[Guest post] "Can A Magician Be Too Skillful?"

The following is a guest post from an author who wishes to be known as The Magic Demon. 

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"Can A Magician Be Too Skillful?" A fan of magic blogs about it

One of my favourite non-magic bloggers has just written an interesting post about magic.

You may agree or disagree with him but he always writes about chosen subjects with wit, insight and a heavy dose of humanity.

Why mention him here? Well, here's a born-and-raised Torontonian (although he's lived and worked in LA for many decades). Guess we can still claim him as one of ours even if he has U.S. papers. He wrote/produced some great comedy television shows (although he is now long retired) - many of which you might remember. And his thoughts on magic (from the POV of a non-magician) are worthy of reflection by all of us.

His question: Can a magician be too skillful?

To read more, check out the always thoughtful blog of Earl Pomerantz and read his post of Monday, August 8th, 2016. You'll find it here:

http://earlpomerantz.blogspot.ca/2016/08/beyond-magic.html

And who knows? Maybe like me you'll find his blog a very pleasant daily must-read habit. Even when he's not writing about magic.

The Magic Demon

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Thank you The Magic Demon for guest posting at Canada's Magic!

Review: Sheldon Casavant's "Ta Da!" in the Edmonton Journal

"Ta Da!" got a 5 / 5 rating!

From the Edmonton Journal:

Sometimes you come across a show so magical you have to drag the whole family to see it. This is just such a show. Pack up granny, round up the kids and run, don’t walk, to see Ta Da!

Morton loves magic. Morton the magician loves practising magic, and he loves performing magic. The young man practsces [sic] at home when he should be studying. He flings his wand around and tries out all of the staples of a beginner magician: card tricks, the broken rings and even the old ‘fire your talking stuffed rabbit across the room into a covered box.’

His mother reminds him again he should be studying, but Morton is a boy, and boys will be boys. It’s the big talent show at school that is occupying our hero’s thoughts, keeping him up at night when he should be sleeping. He is kept up by doubt and fear, emotions we can all relate to.

Read more.

Toronto: Shigeo Futagawa lecture

From the Browser's Den of Magic:

Sunday September 25th, 2016

If you've never heard of him before, that's OK.

A close-up legend in his own country, for decades, Futagawa has energized Japan with his creativity, ingenuity, and love for sleight of hand. Japanese magic enthusiasts from all over flock to Yokohama, just to meet and session with him.

Furthermore, Futagawa has spent quality time with a multitude of phenomenal western magicians like Dai Vernon, Larry Jennings, Slydini, Max Maven, Geoff Latta, Michael Weber, David Roth, etc. when they came to visit Japan.

Now it's our turn to spend time with Futagawa. And yet, we don't have to travel fifteen hours across the ocean to do so. For the first time ever, Futagawa is coming to Canada.

Accordingly, Futagawa plans to travel around by train visiting Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal sharing his magic with us -- all while soaking up our culture. Opportunities like this don't come along often.

Attend his informative talk on coins, cards, and close-up, and you're guaranteed to enjoy yourself. By the end, you'll walk out of the Shigeo Futagawa lecture with new ideas, be refreshed on old ones and filled with memories of meeting a guy that you'd normally need to travel thousands of kilometers to see.

"A true East meets West! When I spend time with Futagawa, I always learn something new." - Lee Asher (Close-up magic aficionado)

Read more and buy tickets.

John Kaplan in the Vancouver Metro News

The last set of courses runs Aug. 22-26.

From Metro News:

If your kids have an aptitude for making household objects vanish without a trace, causing money to magically disappear, and seeing the wonder in every day life, this month's summer magic camps may be for your family.

Just don't call them "tricks," warned Richmond "master magician" John Kaplan, a 37-year veteran of the craft who is offering two day camps next week through Douglas Park Community Centre, his last of a series this summer.

"Trick has a negative connotation," he said. "It can also be a verb: I tricked you. But the point is not to trick or fool the audience, but to give them a feeling of wonder."

Read more.

[via The Magic Demon]

Toronto: "Cheap Tricks" impromptu magic competition

From Chris Mysterion's Facebook page:
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7 magicians. One goal. Create the best routine on a budget in less then an hour to showtime. Inspired by real world "...
Posted by Chris Mysterion on Wednesday, 3 August 2016

Peter Mennie answers the question: "Why are you a magician?

From Abrakidabra:

This night there was only one possible helper nearby so I approached. She was really shy and wouldn’t give me her name. Her sister did and after a bit of conversation I was able to get her up front. She didn’t want to sit on the stool initially but with my help, she got comfortable. She is 4.

As you saw, this routine is a bit animated and sometimes young helpers won’t open up and relax to have fun. this was my worry here because she was REALLY shy.

Read more.

Toronto: Magic, mystery, and mayhem

From James Alan's Facebook page:
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I'll be part of a special one-night only show Saturday, August 20 at the The Social Capital Theatre with the hilariously...
Posted by James Alan on Thursday, 4 August 2016