It would be safe to say John Sturk performed as well as you would expect from a young man new to magic.
It would be safe, but not true. The truth: Mr. Sturk performed with a sense of professionalism far beyond his tenure in our craft. Actually, we may have seen one of the next big names in magic perform in the Open-Mike session at John Luka’s Ninth Annual Motor City Close-Up Convention.
The young man was introduced with a short but impressive resume including a People’s Choice Award and First Place in the Close-Up Competition at last summer’s Magic Week festivities in Colon, Michigan.
We knew of Mr. Sturk from his seminal work in the formation of Michigan State University’s Magic Club. In fact, we’ve featured stories about Mr. Sturk and the club frequently in the virtual pages of Quinlan’s Inside Magic. So, we were pre-disposed to find his act enjoyable. We were ready to excuse his likely nervousness performing for so many hardened and molting professionals.
Sure, it was irritating that he referred to the author of this article as Mr. Quinlan and thus emphasized the obvious differences in age, vitality, hope, dreams, ambitions, debt. One day he too will be as we are now and some young whipper-snapper will refer to him in the same manner and we’ll see how he likes being called, “Mr. Quinlan.”
So you have the set-up. We’re ready to give the youngster a break and write nice things to encourage him.
He did not need our pity or false encouragement. In fact, he was so good we were tempted to trash him, suggest he had stolen the routines of masters, performed with vulgarities that caused Gazzo to leave the room, was badly in need of a shower or at least a good going-over with one of those new disposable personal groomer/delouser’s we’ve put high on our gift list.
Mr. Sturk performed a daring and technically difficult rope routine flawlessly. His moves were great, his patter was smooth and well-rehearsed but not rote. His ability to play to the crowd was the most impressive aspect, however.
Although not evidenced in our own repertoire, we are convinced years of study and practice can give almost anyone the technical skills to perform most sleights. Enough practice in public speaking and mindless repetition of the same routine will make any patter seem smooth and perhaps eloquent.
We believe great performers are born, not made. You can either work a crowd or you can’t. No amount of practice or repetition will change a stiff into a truly great performer.
[Actually, we know this truth from our years on the convention and meeting circuits when we presented our lecture and vast collection of tapes, CD-ROMs, GAF Viewmaster Disks, and spiral-bound booklets for Great Magicians are Made, Not Born: Be the Best Performer Alive… Continue reading John Sturk: Great Performers are Born not Made
[Not too long ago, we covered a remarkable young woman who dedicates her considerable powers to charm and entertain for good, for others. The article, Princesses of Magic Work Wonders appeared on Today's Magic News and in the wildly popular Today's Magic Newsletter.
The story is one of the top-five articles viewed on any of our web sites.
Jocelyn Tingley and little sister Logan are known as The Princesses of Magic. The royal title was bestowed by none other than the heir-apparent to Siegfried & Roy's kingdom, Darren Romeo.
As is the case of all royalty worthy of admiration, these princesses use their noble position to help those in need.
Miss Tingley wrote to Kathleen Lakeland recently to tell of her upcoming projects and a special request for assistance. In addition to her well-publicized magic skills, Miss Tingley is an amazing writer. We publish her letter as she submitted it to Ms. Lakeland.
Please read her missive and consider helping in her praise-worthy mission to help children recover from devastating burns and injuries.
A friend of mine at school typed in my name on Google search and that is how I found out I am on the net. I read your article on me and my sister.
Thank you as my family, friends and I thought that was kinda cool. I was wondering if there is any way you and other magicians could help with my on going project.
I recently worked on Make A Difference Day Oct. 22 and taught magic to many and sent them out to nursing homes and hospitals and ill homebound patients to try and just make their day better and to try and help them forget heir pain and illness and procedures for awhile.
I hoped I could get more to help do that and also ran out of money buying sponge balls and other supplies to make tricks for them to give and teach the children in the hospitals.
Christmas is coming and before you know it Easter will follow. I have seen children just get better with the passion I have instilled for magic.
Burn patients must keep using their burnt hands and fingers for therapy in order to heal. I am still a kid myself and really need the help. I want to collect old videos, especially magic videos that teach these kids magic and any extra tricks that they could learn.
I will be going in June to a camp called Camp Ability for children that have survived burns to teach them magic. I was thinking if you…
The Philadelphia Inquirer features one of magic’s best in their coverage of the on-going dispute between Terrell Owens and his Philadelphia Eagles’ management.
The paper notes Mr. Bloch is a man of many talents in addition to that as a professional arbitrator.
The
man who will decide whether Terrell Owens is allowed to return to the
Eagles has put on pads himself as a hockey goalie. And traveled the
world on cruise ships.
And been on the cover of Genii magazine. And
been a wildly successful corporate speaker (among his topics:
“Calisthenics for Your Mind”). And written a couple of books. And told
Ricky Williams to write a check for $8.6 million.
No wonder Richard
Bloch’s business card, according to someone who has seen it, reads:
“Richard Bloch – Whatever I Damn Well Want to Do.”
Magician/Lawyer/Arbitrator/Writer
Mr. Bloch serve as arbitrator in one of the most important cases facing
the NFL this year. But to Mr. Bloch, it is just what he
does. Doing magic is what he loves.
To
live, he works as a master of ceremonies and magician. He is the host
of the annual International Brotherhood of Magicians stage contest. He
has taken his act to sea for Crystal Cruises and is a collector of
antique magic pieces.
“He’s terrific,” said Phil Willmarth, executive
editor of the Linking Ring, a monthly magazine dedicated to magic, and
the official journal of the magicians’ brotherhood.
“He’s got a
great sense of class,” Willmarth said by telephone. “He’s always
immaculately dressed. His timing is superb. He’s very creative. He can
perform anywhere. He might borrow somebody’s ring and wind up finding
it inside the prize in a gum-ball machine. He might try to find a card
and wind up interacting with it on a large-screen television.
“He’s
done a thing with an assistant where (the assistant) is trying to have
the bottle and the glass change place, but all he winds up doing is
getting more and more bottles, and he gets drunker and drunker while
Rich reads the directions.”
Magicians enjoy his work and
inventive nature. Athletes and sports teams select him as a fair
and knowledgeable arbitrator.
Even those who lose in front of Mr. Bloch praise his fairness.
Professor Long has been performing magic for more than 40 years and today considers himself to be a professional magician in addition to his work in academia.
The professor looks like both a professor and magician with his beard and serious looks. As an educator he offers several classes at the mid-western university including Animation I and II, Storyboard Techniques, Storyboard for Animation, Fencing I and II and Laughing Matters, a general studies course on the importance of laughter.
These offerings are in addition to his courses on the history of St. Louis 20 years prior to the Civil War. When possible and helpful, Professor Long uses his magic to assist his teaching.
“It’s useful when it can be applied to classes,” Long said.
He said his mini-performances especially seem to fit in with animation.
“Animation is all about magic and illusion,” Long said.
Long added it isn’t enough to perform a trick just to show cleverness.
Instead, his goal is to “create a magical moment for the audience.” He said he does this by using storylines, humor and having audience members participate in his act.
For example, Long gave a free show at a post-Halloween costume party Nov. 6. As the band took a 20-minute break, Long presented three illusions while in wizard attire dressed as Merlin’s older brother.
For one trick, Long planned to saw a woman in half using ropes instead of saws.
To make the presentation light-hearted and funny, Long said he used three audience members – one to rub a wooden spoon across a grater for the sawing sound, one to hold sponges in case any blood spilled on stage and one to stand by with scissors to cut the woman free if anything went awry.
The paper notes Professor Long “also enjoys a sub genre of magic called bizarre magic that let’s impossible things happen like a candle floating out of an audience member’s hand.”
“Bizarre magic invokes a feeling of the uncanny,” Long said.
Friends and family members often ask Long to perform at special events. He has been asked to present an act at a family reunion that has met regularly for over 100 years.
Headlining Las Vegas comedian and
magician Mac King, whose show is a favorite for parents and kids alike, has
created the official Mac King’s Magic in a Minute Suitcase-O-Magic, loaded
with gags and magic tricks that are simple and fun for kids and adults.
Mac King’s Magic in a Minute Suitcase-O-Magic features the look of King’s
real on-stage magic suitcase along with characters from his nationally
syndicated comic strip. It can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores
nationwide ($14.95) and on Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com).
“These are tricks that any kid can perform,” said Mac King. “I had a
great deal of fun putting this together for young aspiring magicians. The
Suitcase-O-Magic offers a rare opportunity to learn magic from a professional
magician.”
Mac King’s Magic in a Minute Suitcase-O-Magic offers more than 50 amazing
magic tricks, a 64-page book and a one-hour instructional DVD that features
King demonstrating and explaining many of the tricks.
Intended for kids eight
and older, the magic tricks are easy to learn while remaining challenging and
fun to watch.
King has been named Magician of the Year by The Magic Castle, a famed
organization of elite magicians based in Los Angeles, “Magician of the Year”
by Las Vegas Life 2005 and is a Guinness Book of World Records holder in 2004
for “The World Longest Game of Telephone.”
King, one of today’s brightest and
most talented magicians, performs The Mac King Comedy Magic Show twice daily,
Tuesday through Saturday, in Las Vegas at Harrah’s Las Vegas Casino & Hotel.
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