Canada's Magic

10 July 2011

Ring 49: executive for 2011-12

The executive of Hamilton's Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club) for 2011-12:

President: Scott Hood
Vice President / Secretary: Doug McCoy
Treasurer: Vic Staniewski
Past President: Calvin Cutts
Librarian and Board Member: Bill Brehm

They are sure to have an exciting season in store for us!

09 July 2011

CBC: Ryan Joyce on Being Jann

This morning on the CBC show Being Jann, Jann Arden chatted with Ryan Joyce about his passion for magic.

Ryan created this video tribute to Jann called "Meaningful Deceptions" using her song "Hanging By A Thread."

Visit the CBC website to listen to Jann Arden interview Ryan Joyce. (Ryan starts about at about the 25:30 mark.)

London Magician's Guild: executive for 2011-12

The executive of the London Magician's Guild for 2011-12:

President: Michael Fisher (The Amazing Corbin)
Vice President: Ron Keller
Secretary: Mark Hogan

No doubt they're busy planning another successful year!

08 July 2011

Calgary: Junior Magic Club at Calgary Stampede!

From Yeats Wong:

The Calgary Junior Magic Club is proud to be performing at the world famous Calgary Stampede, on July 13, 3:30pm, at the Window on the West Stage. These enthusiastic youths have spent the past year honing their magic performance skills, to prepare for this event, and for many of them, this is their first stage performance.

The Junior Magic Club consists of youths, ages 8- 16, under the Parent organization of the The Calgary Magic Circle. Instructors Yeats Wong and Ryan Pilling meet with these youths once a month to teach them the secret arts of magic and the skills of presentation and entertainment. For more information on the Calgary Junior Magic Club, visit http://www.calgarymagic.com/

To purchase tickets or for more information about the Stampede, visit CalgaryStampede.com

Vancouver Island: Jeff McBride at MusicFest

From the Island Musc Fest website:

Friday Night in the Concert Bowl.

New York Times columnist Glenn Collins writes, “What Mr. McBride gives his audiences is a mesmerizing performance…a magic show that is at once a celebration of mystery and a struggle to understand powerful forces.” Read more.

Visit the festival's website to check out the schedule, see who's on tap, purchase tickets or learn more about the event.

06 July 2011

[Guest post] Magic: The Next Generation

A few days ago, Ariel Frailich was describing his experience lecturing at the Browser's Den magic club along with James Fulford, James Alan and Mahdi Gilbert. I found his take on the day intriguing and cornered Ariel into agreeing to write it up as a guest post. True gentleman that he is, he graciously agreed.

The following is a guest post* by Ariel Frailich: writer, publisher, creator of magic and owner of I Saw That! Exclusive Magic.

--

Toronto’s wonderful magic shop, the Browser’s Den of Magic, has its own magic club that meets once a month. The club is aimed at young magicians and beginners, but everybody is welcome, of course. Jeff Pinsky, the owner of the shop, regularly invites members of the magic community to perform at the club as special guests.

When Jeff invited me to perform at the July 2nd meeting, I was at a bit of a loss as to what to show. In my experience, young people who start out in the contemporary ‘flash and flourish’ school of magic consider our older, ‘hide-your-skill’ style passé. This is hardly surprising, as their idols put forth the idea that a magic performance is a display of dexterity. Hence, every gesture must be flashy, every action must be a flourish.

I asked myself: what could I show that wouldn’t be greeted by stifled yawns and polite applause?

A few days later, the answer came to me in a flash (of inspiration, not manipulation). I would show them some “old-school” esoterica! In the ‘70s, we used the term ‘esoteric’ for techniques that were particularly angly or finnicky to perform. The term has fallen into disuse. (The wags might argue that it’s because angly and finnicky techniques have become the norm today, so there’s no reason to give them a separate category. But I’m not a wag.)

I decided to demonstrate and teach the techniques I used in my first ambitious card routine (which later evolved into DIY Ambitious Card, published in Card Stories). A double lift from the centre, Tabled Tilt, ‘Rise, rise, rise!’ and a tabled colour change. I wanted to show that “old school” techniques could be just as bold, clever and visual as “new school” moves. I also wanted to show something they could use; for all that they’re on the esoteric side, the techniques I chose are actually quite practical and not terribly angly. But most importantly, I wanted to show that hiding one’s skill creates a much more magical effect than displaying dexterity.

It was a success. I caught their interest and fooled them. I got oohs and ahhhs, laughter, applause -- and even a minor avalanche of questions, for they were eager to learn. I showed them that “old school” magic may not be as passé as they had thought. I taught them a few techniques that they can use. And I showed them that magic without obvious displays of skill can look very magical indeed.

Then I moved in for the kill.

I performed my 'Andrus Misunderstood' colour change, which replaces the tabled colour change in the published version of the trick. It’s the most magical-looking thing I do, and approaches my ideal of looking like the magic happens without the performer doing anything.

Eyes popped. Jaws dropped. Stunned silence. The young man to whom I had taught the move a few weeks earlier literally begged me not to explain it. The others continued to stare in disbelief.

The first time I did this move for an audience of contemporary of young magicians, one young man told me: “This is the first time I’ve ever seen ‘real’ magic. Now I’m going to have to re-think everything I do.”

What an eye-opener! From this and a few similar experiences, it became very clear to me that “new school” magicians simply never experienced good magic without flash and fury, or at least, not enough of it to make them see that there is a better way.

This is why I always make a point of showing young magicians this move. On its own, it’s rarely enough to cause as dramatic a shift as in the case of the young man mentioned above. But it is a step in the right direction and an opportunity to broach the subject for further discussion.

To my fellow “old shoolers,” I would like to say: “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Instead of bemoaning the ‘new school’ approach, let us show young magicians what good magic is supposed to look like and foster discussion.” And to the “new schoolers,” I would like to say: “Hey, you of the Butterfly Cut Brigade -- don’t dismiss the grey beards quite yet; they just might give you a run for your money!”

Thank you Ariel for guest posting at Canada's Magic!

To read more of Ariel's thoughts on magic, read his book "Card Stories," visit the Articles section of I Saw That! or follow his companion blog, I Wrote That!