Magic Mike Segal can barely contain his glee. It is post-lunch announcements
at Sorcerers' Safari magic camp, and Segal, the camp's affable director, has
good news for his campers. A morning meeting with the owner of Camp White Pine
in Haliburton, Ont., has resulted in an agreement to let Segal rent the
facility, this current site, for at least two more years, during his preferred
week.
Since the camp's inception in 1998, it's operated from a different facility,
but Segal, a former camper and head of drama at respected White Pine, has always
wanted to return to his roots. At White Pine, he's confident he can work some
magic on Sorcerers' Safari and take it to the next level.
The camp is already a pretty magical experience. Sorcerers' Safari began as
all good things do, from an idea with heart. "I'd had the idea for a long time,"
says Segal, a Toronto-based magician who has been performing for more than two
decades. "A good friend convinced me to get a bank loan and get it going." That
year, 1997, the program was for day campers only, and there were few of them.
Then in 1998, ten eager magic enthusiasts joined Mike, his wife Jen and a few
keen staffers, among them Al Grose, police officer by day and then fledgling
magician by night, and his wife, Lynda. The Groses were like many magic
enthusiasts whom Segal met who loved the idea of a magic camp. The only
difference was they called him back. "We had a couple of meetings after the
initial one, and they both jumped in and became invaluable members of the team,"
says Segal.
Just five years later, in 2002, the group grew to 150 campers, 15 counsellors
and a roster of 30 instructors and special guests including Texas magician and
IBM Gold Cup winner Oscar Munoz, Florida's Lee Asher, FISM champion Greg Frewin
and Toronto-based Glenn Ottaway. Segal is quick to credit the support of the
magic community for the camp's success. "I'm amazed that people are willing to
do it. It's more than the sum of its parts. It wouldn't be what it is without
everyone's help."
Last summer, factors such as the weak U.S. economy, SARS, West Nile virus and
having to run the camp on a different week than usual contributed to lower
numbers (100 campers), though no less a spectacular list of special guests,
including one of Canada's top illusionists, Murray Hatfield. But with the
preferred week and a new site established, Segal is confident his numbers will
bump back up next year. "It used to be we started planning for the camp in
March, then it was January, and now it's almost as soon as it's over. In
December we started lining up guests for next year."
Sorcerers' Safari offers one week of intensive magic training for boys and
girls aged ten to 20. Campers are roughly three-quarters male, but the girls
enjoy the camp just as much. Campers begin each day in Cards – an hour of tricks
and shuffling techniques that form the foundation for many young magicians. Then
they move through four other activity blocks per day: two based around magic,
and other electives such as juggling, doves, dancing canes or linking rings; the
other two sessions are spent doing more traditional camp activities such as
swimming, canoeing or cooperative games, though small groups of campers can
often be seen on the docks poring over card tricks with an instructor rather
than paddling or splashing about. Masterclasses in subjects such as restaurant
magic, performance techniques and turning magic into a money-making business end
each day.
The highlight of the camp, for campers and staff alike, are the evening
performances. Each night is capped with a variety show that rivals that of most
major cruise lines. The camp recruits special guests, as well as its own
instructors, to grace the stage. And at White Pine, it's quite a stage with a
full sound and lighting system.
The mix of activities forms a perfect balance say Kaitlyn Nightingale, 10,
and Samantha Corriero, 9, friends from Newmarket, Ont., who came to the camp
together. "I had learned some magic before," says Corriero, "but hadn't really
remembered much. We both wanted to learn." In chimes Nightingale: "And we heard
there as a magic show at the end of the week." Both girls said they were going
to ask to come back next summer.
In between sessions and meals, campers are free to mingle with performers who
are, in many cases, their idols. They gather in clusters to show them their
tricks slouched in Adirondack chairs (known as Muskoka chairs in these parts)
outside the dining hall, or along the wooded trails in sort of magic "jam
sessions." The atmosphere is friendly, supportive and remarkably inclusive.
It's largely due to the camp environment, says Segal. On the quiet shores of
the aptly named Lake Placid, time seems to stand still. With everyone sleeping
in cabins, eating together in a camp lodge, a true camp spirit is forged. "At
camp, everyone is an equal," says Segal, repeating the oft-heard staff motto:
check your egos at the front gate. "In the magic world, where everybody has such
strong personalities, that's a major feat. Nobody has any special privileges,
from the FISM champ to the local birthday party guy. If we were at a convention,
the magicians wouldn't really drop the facade, they'd leave, they wouldn't be
social."
Loran, a Quebecois magician who has been to the camp four times as a special
guest, agrees. "The atmosphere around a bonfire, watching the moon in the sky
and talking magic is certainly not the same as doing it at a hotel at a magic
convention," he says. "Sharing opinions in that kind of relaxing setting, opens
conversation that we would not have otherwise. We are all here for the love of
our arts, but also for the friend's connection that becomes stronger year after
year."
Calgary-based Murray Hatfield often showcases Sorcerers' Safari campers on
his cross-country tour, and finally had the chance to come to the camp this past
summer. "From the moment I landed, it was a magical experience," he says. "It
combined the best of summer camp and a mini magic convention with hands-on,
one-on-one training from some exceptional magicians. I can't even begin to guess
what it would be like being a brand new magician, 10 or 12 years old, and to
have access to someone like Lee Asher or Aaron Fisher or Dan Harlan or Nate
Kranzo. The benefits are too numerous to count."
Segal likes to think of it as a performing arts camp, with magic being just
another outlet for the stage. "The scope of instruction at the camp is toward
performance," he explains. "If all a kid wants is to learn secrets they can do
that on their own. But we really teach campers how to present magic. That's what
you can't get from books."
Many of the staff at the camp see other benefits to teaching children magic.
"Magic teaches you how to talk to people, communicate with people like any of
the performing arts, but with a more artistic approach," says Aaron Fisher, 27,
a professional magician originally from Washington, D.C., but now living in Los
Angeles. "It gives the same feeling that an instrument or sport can, in that it
helps you get control over your body. To practice and get mastery over something
you like is rewarding." Fisher accepted the invitation to attend the camp as a
special guest this past summer because he missed the camp experience from his
youth, and says he saw a lot of campers that reminded him of his younger self.
"But here they learn magic in the right way. They are set up to succeed."
Dan McLean Jr., a 43-year-old musician from Toronto and self-confessed magic
enthusiast who returned for his second summer to work as a counselor says "The
camp lets them work on a skill that will let kids get the attention they want
without resorting to negative behavior. It's not like, say, playing the piano.
Magic makes people think, laugh and be amazed. They learn to express themselves
and get reactions they want. Kids are always being told what to do, what not to
do. Magic is a form of control."
Pandora Sanguine, 25, a professional entertainer based in Hollywood, Calif.,
agrees. "I would have loved something like this growing up," she says. "I didn't
get the attention I needed." Sanguine made the trek up to Ontario for her second
year as a special guest. "I wouldn't miss it," she gushes. "I come mainly to see
the kids. I love seeing how they come in not knowing very much, then seeing what
they're learned. They're in their element." Sanguine, whose fire-eating and
linking rings routines are imbued with her elegant natural dance, says the camp
is a great getaway for her and she also learns a little about herself too.
Sanguine arrived with her partner, Dan Harlan, 38, a professional magician
originally from Ohio, who returned for his third year. "I come back because I
feel it's important to help others once you've reached a level of prominence,
and I've reached a lot of my dreams," says Harlan. "A lot of families don't
understand when their kids want to do magic and this community provides a lot of
support."
Morgan Bondett, 26, has worked at the camp as an instructor for a few years
and is grateful for the influence it's had on him. He summed up his impression
of his camp experience at the Opening Night show, where staffers each did a
couple of minutes on stage. Instead of performing a bit, Bondett thanked the
camp staff. "The camp has not only improved my magic, but it's also improved me
as a person," he told the enraptured audience. "As the saying goes, you can't
soar with the eagles if you're among turkeys. Suffice to say there's not a
single turkey at this camp."
The end of the week is marked with an afternoon and evening showcase of
camper performances. Each show has 50 slots for camper performances of two
minutes apiece, and both line-ups are full. On this afternoon, the Pinetages
theatre, a spectacular facility by camp standards if not by any standard, is
humming with activity. Campers are rounding up their props and summoning up
their courage. Pandora Sanguine is in the sound booth helping kids run through
their music cues.
"I think this is awesome," says Steve Kline, a magician from Columbus, Ohio,
who returned for his third summer as a special guest. "The underlying theme is
the kids. There was nothing like this when I was young. I was totally
self-taught. But the camp gives these kids an edge. It makes them more secure in
a larger crowd." Kline, who regularly travels through Asia with a slick stage
show, seems just as comfortable sporting army-style shorts and a whistle round
his neck. "To watch those kids on stage is unbelievable. First, they're
petrified, then they relax. They are developing character and come up with the
creative process."
Luke Farley, a 17-year-old camper from Peterborough, Ont., is trying out a
trick on Loran. "It's such a thrill to see some of my idols perform the same
tricks that I do," Farley had said a few days into the camp week. Now Loran is
giving Farley valuable advice on his timing and presentation.
Farley's camp experience has confirmed that magic is a hobby he will stay
with, and indeed a profession he may pursue. "I did occasional birthday parties
before but I wasn't sure if magic was for me," said Farley. "Then I heard about
the camp, and because of my experience here I chose to stay in magic. Before
coming to the camp I had no access to this kind of environment."
For Segal, the real magic happens when you see the change in the campers.
"They get confidence in who they are and what they can do. They discover
friendship and respect. They learn that it's good to express themselves but also
that everybody has a voice. They realize that with a little bit of work and
effort, they can accomplish things they thought were impossible to do. These are
tools that they will need for their entire lives."
It's 4:30 and the stage is set for the first of the two camper performances.
The non-performing campers are led in and excitedly take their seats. Magic Mike
finds centre stage and welcomes the audience, clearly excited at the culmination
of a week of planning and preparation.
Performers hailing from all over Canada and the United States move through
their acts quickly, displaying card tricks, dancing cane routines and even a
couple of mentalist acts. Some border on painful, others border on brilliant,
but one thing is constant – the campers are comfortable in front of this warm
audience of their peers and so, are allowed to shine.
If you'd like more information about this exceptional experience (for both
counselors and campers) check out the web site or email:
www.Sorcerers-Safari.com
Director@Sorcerers-Safari.com
You can also call 416-322-1442.
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