18 June 2012

CBC: Magic world standoff over tricks of the trade

Should magic secrets be kept secret?


From the CBC:
Professional magicians dazzle audiences, but in the age of Google and instant answers, might tell-all books and video explainers forever expose what's up performers' sleeves?

According to Alex Stone, author of Fooling Houdini and a practising magician who has competed in The Magic Olympics, it's high time to reveal the magic world's secrets to the public.

Read more.

Watch the video (including comments by David Ben and Julie Eng):



[h/t: Sharing Wonder]

Who will be at Sorcerers Safari 2012?

From the Sorcerers Safari Facebook group:
Wayne Houchin and Soma will be at Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp this summer! I hope you will, too!

Read more.
Soma?  Did Mike just announce that Soma is going to be at camp this summer?  Wow!

17 June 2012

Calgary: Magic day camps

From the Vanishing Rabbit:
Course 1:  JAW DROPPERS
8 - 10 Years old
July 16 - 20th 
Noon - 4 pm Each day

Course 2:  The Complete Course
11 - 99 years old
July 23- 27th 
Noon - 4 pm Each day

Read more to confirm price and details.


[h/t: magicinfo.ca]

16 June 2012

Who will be at MINDvention 2012?

From the Magic Convention Guide:
I want to give you a brief update and overview of the 2012 MINDvention mentalism convention taking place in Las Vegas from November 11-13th.

Read more.
It goes on to state that Canadians Tony Chris and Christopher Taylor have been added to this year's line up.  Visit the 2012 MINDvention for more information.

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.

Welcoming a new patron: Magic Information Canada


Welcome to our newest sponsor, Magic Information Canada!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Magic Information Canada, it is a fabulous repository of links helpful to Canadian magicians.  Established near the end of the 1990s, the site has fabulous lists of Canadian magic:
  • shops (complete with contact information, map location, and identification of whether it's a virtual or bricks and mortar shop)
  • clubs,
  • tutors (lists of those willing to teach individuals and / or groups) and
  • events (location, price and contact information are provided). 
I especially like the events section, which primarily includes lectures and workshops, because the events are listed sorted by date and are also entered into Google Calendar!

The site is maintained by magic enthusiast Doug Cuff from Ottawa, Ontario.  Doug is proud of the fact that he has attended every CAMaraderie since 2001.  (That's eight in total!)  In his own words, he's "downright smug about it."

Thank you Doug, for all of the work you put into the Magic Information Canada website and for your sponsorship!

Vernon and Henning at the Magic Castle

Watch 1972 CBC footage of Dai Vernon coaching Doug Henning at the Magic Castle:



[h/t: The Magic Newswire]