Heart and Soul of Magic
posted by Brandon Owens | March 3, 2019 | In NewsIllusions, contortions and extremes stunts were but a few things presented at the Heart and Soul of Magic Show. The event taking place at the Seabrook Auditorium the evening of January 26 saw four talented performers, Randy Shine, Jamahl Keyes, Hip Hop Juggler and Kid Ace, amaze the audience with extraordinary acts. Those present for the show were definitely in awe of that evening’s experience.
Shine got into performing after starting a magic club in college. One of his most memorable acts during the show was when he escaped of from finger cuffs while discreetly taking a volunteer’s wallet from his back pocket.
Telling of his experience here at Fayetteville State University, Shine happily stated that he loved it. “It’s a great community, very welcoming. We came in a day early, hung out at a local restaurant. We did some tricks there, and people were very receptive. This is the south, people are always happy and friendly, so it was great.” He concluded by saying that he would definitely come back.
Magic comedian Keyes certainly had his moments, especially when he began levitating different items, having the crowd wondering how he did so.
Keyes stated that he enjoys performing for HBCUs such as FSU: “It’s always good to bring theater into HBCUs because theater is sadly going away from a lot of elementary, middle, high schools, and colleges. Let’s be honest, without theater, we wouldn’t be able to express ourselves. That’s what theater does, theater is always a reflection of a
culture.”
Paris, a.k.a. the Hip Hop Juggler, definitely had the crowd going. During his acts, he juggled many different items. One part had him dribbling multiple basketballs, but the showstopper was when he took five torches, lit them on fire, and began juggling them.
Explaining how he started juggling, he tells how an outreach program came to his school in Harlem. After two years with the Big Apple Circus as an acrobat, he eventually started juggling.
When asked what he liked most about juggling, he said, “You can do juggling anywhere. If you wanted to be on a trapeze, you have to be somewhere that has a trapeze. If you wanted to ride a unicycle, you have to find a unicycle. But juggling, you can launch it anywhere. You can launch it at the supermarket, you can launch it at home with socks, you can launch it anywhere.”
Paris enjoyed FSU, saying that: “It has a cool vibe here, and people are really down-to-earth.”
Illusionist Kid Ace, whose real name is David Boyd, performed the finale. His final act was an escapist stunt where he wrapped himself in a straitjacket and hung himself upside down in a contraption with giant metal jaws. A candle burned the string that kept the jaws open, and Kid Ace gave himself until the string snapped to escape the trap. He stated that he started performing after his seventh-grade drama teacher performed a magic trick. He also said that he draws inspiration from movies and pop culture.
Saying that the Heart and Soul of Magic Show was incredible would be an understatement. If you were not able to see the show, you definitely missed out. Maybe you could catch one of their shows in the future.
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