Season's Greetings & Thank You

Seasons Greetings,
Vick of Illusions by Vick here, sending you my sincere wishes for a most joyous Holiday Season!!!

I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for making 2010 the best year ever for Illusions by Vick!

Whether I performed shows for you or you attended performances, took time to inquire about shows, emailed or called to talk about the art of magic, called with questions about your events and performances or stayed in touch, please accept my most heartfelt gratitude .

Without you the Illusions by Vick show would be nothing, I know that every time I step on stage. You are what makes the show, what motivates and inspires me to create that special world we journey to during the Illusions by Vick show. That unique place where magic happens and is alive and well, even in this crazy and sometimes uncertain world we live in.

Every performance, every person I meet and perform for touches me in some way. You are what inspires and encourages me, what allows me to put all the heart, effort and dedication into every show. Meeting you, speaking with you in email, on the telephone and after performances drives me to create and share the most amazing magical experiences, to give you the best entertainment possible. That's where all the imagination springs from, wanting to create amazing experiences. You are the inspiration and the reason, night after night, week after week and year after year. I couldn't do it without you.

Please pardon me getting a little sappy but after 2010 I really wanted to take the time to say thank you, to let you know how much you and your support means to me and the Illusions by Vick show.

Here's to an even better year in 2011

As you know, I'm always here for you, a call or email away.

Please be well.

All My Best Wishes for a Joyous Holiday Season and an even better and prosperous 2011,
Vick
http://www.illusionbyvick.com

p.s. Special thanks to all the clients who booked Illusions by Vick through the Gigmasters Talent Agency,
you made Illusions by Vick Gigmasters Top Rated Magician in the USA!!

Our world badly needs more great magicians

I performed a show for a holiday party/house warming last night and it dawns on me how badly the world needs more quality magic performers. The party was all adults with one 5 year old child (the son of the couple that hired me) and the show went over very well (I overheard some very nice comments as I was loading out).

Afterward I spoke with both the husband and wife, the husband comments how when telling guests they would have a magician the remark was "Oh it's a party for children". The wife told me I must have amazing nerves as half of the audience (about 40 people) were men (who are engineers, wish I had known before) who at the beginning were skeptic and focused on figuring out "how" things were done. I explained how by wrapping stories around the effects and including the "skeptics" in the performance it takes away the focus on how things are done.

There are other aspects that come into play to remove the focus on "how" it's done and to make it entertainment. When adults think magic is only entertainment for children they are missing out on some of the finest entertainment in the world, some great, amazing and moving experiences and outstanding art and theater. That is why we need more quality magical performers.

Well I changed that small portion of the world, only 5,999,999,960 more people to go.

Thank you

I've been very fortunate and hope to be able to continue growing and sharing special, amazing experiences with audiences for a long time to come. Thank you to everyone who has booked Illusions by Vick, attended a show, been there for me, took the time to have a look or share a few words! A very special thank you to Chrissy & Sebastian. I couldn't do it without you

http://www.free-press-release.com/news-amazing-magican-illusions-by-vick-does-it-again-1291487791.html

The most important book on performing

A second edition copy of Neo Magic arrived this week from England. After many months of searing for this incredible book and purchasing a copy of the also out of print "Neo Magic Artisty" to help and further my growth, to spur new thoughts and create a better show.

There is an interesting history behind Neo Magic, first run was only 500 issues, about half were destroyed on WWII. Second run only 750 issues. So maybe 1,000 at most still exist. This is the most important book ever written about performing magic, about keeping it elevated to an art form. The author Sam Sharpe was quite an interesting and amazing man.

To me at this time "Neo Magic" has become the single most significant piece of literature on performing.

With a journey that started with Tarbell, lead through "Books of Wonder, on through the Fitzike trilogy, by way of "Our Magic", with detours to "Strong Magic", "Essential Robert-Houdin" Carney's "Magic by Design", briefly working with Joanie Spina, Denny Haney & Bob Fitch's lecture notes, finally to "Art and Magic" and "Neo Magic Artistry".

To hold a signed, second edition copy of "Neo Magic" is absolutely amazing. I'm having a moment.

I'm trying to decipher the signature, "Best wishes to my friend ?AC Kefus? from Sam Sharpe Aug 1961" , perhaps I'll never find out. Good reason to keep searching, it was a long search that lead me to find this edition of "Neo Magic".

The book is hard to acquire, maybe that is a good thing, maybe not. It should be read by any and everyone who aspires to perform magic in front of live audiences as a quality entertainer. One of those things you need to become a true performing artist in the field of magic.

I also owe another debt of gratitude to my good friend Peter as he put me on the trail of the book a few years back (yes it has taken that long to find it), as Erdnase, "Expert at the Card Table" is his guide he knew Sharpe's "Neo Magic" would be as important to me

Deep down I know it's just another step, no matter how large, in the journey but the view from the plateau pretty good.

It was worth the search and this is what we do to further our art, I'm sure any other artist in any field reading this has made or will make a similar or even larger trip.

Came to mind, today I bought my son his first saxophone. Who knows, maybe that's his first step, hard to tell when he is only 9 but time will tell

So when your art means that much you follow the path. It's worth it, to you, your show and to your audiences!

Magic weekend at renn fest .. or how hard it really is to entertain well with magic

Went to the Maryland Renn Fest Sunday, it was Magic Weekend. I watched 3 30 minute stage shows, what kept coming back to me.... how hard it really is to be a great entertainer (with magic)..

The first show, it only went 20 minutes, really felt like he didn't get the traction he was looking for or the crowed didn't engage with him the way he would have like. One of the pieces he did was done well and came across nice, the last piece/effect (which is a piece I perform occasionally) had a twist added to it that really didn't tie it together well.

The second show was a very nice surprise. Very well done, nice, fun believable character you could get behind and relate to. He hit the 30 minute mark perfectly. One effect had the story dragging a little but I don't know if that was trying to build a reinforcement or to have the audience over understand what was going on. Either way 3-4 minutes could have been cut off and it would be a tight piece.

The thrid show was someone I have an immense amount of respect for, both their performing abilities, where they have been and their successes and their encyclopedic knowledge of the art and other related performing arts. I kind of got the feeling he was riffing through the show, like a virtuoso guitar player just running through some chords. This is a new show for him and am sure he'll work the kinks out and have one of the most entertaining performances you'll every see, if that's what we chooses to do


Long story short, magic is one of the most challenging and difficult performing arts to do well. It's not easy to get on stage, give everything you have emotional, physically and intellectually and have a great show every time out. There are so many disciplines involved in a magical performance, maybe more than any other performing art. We are actors, magicians, dancers and in most cases (which is a downfall for many magic shows) writers and directors

and you have to admire those who try .... and succeed

and a statue has never been erected in honor of a critic

Worthwhile Important Post ~ a different magic

http://www.macsteam.org/BullRoast.aspx

Come join us October 3rd ........


In Reality much of what is I post is patting myself on the back, theory, tying to get you to think or feel good stuff

But this is something that is big, huge, making a difference in life kind of big

Take a little time to look, watch the video, read for a minute and get to learn and maybe know (a little of) Cormac Murray and his amazing family
http://www.macsteam.org/MacsStory.aspx
&
http://www.macsteam.org/Default.aspx


So if you can, come out and see us for a good time supporting a great cause

If you can make it you can always become a member of Mac's Team
http://www.macsteam.org/Merchandise.aspx
It's a team worth being on and something you can be proud of

If you read what I writ you now it's not garbage asking for this or that, this is asking for awareness and to make a difference

Magic goes well and a very lucky magicain

Sorry I haven't posted much but

Everything has been going very well. I've been very lucky

The short time spent with Joanie Spina helped in so many ways. All the things Denny Haney has been so kind as to show, share, point me towards and discuss with me have meant so much and made me a much better performer than I could have ever hoped for

Congratulations are in order as National Booking Agency Gigmasters ...
Ranked magician Illusions by Vick the top Magician for Maryland, Pennsylvania, DC, Virgina, Delaware ...

Rankings are based on client feedback and satisfaction, amount of bookings, fees made from those bookings
Overall I'm ranked second nationally.A lot of work, a lot of fun, I've learned a lot
but most of all I've had the opportunity to share a lot of smiles, fun and great magic
Here's the press release
Illusions by Vick Named top Ranked magician in Maryland, DC, Va and Pennsylvania

While Gigmasters gets a lot of childrens bookings I don't do many if any of them
and the new show is ready
Here's the press release about it
About the New Show ~ Shades of Perception


Again thank you, without an audience to share it with ....... I'm Nothing

and bigger things are coming in October!

"Open your mind, I'm your magician"

As a artist who's chosen medium is magic it is my duty to share the incredible, to enable laughter, spur thought and encourage feeling a spectrum of emotions. All while creating a path for us to journey on together into the amazing.

A doctor may say "Trust me I'm a doctor"

I say "Open your mind, I'm your magician"

What Performing Magic can do

Another good show for a great group of people today. It's a wonderful feeling/experience to share a performance that touches people, give them laughter, encourages them to think, that emotionally touches and moves them and enables a perspective from a difference place, the small part I play in their creating a great time. It truly is the best thing I can do, for everyone.

Amazing what boundaries Magic can cross

I've been to the Cradlerock school the past 2 days promoting
http://www.illusionsbyvick.com/magicshow.html
the fund raiser I'll be performing next Friday May 14.

The students were great, a very diverse school to say the least. The younger students were getting so excited I had to stop performing in the crowd and move up to the stage (no more floating butterflies or Rites of Spring walking through the students)

What is really great/amazing is how performing(magic) transcends all the social boundaries. The too cool for school guys were sneaking up on stage through the wings to shake my hand. A student showed me I was their screen saver.

We have a unique ability as performers to reach our audiences, to give them something special. In some small way to reach out through all the day to day nonsense and create a space where anything can and does happen and imagination rules, at least for that short time we are in that spell together. Where everything for once really is good and for those few short minute everything will be alright.

I promise I'll keep making that space for us as long as you keep showing up to share it with me

Another day, another good show. Good performance in a great situation. Here's to Sunday's upcoming show and the "Rites of Spring" being performed live for the first time.

It's another example of what a "magician" (that's what they are, I try to be a entertainer) could be if they really tried, applied themselves. How can any one not give the art all it deserves. To create, not imitate

Am extremely fortunate.

Meanwhile hard at work on the fund raiser for Cradlerock Elementary. Getting good assistance and support on the PTA's end.

Worn out now but got to get ready

Crazy .... or Amazing ... maybe a little of both

An amazing thing....... this past Saturday.

A potential client asked me about producing her daughter for her sweet 16th birthday party, she emailed the previous Saturday. I don't hear back from her so I think she's decided to do something else for entertainment. Out of no where she sends me a deposit ........ on Thursday ..... 2 days before the party.

Had given 3 options for the production. I finally get her on the phone and .... her daughter wants the Metamorphosis production ........ aaaahhhhhaaaa. I explain how challenging it can be and how people spend decades learning to do it well and ......

97% of the guests there are high school friends all done up and ready for a big night out.

This has all the ingredients for a disaster ..... I modify Metamorphosis a bit to make it easier. To her credit the daughter Jillian on the day of her Sweet 16 party spends the time I asked for rehearsal, she is willing to work to make the effect as good as we can in the time given and ........

We pulled it off!!! Pretty damn well, too.


Today .... the mother writes me an unsolicited glowing reference email


They were a great group to meet and work with, I'm really glad everything went well but ....
.... it still was crazy ;-)~

April 16th 2010 Illusion & Magic Entertainment Event

Am fortunate to be working on a very special show that will play April 16, 2010

Will keep you up to date as it progresses but for now suffice to say am hard at work on it and hopefully will be premiering new performance pieces that will provide astonishment and entertain while touching you emotionally and sharing something you will take with you to consider and will bring a smile to your face in the days after