Toronto: Saving Second Base

From the Abracadabaret website:

Saturday, July 16: 
Saving Second Base presents a special fundraiser for Women’s Cancers at the Thirsty Fox (Bathurst & Eglinton). See live magic featuring James Alan.

For more information visit Abracadabaret.com

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. 

Read more.

To purchase tickets or for more information visit MagicInVictoria.com

Calgary: A Brush With Death (now with bunny rabbits)

From Yeats Wong:

Brush With Death... And Bunny Rabbits:  Every show has been sold out at Calgary's only adult bizarre magic show; featuring an evening of morbid mentalism, macabre magic, and comedy mayhem.  Each show is hosted by Yeats Wong, as he explores inner fears, phobias, and perhaps awaken forces better left in peace.  The July show has headliner Michael Berends and a feature performance by Gwyn Auger.

Read what Metro News in Calgary has to say about the show.

According to their website, the July 14th show is sold out and they've added another show on Monday July 18th due to popular demand.

Visit BrushWithDeath.ca for more information or to purchase tickets.

Nicholas Wallace: The mind reader

Nicholas Wallace will be bringing his show "The mind reader" to the Hamilton Fringe Festival this month.

From the show's Facebook page:

No fancy props, no scantily clad assistants and no special effects, just bamboozling feats of magic and mind reading. Not a serious show, but a serious attempt to present magic and mind reading as a performance art. All these elements combined create a show that is mysterious, challenging and most importantly, entertaining.

NAMED “BEST IN FRINGE” TWO YEARS IN A ROW BY THE HAMILTON FRINGE FESTIVAL.
NAMED “PATRONS PICK” AT THE 2010 LONDON FRINGE FESTIVAL

Ticket information available at http://www.hamiltonfringe.ca/

[h/t: Deborah Fallick]

Ring 66: executive for 2011-12

The executive of Calgary's Ring 66 (Calgary Magic Circle, Les Brocklesby Ring) for 2011-12:

• President:  Rob Vanden Heuvel
• Vice President:  Malcolm Russell
• Past President:  Ryan Pilling
• Treasurer:  Ruben Franise
• Sargeant at Arms:  Yeats Wong
• Secretary:  Ryan Sanderson
• Member at Large:  Charles Silbernagel

The Calgary club is in for a great year ahead!

CAM/PCAM Combined Convention updates

From the CAM PCAM Facebook page:

• John Kaplan added to the talent line up
• FREE event to show community spirit

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!

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!

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.

[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!

--

* This post is copyright © Ariel Frailich and is published with permission.  Please contact Ariel directly to work out terms and conditions for republishing.

CAM/PCAM Combined Convention: tickets on sale now

Adapted from the CAM PCAM Facebook page:

Tickets for the public shows of the MAGIC convention are now on sale!  Tickets are just $20 and you can get them online at MagcianConbention.com.

What are you waiting for?  Buy your tickets now!  You just can't beat the $20 ticket price to watch the talent lined up for these shows!

Shawn Farquhar: FISM North America / SAM 2011

Shawn Farquhar will be performing at the SAM convention in Pittsburgh, PA which runs from July 13 to 16, 2011.  Also taking place at SAM 2011 is the first FISM North American Championships!  Good luck to the competitors!

For more information about convention, visit the SAM website.



[h/t: Northern Sleights]

Sorcerers Safari 2011 special guest announced!

From the Sorcerers Safari website:

Toronto, Ontario. – July 3rd, 2011 EST

Amidst rampant magic forum speculation, Sorcerers Safari Summer Magic Camp announced it is bringing in the hip American coin virtuoso as the special guest at Magic Camp this summer.

With several best selling DVDs, a cover of SAM’s magazine and a ton of great unpublished ideas – Eric Jones has lots to offer the campers. Eric Jones is famous for his interviews on REEL MAGIC, he’s also known for teaching beginner coin handlings on METAL and AUDIO DVDs which have received international acclaim. Now imagine what it would be like to spend a camp session with this guy?!?   Read more...

CAM: Welcome Shawn!

This summer the Canadian Association of Magicians (CAM) welcomes Shawn Farquhar as its new president. 

A bit about Shawn (adapted from magiChampion.com):

CAM voted Shawn Magician of the Year in 2003 and 2010, the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians awarded him the Grand Prix d'Honneur, the International Brotherhood of Magicians awarded him both Stage Magician and Sleight of Hand Magician of the Year, (he is the only magician in history to win both world championships) and in 2009 the Olympics of Magic in Beijing, China awarded him the highest award in magic, the Grand Prix World Champion of magic!

Best wishes in your new role, Shawn!

CAM: Thank you Joan!

I was reminded by Jon and Susan in last month's Northern Sleights that this summer marks the first time in the history of the Canadian Association of Magicians (CAM), that Joan Caesar will not be the president.  Joan founded CAM on March 15, 1997 to allow Canada the opportunity to apply for membership to FISM.  In the year 2000, CAM was accepted as a FISM member and Canadian magicians could, for the first time, compete under the Canadian banner at FISM's World Championship of Magic.

Since 1997, Joan has lead the charge for 6 national conventions, been International President of IBM (2008-9) and kept a watchful eye on the publication of over 100 issues of Northern Peeks and Northern Sleights.

Thank you Joan, for all of the blood, sweat and tears that you have invested in this wonderful national association for over 14 years!

Links for 1-July-2011

• From Aaron Jones:
  - Stupid Magic Stories #1: You cut my THUMB!
  - Stupid Magic Stories #2:  What language is this supposed to be in?
   
• From Browser's Den of Magic:
  - Magic Show at Magic Club:  Saturday-July 2  including four customers, including Ariel Frailich!
   
• From the Magic Newswire:
  - Vernon fools Houdini - The Daily (The Daily article is Hand of Fate - Card trick that stumped the great harry Houdini)
  - Natural Magick photo essay
  - Vodavil photo essay
   
• From Evelyn Matlin at Perfect Magic:
  - This is just a regular deck of cards!
  - Magic for beginners and children's magic
   
• From Ryan Pilling at Playing Big:
  - The sum total of your choices
  - Define yourself
  - Walking a mile in his shoes
  - 5 rules for choosing music for your magic show
  - Royalties and legally using music in your show 
   
• From Sharing Wonder:
  - Luminato and My Magic Hands
  - Natural Magick
  - Vodavil
  - Magical Medicine
   
• From Shawn Farquhar:
  - June 7 Vlog on YouTube
   
• From Andrew Musgrave at Ye Olde Magick Blogge:
  - in June, Andrew spent time talking about character.  Here's the post that started it.
  - Andrew's starting on a Pet Peeves month for July -- can't wait!
   
• Lecleric Show episodes on YouTube (I haven't been able to keep up with viewing, but here are links to the last month's videos):
  151. The Shout Out Video - Day 151 of 365
  152. Amazing Telekinesis! - Day 152 of 365
  153. Bending the Real - Day 153 of 365
  154. Crazy Spray Paint Magic Trick - Day 154
  155. Magical Perrier Bottle - Day 155 of 365
  156. The Floating DVD - Day 156 of 365
  157. Rubber Band Finds Card - DAY 157 of 365
  158. Impossible Card Trick on live TV - DAY 158
  159. CHEO Telethon Magic - DAY 159 of 365
  160. Balls from Mouth - Day 160 of 365
  161. Ekaterina - Day 161 of 365
  162. Vincent C: The Badboy of Magic - Day 162 of 365
  163. Magic in your hand! - Day 163 of 365
  164. Easy and Amazing Card trick Explained! - Day 164 of 365
  165. Controlling a girl's thoughts - Day 165 of 365 
  166. Vanishing Cards - Day 166 of 365
  167. Mr. Prege - Day 167 of 365
  168. Disappearing Water - Day 168 of 365
  169. Cwiss Angel - Day 169 of 365
  170. Rocky Raccoon: Freaking people out on the streets! - Day 170 of 365
  171. NEW: SCR Magic Trick!!
  172. The Acrobatic Matchbox - DAY 172
  173. David Stone 'THE TOOL' Revealed!
  174. iPhone Memory Lane - Day 174 of 365
  175. Funky Floating Furniture - Day 175
  176. Coin Penetration - Day 176 of 365
  177. June Day Off - Day 177 of 365
  178. Kid Assaults Magician - DAY 178 of 365
  179. Insane Mental Calculations!
  180. Shoe Drinking - Day 180 of 365
  181. Floating Light - Day 181 of 365

Ring 17: executive for 2011-12

The executive of Toronto's Sid Lorraine Hat & Rabbit Club, IBM Ring 17 for 2011-12:

• President: James Alan
• 1^st Vice President: Dr. Sammy Jakubowicz
• 2^nd Vice President: Deborah Fallick
• Secretary: Rylan Cardoso
• Treasurer: Andrew Goss
• Past President: Robert Taylor

I can't wait to see what's in store for the club next season!

Ariel Frailich: I Saw That!

Ariel Frailich has relaunched his website I Saw That! Exclusive Magic which in addition to the old content now includes a companion blog titled "I wrote that!".  Ariel sells books authored by himself (and others such as Mark Lewis) as well as selling his own tricks. Keep up with IST! on Facebook and Twitter.  Or go the site and subscribe by RSS or e-mail.

Be sure to tell him that Canada's Magic sent you!