Sleight of hand or something otherworldly? Magic does not just entrance the young, as the 30 members of the Cyprus Magic Society prove
He closed his fist right before my eyes, fed in a black handkerchief, and it vanished a second later when he opened his hand. That was just one of several tricks performed by the Vice-President of the Cyprus Magic Society for seven.
Two of my other favourites where when Dimis Michaelides somehow made the Queen of Hearts disappear from a pack and then appear stuck to his forehead and when he split the Queen of Clubs into two, its top half resembling the card itself, and the bottom end somehow turning around 360 degrees so all I could see was the back of the card.
The 51-year-old, who is also a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, said that he has been learning the art of magic for the past 20 years as he was always fascinated by it as a young boy.
“There are many different types of magic presented in many different ways for different purposes,” he said. “Magic makes the impossible happen, which means breaking the relationship between cause and effect. This provokes feelings of surprise, awe, wonder and astonishment and that’s why it is such a beautiful art.”
President of the The Cyprus Magic Society Pieras Fitikides agrees with Michaelides regarding the attraction of the art. “The opportunity to be entertained in a fashion that incorporates the elements of surprise and mystification is what appeals to me,” he said.
“My very first magic trick was shown to me by my late father. He placed a coin on the palm of his hand and then he slowly closed his hand. When he opened it, the coin had disappeared. I was so fascinated, that I kept asking my father every night when he came home from work to make the coin disappear, hoping that I could see the coin travelling into the unknown. That was my first encounter with the realm of magic.
When I think back, what my father had actually done for me at the age of five was to change my perception, at the same time opening a door that led into a mystical world.
I believed, at that time, that by possessing the power to make something disappear, I would be able to do things that could only be done in fairytales.”
He added that, the beauty of magic is in entertaining with deception. “Entertainment comes first. Nobody likes just to be deceived. There must be a feeling of something deeper than just a scam, or a swindle, or a lie. Something that elevates the message to the spectator from a cheap ha ha, I’ve fooled you, to a higher level of wonder and astonishment that he or she can relate to and has some meaning.”
The audience may be aware that the magic is performed using trickery, but derives enjoyment from the magician’s skill and cunning.
Performances we would recognise as conjuring date back as early as ancient Egyptian civilisation. The same ingenuity behind ancient deceptions such as the Trojan horse would have been used for entertainment in plays or other public performances.
However, the respectable profession of the illusionist gained strength during the 18th century, and has enjoyed several popular vogues.
Successful magicians have become some of the most famous celebrities in popular entertainment and in recent years, the art has enjoyed a renaissance, driven by a number of highly successful performers such as David Copperfield, Lance Burton, Penn and Teller, Derren Brown and David Blaine.
Michaelides is the Managing Director of Performa Consulting, a consultancy firm specialising in creativity and innovation. He often incorporates magic in its business presentations, which have received rave reviews from blue-chip companies including IBM, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Laiki Bank.
He explained that he started to learn the art when he moved to the United States and found a good teacher. “A magic student can work very hard for several years in order to reach a professional standard or may never achieve that standard. It depends on the individual.”
When asked what skills are necessary, he replied that technique, “such as sleight of hand, as well as good presentation and showmanship are very important.”
He also reiterated the famous necessity for secrecy. “Magicians abide by codes of conduct that show respect for preserving secret methods and respect for one another’s work and material.”
He listed Penn and Teller, Juan Tamariz and the one-armed Ren? Lavand as three of his favourite acts, along with two of his mentors, the Americans Eugene Burger and Jamy Ian Swiss.
“What makes a trick great is not just the trick itself as the same one can be performed by different people and can become either a masterpiece or a forgettable mediocraty. What matters most is the way it is performed,” he said
But was he ever tempted to use his skills to take advantage of a person or situation. “The art of magic, an art form I love so much, does indeed have much potential for abuse,” he said, as he recalled a story from his past. “When I was learning magic, right at the beginning (I was 32 years old), I travelled from Nairobi to Athens on a night flight with Olympic Airways who gave out free packs of cards. I did a card trick for a lady of Greek origin who was sitting nearby. By my standards today it was a very simple trick, crudely performed. She was astonished nonetheless and asked me: ‘My husband wants us to have a second baby. I don’t really want this. Are we going to have another baby?’ I responded with a, ‘madam I don’t deal with personal issues’ and went on to another trick, again very poorly performed. ‘Is my sick father going to die?” she asked. “Madam, I do magic only for entertainment purposes”, I said. ‘But you know, don’t you?’ she persisted.
“At this point I realised that I had power, real power! No matter how much I denied it, to this woman I yielded real psychic powers. For a moment I was frightened. How could people be so gullible? The experience was a real eye-opener.
“Today I think back and imagine that I could really do a (pseudo) psychic reading and make the table or an object on the table magically move. I could frighten people, I could make some people my slaves! I still fear this power and still do not wish to use my knowledge of magic in an unethical way.”
According to Michaelides, magic is becoming increasingly popular in Cyprus and there are a small number of genuine enthusiasts. “The Cyprus Magic Society has a membership of 30, both professional and amateur, with the aim being to promote the art on the island and provide a fraternal environment for magicians. Like everywhere else, some performing magicians in Cyprus are excellent.”
Fitikides added that considering the fact that, “we live in a place that does not provide the same opportunities that people living in England or in the United States have, I believe that our standard of magic is well above average. Part of the Cyprus Magic Society’s agenda is to provide its members with the tools to help them improve even further.”
Do tricks ever gone horribly wrong? “Thankfully, it hasn’t happened to me, but I did hear about a Cypriot magician who killed a couple of doves on stage a while back,” Michaelides said.
He also said he practises as much as he can. “It is not enough, but I might manage to add a couple of new tricks a year to my repertoire.”
His favourite audience are, “intelligent adults, preferably not inebriated.”
So, where can you go to learn magic in Cyprus? “If you are serious, study a few tricks, prepare and audition for the Cyprus Magic Society membership,” he said.
“You will find people who will teach you in the Society.”
According to Fitikides, a budding magician must really work on his or her presentation, ultimately build
ing it around their personality. “Robert Houdin, the father of modern magic, once said that a magician is an actor who plays the part of the magician, stressing how important presentation is.”
He also advised people to use proper techniques, “that are acquired through study and practise and make a good choice of magic equipment.”
So, can magicians in Cyprus make a career out of magic? “Magicians here can make a career out of it if they really set their minds to it. Our society, which consists of 31 members from all over Cyprus, is comprised of hobbyists, part-time professionals and professional magicians who perform on TV, at major events, hotels and parties.”
Michaelides explained that a distinguished performer from overseas visits the island every few years, but saved his best trick for last when he recalled a story from a few years back. “I think it was around 1998 and there were rumours that David Copperfield planned on coming here to make Aphrodite’s Rock disappear. However, I read in the press at the time that the Church, along with the political parties, objected.
How silly!”
THE TOP FIVE
Vice-President of the Cyprus Magic Society Dimis Michaelides lists is top five tricks
‘The Bullet Catch,’ performed by Penn & Teller. The duo perform their own adaptation of the famous illusion where each simultaneously fires a gun at the other, through small panes of glass, and then ‘catch’ the other’s signed bullett in his mouth. “This performance is full of suspense and fools the hell out of me.”
‘Vanishing the Statue of Liberty.’ Making the Statue of Liberty appear to disappear on live television in 1983 is one of David Copperfield’s most memorable tricks and is “so fantastic due to the fact that it’s on such a huge scale.”
‘The Substitution Trunk’ or ‘Metamorphosis,’ is most often associated with the famous magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, and is performed to some renown by The Pendragons. In the illusion, the magician is locked inside a large box or trunk, usually after being restrained with handcuffs, ropes, bags, etc. The magician’s assistant (Houdini employed his wife Bess) stands upon the trunk and holds a curtain up to momentarily conceal her entire body. The curtain is immediately lowered, revealing that the magician is now standing atop the box, the magician and assistant having changed places instantaneously. When the box is opened, it is shown to contain the assistant, restrained as the magician had been. “This is a very powerful illusion.”
‘The Knives,’ performed by Hans Moretti. The illusionist enters an empty cardboard box with members of the audience proceeding to stick as many as 16 knives into it. The knives are removed, with Moretti stepping out of the box disguised as a clown along with a bird, goose, hen and hundreds of little flags. “It’s such a fantastic performance due to the fact that it seems so impossible.”
‘The Rose,’ performed by Penn & Teller. “This is a very lyrical trick and provokes strong emotions in me.” The flower’s shadow is projected onto a screen and a knife is used to ‘cut’ the petals from the image. Amazingly, the real petals from the rose fall at the same time.
IF YOU’RE SERIOUS
Magic Craft Supplies manufactures, imports and distributes magic tricks in Cyprus, and might be of service to newcomers to magic by providing them with basic material to get them started. For more information, contact Penny Douglas at [email protected] or Tel: 25 634487.
The Cyprus Magic Society was founded in 1997. It holds regular meetings once a month, hosts famous magicians from abroad at least once a year and is very well known for its Christmas party and magic show that is thrown every December. New members are most welcome. Contact Pieras Fitikides Tel: 99 400478.
For further information, visit: [email protected] or www.performa.net for a corporate presentation.
