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Close-Up Competition 1

Wednesday was the first morning of the close-up competition which would see around a total of fifty acts. I will try and give a brief description from my notes for each act, which might just consist of a list of tricks, and keep it short and to the point, also I will use the same format for each contestant, listing the name, category and country.

Pierric, Micro Magic, Switzerland - COins through table using a supposed trapdoor in the table that then healed up. Modelling Clay changed to a bank note when rolled on a tray. Cups and Balls where for the climax the balls and then one of the cups disintegrated to sand.

Ariston, Card Magic/Invention, Argentina - Demonstrated several marked decks, using optical illusions and raised markings, also an idea for a rising card using a stripper deck. Any card named appeared under his mat, using a clever index idea.

Shawn Farquhar, Micro Magic, Canada - A brand new pack of cards was opened, a card chosen and signed, the deck then resealed itself with the signed card ending up inside. Cups and Balls routine with the final climax of the cups turning into solid metal slugs.

Fender, Card Magic, Italy - Printing Deck, Rollover Aces, Call to the Colours, Colour Changing Deck.

Robert Blake, Micro Magic, Netherlands - Cigarette Manip. Swallow Cigarette, Card Spinning to catch two cards in the deck, between which was the selection.

Johan Hendriks, Parlour/Invention, Netherlands - This was a really clever act using a robot head and an LCD scrolling display, which scrolled a count down from 30 and various things happened to the numbers when the Magician touched them, they changed colour, parts of them vanished and he physically changed some of the numbers with a laser pen.

Tony Price, Card Magic, Belgium - Haunted Deck routine set to music.

Magomigue, Card Magic, Spain - Named Card on Table, Cards in Drinking Glasses changed to Queens, Twisted back to the indifferent selections and for a kicker all the deck changed to Queens and then Blank cards.

Peti, Micro Magic, Hungary - Mouth Organ to Silk, Coins to Purse Frame, All Backs routine, Kings to Aces, Colour Changing Deck, Haunted Deck and Jumbo Coin Flurry.
Inaki, Card Magic, Argentina - Two Cards change to the Four Kings, Four Coin production, Poker Deal with Aces to any hand, Any Poker Hand Called For, Blank Deck Kicker and Money Production.

Nicholas Einhorn, Micro Magic, England - Theme of Choice to select tricks, first choice was for Oil and Water, production of real bottle of Oil and Water, Beach Ball into the Audience to decide next effects, Multiple Selection routine, Matrix, Signed Card into Water Bottle.

Yoshio Kithara, Card Magic, Japan - Four Ace production, Cards back to NDO, Signed Cards face up in Triumphed Deck.

Emiel Lensen, Micro Magic, Netherlands - Bottle and Glass production, Four Ace production, Full Deck production, Multiple Selection routine, supposedly memorised the order to find the cards, one card rose from the deck all the way to his hand, ala Kennedy, and the cards ended up going back to the box.

Wilhelm Beetz, Micro Magic, Germany - Came on dressed as an old style German Policeman, Vanishing Whistle, Hot Book, C&R audience members ID Papers, Phone and Jumbo Flag production.

Pedro Lacerda, Card Magic, Portugal - Two signed cards change colour, Three Card Monte, Card to Pocket, Harris Bizzare Twist, Ambitious Card, Rising Card, Signed Card Torn, restore corner and the rest of the deck now has no corners on one edge.

Cristian Engblom, Card Magic, Finland - Invisible Palm where cards visually appeared on the empty mat. Two signed cards vanished, one appeared buttoned into his shirt pocket, one in his back pocket, then for the climax he showed he didn't have a back pocket, and didn't even have a shirt pocket!

Xu, Micro Magic, China - Benson Bowl type Routine, Ball vanish and reproduction, production of red rice from the bowls, bowl under the cloth vanishes, visual reproduction of dragging it up through the table and showing it to now be full of fish, and splitting it into two bowls.

Lecture - Jean Pierre Vallarino

Jean Pierre took us through a whirlwind of card ideas, in pretty bad conditions, with no video screen it was pretty difficult to follow the work on the table top, the lecture was repeated later in the week where there were the proper facilities.

He started by showing us a signed card to envelope, a number of four of a kind productions including a very nice spinout move, and a neat idea for a ribbon spread sandwich production, where the packet leaps up in mid-air and seems to collect the selection on the way.

He had an unusual approach to the Matrix concept, using only one card and vanishing one coin at a time in the hand. Also he showed us his approach to the 3Fly plot.

Next was his Dream Wonder routine which is in the similar vein of Hamman's Signed Card or any of the other Dream Card concepts, Jean Pierre's using blank cards with another really visual vanish of the signed selection, which turned out to be the mystery card which had been placed on the table at the outset.

He next described what he said was a version of Reset, but in my mind it was just a straight eight card transposition of four Queens and four Aces, without any Reset kicker.

A marketed Wallet prediction effect, gave you a good way for obtaining the necessary prediction for a multiple-out routine.

Jean Pierre had his own take on the 'guess where the object is' routine popularised recently with Charles Gauci's Eye-to-Eye, in this routine you used a small Buddah statue which was hidden under any one of a number of coffee cups, and the performer succesfully guesses which one.

Finally he demonstrated his Magic Wrist prop which allowed for some visual vanishes similar in effect to The Raven.

Lecture - John Carney

John started off with a short set of magic, consisting of Coins to Glass, Cigar from Purse, Cards to Sleeve (with a wonderful touch of a visual card across the body!) and the Ramsay Coins and Cylinder.

John then explained these effects, but more than that he imparted his careful thinking and knowledge behind each routine and move. The emphasis was very much on giving a reason for every move to happen and making the Magic look natural and relaxed, even though you have to practice looking relaxed!

A brilliant lecture by a man who clearly cares passionatley about Magic and what he performs, it certainly showed that he was the definition of the true professional.

Gala 1

Rafael opened the first Gala with a set theatrical piece, where he appeared as a Huchback character. He produced a Woman who he sat on a sofa, and proceded to visually split in half, with hardly any cover. He then ended up in a Mangle machine at the mercy of his master, and finally he was restored along with the Girl.

Tim Ellis and Sue Ann Webster performed their hilarious Six Card Rap, which is as the name implies, the Six Card Repeat set to Rap Music!

Jonas Zeller performed amazing feats with his Diablo.

Amos Levkovitch performed just a short piece from his dove act, having had his birds sent back to the USA due to strict import rules. He was followed with Yumi who had some beautiful flower manipulations.

Wayne Dobson got a standing ovation for his performance of COlin Rose's Teach-a-Trick routine, along with his brilliant human vent.

Love and Magic had obviously bought the world supply of feather dusters and spring flowers, not really my cup-of-tea but a nicely themed act I suppose!

And to close the show were Scott the Magician and Miss Muriel, who performed their award winning act, which basically consists of Sawing in Half and the vanish and production of Miss Muriel in the audience, but is so much more than that incorporating lots of comedy and funny business.

MC'ing the show were the Napoleons from Japan, who are a funny, almost silent duo who performed their compere items of Ball Manipulation, Card Throwing and a big 'vanishing' inflatable elephant to music.

Bar Magic + Dutch Magic: Open Stage

Wednesday closed with more Bar Magic, and the Open Stage night, which saw Jay Sankey and Richard Sanders as the stars, doing their usual highly comical routines, and various people brave enough to get up and do a turn, including some nicely routined manipulation, a Kids routine, Balloon Modelling, a Bizzare magic act, and a strange Dutch magician who had one of our party on stage with Oranges on his eyes, whilst the Magician was blindfolded and he then proceded to try and stab these Oranges, which he did sucessfully. This Magician also close the show by putting a Condom over his head and blowing it up...!