We know many of you are stressed out  from work and exams that is just round the corner. Come hang out with us on 3rd September at *SCAPE LAB.

Bring along some cards or some other effects that you are working on  to show us. No specific genre of magic, no pressure, just chill. See you there!

Come support our magic circle members from Ngee Ann polytechnic who are putting up a magic show in support of TOUCH Young Arrows, a VWO that helps needy children in the community. Aptly named Magic de Espoir, which means magic of hope, the students wants to share a message of hope through their magic. Come support them on 11 August @ LT 26, Ngee Ann polytechnic. Tickets are going for $12 a pop and all proceeds goes to TOUCH Young Arrows. Contact us at magiccircle@gateway-e.com NOW!

Priscilla, Gang and I had an eventful 1 week at the annual Qian Qian Shou (千牵手) (Thousand Linking Hands) in collaboration with TOUCH Community Services International, to share the spirit of volunteerism, promote cultural exchange and bilingualism amongst the youths from both Singapore and China.

Residing at the newly built school located at the outskirts of Dijiangyan (都江堰), You Ai School （友爱学校）is well acclaimed as a fully facilitated and one of the forerunners in the education for the physically handicapped. The town of Dujiangyan, though was one of the most devastated areas affected by the 2008 earthquake, 2 years of impressive rebuilding works have turned this town (about the size of Singapore) into a land of greens and high-rise buildings with almost no trace of the destruction.

Upon 5 days of Service-Learning camp weaved with Project SMILE training, students were gearing up for their final task, the community engagement. 120 youths from Singapore and different parts of China, namely Shanghai, Sichuan, Xian, Dujiangyan, had one common goal which was to bring smiles to the communities of 8 different service points for profile ranging from children to elderly and earthquake victims.

For the past 5 years, Project SMILE in Qian Qian Shou has been a tool to empower young people with a skill, to bridge and connect, to engage and enrich. Students without prior experience in performing gained confidence in public speaking, to many was their first time participating in such community outreach, these are few of the many stories we encounter. I am grateful to be part of this process of youth development through magic beyond the boundaries of Singapore.

Another highlight of our trip, was certainly the challenging yet exciting and meaningful show put up by Priscilla at Xingfu Sheltered homes (幸福家园安置点), which accommodates up to 1700 families. Despite the weather; our enthusiastic audience comprised the young and the old, braved the rain with their colourful umbrellas on stools brought from their homes. The makeshift stage has wings made up of cupboards, chairs and canvas.  It was indeed sight to behold. Applauds and laughters filled the air as our youth volunteers kicked off the 45-min show with their creative magic parody of a Chinese classic, “Journey to the West”, followed by Priscilla’s finale magic show. The two full days of sleepless preparation, frenzy outdoor stage set up, house to house visiting for show publicity were all efforts worthwhile.

During the closing ceremony of this 1-week friendship camp, with linking hands and hearts, the tear-jerking classic theme song “手牵手”was sung once more. Dreams and aspirations written on coloured papers, folded into paper aeroplanes flew across the hall as a symbolism that the end of the camp marks a new beginning for each to pursue their goals. Their tagline, “一个终点，也是一个新的起点” (ie. an end, also a new beginning), I believe, was the seed that Qian Qian Shou has sown in the hearts of all the youths.

In all, am so thankful for great Chinese friends and great spicy steamboat (四川火锅) and great little panda toys as souvenirs! Sichuan, a place I will come again. Long Live Qian Qian Shou!

Hey people! Prepare your best mentalism and freaky effects for Freaky Friday@GE hideout (aka our office) on 13 Aug, 7:30pm! Experience a night of frighteningly good magic!

RSVP magiccircle@gateway-e.com by 11 Aug, strictly for members only.

Be amazed by Jeremy Pei and guest magicians Avery Chin and Shoot Ogawa in a night of magic and wonder at the Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel on 18 Sept, 7:30pm. Get your tickets by 1 Aug to enjoy early bird specials! Brought to you by Redefine Magic. The Dream – The night where dreams come true.

True Friendship is like a Rabbit in a Hat – it always makes you smile.

- Anonymous

Bring-a-friend night saw more than 50 members and friends attending Magic Circle of Lawrence & Priscilla first-ever “open-house” event. I was especially excited to see so many new faces as well as long time MC members whom I have not seen for a while. Indeed, it was a night of catching up with friends, both old and new.

The night opened with a refreshing emcee duo in Daisy and Daniel Gan, who showed us how people from different professions shake hands and greet one another. Daryl Ong, the youngest performer of the night took the stage first and wowed the audience with his card manipulation routine which he has been honing for the past few months under the guidance of Mark Parker, our in-house magic consultant. Although he started shaky initially (stage fright!), he pulled off a credible performance and won a strong applause from the friendly crowd. It was especially encouraging for me to see young magicians like Daryl rising up.

Up next was Edward Ooi with his signature comedy tabary rope routine. His act was a crowd pleaser, as evident from the peals of laughter in the audience. Edward’s highly entertaining mandarin act resonated especially with the heartlander in me and I am glad there are magicians like him among our midst who can speak to different crowds.

Eugene Lim spooked the crowd with his mind-blowing gypsy thread routine which he finished off by manipulating the thread through his facial cavities from the mouth to his eye. Luckily he came out unscathed, much to the relief of everyone.

Daniel Choy later showed off his card control skills in 10 exact cuts, a Henry Evan’s award winning routine that was made popular in asia by Lu Chen. Marvin Heng followed up with an impossible torn and restored card routine, which bewildered the audience much.

The night climaxed with professional acts by Lawrence and Priscilla, where they wowed the crowd with signature acts such as Priscilla’s parasol routine and Lawrence’s favorite color changing silk routine. Priscilla even levitated a member of the audience in a mind-boggling illusion!

It was certainly a fun-filled night as many friendships were forged and new ideas in magic exchanged  among the newfound friends and members of MC.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVcyi_S0lKs

Hey everyone !  Here’s a shout out to all the Magic Circle members who came and made the opening of *scape a truly Magical one !

Thank you !

This book is different, please do not expect to learn new tricks in this book. However be prepared to rethink your routines and the very philosophy of your magic. Some of the concepts taught are not new, however they are most crucial in every magical performance. This book was first published in 1945, and 65 years later, these gems of knowledge still apply to every magician.

This books is a real treasure as it goes through some relevant topics like, ‘Real Secrets of Magic’, ‘Psychological Expediments’ and ‘Suggestion and Inducement’ just to name a few. Personally I have learning magic for the past 8 years, and manuals after manuals, tricks after tricks have been purchased, but it was not until this year that I actually read a book on magical thoughts, and I find the last 8 years of magic a waste.

I’m gonna be going through some of the quotes that really has got me thinking. So if you would like to improve your magic, click the read more button below. Otherwise, it’ll not be too late to click that button with an X on top of this window.

“There is only one kind of magician. To be a Magician, skill is necessary. Without skills he is just a plain, self-deluded, ego-centric duffer, with a capital D.”

This is a very interesting thought. In recent years, magic has been having a greater exposure to the general public, and with the internet and the file sharing, one is able to get instant downloads from magic websites within minutes. With secrets and ‘Tricks’so easily available, some magicians forget that behind ‘Simple’ effects like the Paperball over head do require practice and skill. Behind every great magician, there is practice. This is something that Mark has been drilling into our craniums since day 1. The last time I checked the definition of Magician, here was what it showed “an entertainer who is skilled in producing illusion by sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.; conjurer.”

“Magic consists in creating, by misdirection of the senses, the mental impressions of a supernatural agency at work”

This mental impressions refer to something that exist in the mind as an idea caused by something external. Therefore it is important that the performer is not just another person who comes up on stage with a mindless display of skill and a collection of props for showcase. If magic is really magical, the magician should be acting as the effect requires. Take for example this performance by Cardini.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=38nbBGKbyeI

Cardini is a extremely skillful magician. However what is most amazing of this entire performance is the theatrics premise of this effect. How Cardini is constantly being pestered by this bothersome deck of cards and how he is suddenly smoking more than he should be. This is a stark contrast from a display of skills of being able to pluck cards magically out the air. If the magic is indeed magical, the magician has to look the part. Notice  how he reacts when the cards reappears on his hands ? If an entire stack of $1000 bills were truly able to appear on your fingertips, would you just shrug it off and drop it to the floor like a common piece of trash ? Surely you will be happier with the magical money that has just appeared. Likewise, the magician has to act and believe with conviction that the magic is REALLY happening.
Please don’t get me wrong, card manipulation requires skill, however we need to remember that magic at its very essence has to entertain and acting is a very integral part of magic.

There are so much more things about this book, so if you would like to order this book to improve your magic, drop an email to magicshop@gateway-e.com .

Heyyy! A shout out to all my friends from the Magic Circle. Some of you have been asking how your friends can join Project SMILE and Magic Circle. Well here is the opportune time. On the 27 July and 3 August, we are holding a Project SMILE magic class which is open to the public. Do pull your friends to join the upcoming Project SMILE class!

For those who recommend and have friends who sign up for a Project SMILE class, you will receive a 5% off next purchase on Murphy’s website via the Magic Circle. And the new participants (i.e. friends of Magic Circle referred) will receive special rates when they sign up for Project SMILE Open Class!

What are you waiting for?! Spread the word around and get your friends to sign up!

*scape launched their newly built youth building at the heart of town with much fanfare and festivities on 19-20 June. It was also an explosive weekend for us, where more than 20 magicians and volunteers mingled and performed closeup magic with thousands of shoppers and youths there.

It was a night to remember, starting with stage performances by stellar magicians such as Sherman Tang, Danny Koh and our very own, Priscilla Khong, Kai and Eugene Lim. They entertained and wowed the audience, both young and old with their engaging acts such as doves production, straitjacket escape, OLEC and much more. It was certainly an eye-opener for many.

Armed with only a deck of cards, some vouchers, badges and nerves of steel, the rest of us begin to plough the ground and worked our magic at *scape. It was an exhilarating experience for us to perform street magic before a “live” audience. Although it was rather challenging in the beginning to approach a stranger on the street and perform, it became easier and fun even, as we see the reactions of the shocked audience. It encouraged us to come out of our shells and to “just do it”. I was especially impressed by the younger magicians among us, such as Travis, Daryl and Anthony who gave their best and persevered on in spite of the many rejections.

Overall, it was a fun-filled event and an invaluable experience for the magicians and volunteers of the Magic Circle of L&P.  Kudos to everyone who helped to make this *scape launch a raging success! A big thank you!

PS: We want some feedback about the event. Check out the FACEBOOK discussion board and let us know what you think?