th CAM newsletter:

In the Super Session Workshop Paul Gertner will teach four of his favorite routines straight from his professional close-up show and his corporate speaking program. These are routines that are audience tested that Paul has NEVER taught before. At the Workshop you will be learning routines that Paul has used to make a living as one of the world’s leading corporate magicians for the past 35 years. These routines are not part of Paul’s standard magic lecture and are featured only as part of his Super Session Workshop Series. The only thing we ask is that you keep the routines you learn in this workshop for your use only.

Read more.

From the April 7th CAM newsletter:

Interested in registering for the Paul Gertner workshop?

Well you have to be registered for CAMaraderie first - you can find registration details here: http://cammagic.org/camaraderie/registration

Need to check out the line-up before you register? There's a link for that too! Just click here: http://cammagic.org/camaraderie/acts

P.S. We've just heard that the winner of the one handed cut-a-thon will receive the book 'A Cut Above', compliments of Magicana.

17 March 2012

Toronto: Luminato - Mind Over Matter

From Sharing Wonder:

For the 2012 Luminato Magic series – Mind Over Matter – we have invited three masters of the impossible – Banachek, Richard Turner and Juan Esteban Varela - to challenge the way we perceive the world and function within it.
Follow us and we will keep you updated on all our shows! For now, see David Ben’s – artistic director for Magicana – magical video invitation.

The sixth edition of Luminato takes place from June 8–17, 2012.
Read more and find out when tickets will go on sale.

01 February 2012

Making a Difference: My Magic Hands

[Edited Thursday, February 2nd to add the link to (and content from) Sharing Wonder.]

Tonight, on Global News Hour (5:30pm - 6:30pm) in Toronto, look for Susan Hay's segment, "Making a Difference." In it, Susan will interview Julie Eng and James Alan and discuss the impact of Magicana's My Magic Hands program in a Toronto area school.

Watch the video at Global Toronto or in the player below:

From Sharing Wonder:

Since the program’s inception in 2004, we have run 94 sessions in different centres throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) engaging 1,670 participants, 584 volunteers and interacting with 5,695 community members. The program continues today thanks to the generous support of our title sponsor, Slaight Communications.

Read more.

05 December 2011

Everything Erdnase: Dodd Vickers interviews David Ben & Julie Eng

From the Magic Newswire:

Who was S.W. Erdnase? Most likely, anyone reading this knows this name as the pseudonym used by the author of "The Expert at the Card Table" which is arguably one of the most important books ever written on sleight of hand with cards. On this episode of the "Spirit of Magic" podcast, I am joined by David Ben & Julie Eng of Magicana and the publishers of Magicol.

Read more and listen to Dodd Vickers interview David and Julie.

27 November 2011

Everything Erdnase

From Magicana:

The exhibition, created by Jason England and Julie Eng, showcases the legendary book, The Expert at the Card Table - by the mysterious, S.W. Erdnase – and the book’s perpetual appearance in print for over a century. While exploring the numerous variants, both here and abroad, the exhibition also highlights the slew of ancillary discourse, publications and products Erdnase has inspired.

Read more.

Visit the exhibition at EverythingErdnase.com.

25 July 2011

Links for 25-July-2011

From Browser's Den: "Location of New Shop!"
From CAMmagic.org: "Winner Announced ... FINALLY!"
From Ariel Fralich: "A matter of deception"
From Magicana: "New 2012 MCW dates" and "special offer for two new titles"
From Ryan Pilling: "Improve One Moment At A Time"
From Penguin Magic: "Shawn Farquhar on Marketing - born to perform"
Lecleric Show episodes on YouTube (I haven't been able to keep up with viewing, but here are links to the last few weeks worth of videos):
182. Jumbo Straw Drive Thru Prank - Day 182
183. Pencil Behind Ear - Day 183 of 365
184. Issa's Boxers - Day 184 of 365
185. Cell in water bottle - Day 185 of 365
186. Coin bite - DAY 186 of 365
187. Sick Color Change Compilation - Day 187
188. Diamond Pizza Magic - Day 188 of 365
189. Card Trick in her Underwear - Day 189
190. Paul Harris Card Trick - Day 190 of 365
191. The Fizz Trick - Day 191 of 365
192. The Big Die - Day 192 of 365
193. World's Scariest Card Trick - DAY 193 of 365
194. Torn and Restored Bill Tutorial - Day 194
195. Messy Bubblegum Trick - Day 195 of 365
196. The Highway to Success - Day 196
197. Broken Arm Illusion - Day 197 of 365
198. Melting Money - Day 198 of 365
199. Bluesfest Stage Collapse! DAY 199
200. CUPCAKE MADNESS! - DAY 200 of 365
201. Eating Glue: Office Depot Prank - Day 201
202. Go Go Coin! - Day 202 of 365
203. A Magical Wedding Proposal - Day 203
204. EXTREME BMX Card Trick - DAY 204 of 365
205. Hot Girl Burping - DAY 205 OF 365

14 July 2011

Victoria: An Incredible Evening Of Magic

From Sharing Wonder:

You will now have a chance to see Murray and Teresa this summer in, An Incredible Evening of Magic, which will be presented every weekend in July and August in Victoria, BC, at the beautiful Victoria Conference Centre Theatre. It is a must-see show featuring some of Murray & Teresa’s signature routines. You won’t be disappointed.