Posts
Newsletter of IBM Ring #170
The Bev Bergeron Ring
Next general meeting Wednesday, 02/20/2008 at 7:30 PM SHARP
Board meeting at 6:30 pm
Meeting theme: Valentine's Magic
Marks Street Center, 99 Mark Street, downtown Orlando
If you visit with us and do not know the room we meet in , please be aware that some of the people in the office at the Senior Center may not be aware we are meeting there! At the last meeting one visitor asked where the "IBM" was meeting and the management apparently thought they were asking for the International Business Machines group! They said that there was no "IBM" on the schedule. So, if you have never been to our ring meeting , please say "magicians" or "FAME" and if that doesn't get the room location , just walk around looking for us. The Senior Center is a public building.
Lunch meetings every Tuesday at noon at Goodings (next to the food court)
Website: http://www.ring170.com/
F. A. M. E. is the Florida Association of Magical Entertainers
*************************************************************
Directory
Craig J. Fennessy – President – CraigFennessy@gmail.com
Chris Dunn- Vice President – Youngdunns@yahoo.com
Art Thomas – Treasurer – Art.Thomas@Disney.com
Dennis Philips- Secretary – Dennis@alliedcostumes.com
James Songster- Director at Large, - JjTjMagic@aol.com
Joe Vecciarelli- Sgt at Arms - talkingmute@tampabay.rr.com
Stefan Bartelski – Editor of “Famulus”- Famulus@illusioneer.com
*************************************************************
GET PUBLISHED!
Got an idea for an article to add to the next FAMULUS? Put it in the body of an email or in a Word document attached to an email. Send it to Famulus@illusioneer.com, and we will get you in print. Please, please, please, use the above e-mail address, your messages are in danger of getting lost if you do not do so.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
2008-02 From the Editor
In line with Dennis' theme this month I wish you all :Gung Hey Fat Choy (Cantonese for a happy and prosperous New Year). Quite a month for magic lectures, in addition to managing to make the John Carney lecture, I also attended a session at Denny & Lee's new store in Baltimore. Different to the usual lecture, this was a lesson in stage and presentation craft under the tutelage of the famous Bob Fitch. This was a very educational presentation, a half day version of Bob's famous five day sessions.
For those that makes this months meeting, Dan Stapleton has promised to tell his experiences auditioning for "America's Got Talent". Sounds interesting!
Thanks again to all this months contributers, and don't forget the Auction with 2! free lectures, as well as a special Ammar workshop.
Your editor
For those that makes this months meeting, Dan Stapleton has promised to tell his experiences auditioning for "America's Got Talent". Sounds interesting!
Thanks again to all this months contributers, and don't forget the Auction with 2! free lectures, as well as a special Ammar workshop.
Your editor
2008-02 Ring Report Ring #170 The Bev Bergeron Ring
January is usually a mild weather month in Central Florida and tourists enjoy a warm Winter break from the Northern cold. Local magicians are usually at work in the attractions and with tourist related activities. Our Wednesday night Ring meeting was well attended. President Craig Fennessey gaveled the meeting to order and announcements were made about future lectures and events. We always have these dates and locations on our Ring 170 website. Guests included Hani and his son Ryan from Chicago. Michael Hajeck was also a guest renewing his interest in magic. Dan Stapleton gave us a recap on his experiences as a featured performer at the last Daytona Magic Convention. It is always interesting to hear what it is like backstage at one of these events. Dan also told us about his recent trip to New York City.
James and Joe are busy at the Ohio Renaissance Fair and will soon come south to Florida for “Ren” fairs around here. Anyone with a few thousand extra dollars burning a hole in their pocket might be excited to know that their investment dollars are needed for becoming a partner in opening up a magic shop in Key West, Florida.
With the business meeting adjourned, it was time for the monthly ring show. Bondi agreed to Emcee. He began with a humorous explanation that he was a former mortgage broker and now, with the collapse of the real estate market, he is a newspaper advertising salesman. He did a quick plain paper to a stack of dollar bills and rolled up the bills to pull out the green fibers. Chris Dunn was first up with the new Tenyo “Spikes through Balloon”. This version seemed ungimmicked and different from Bob Gurtler’s (Andre Kole) original invention. Chris concluded with an “Any Card called for” effect. Dan Stapleton gave away one of his videos and presented an effect from it that he called “Plates”. He successfully determined four playing cards that had been selected and written by four spectators on paper plates.
Charlie Pfrogner, our Ring Dean of Creativity, had a clever original effect with an “elephant cage”. It was an “inside-outside” box. An elephant silk vanished from a small crystal silk cylinder and reappeared in the box. Charlie said it was an “asbestos” trick… “It was the best I could do”! Bev Bergeron took the stage and enchanted us with an old but great effect. The “cat’s eye” was a small red plastic box and a marble and a silk hankie. The marble “escaped” from the sealed box just like Houdini did from a locked truck.
Magic Ian did a great variation and combination of classic Bob Carver effect, “Professor’s Nightmare” and Linking Ropes. Bondi was back with a four of hearts card turning into a four of spades. Finally Dan Dyer, a former ring officer and now Lake County resident, presented a cardboard box filled with Ring 170 memorabilia, photos and records. It was at least 2 decades old and included ash trays! Dan also treated us to his comic presentation with a spring raccoon.
With the Ring meeting concluded we look forward to a year of more ring fun. Join us when you are in Orlando.
Good things are always happening in Ring 170.
Dennis Phillips
James and Joe are busy at the Ohio Renaissance Fair and will soon come south to Florida for “Ren” fairs around here. Anyone with a few thousand extra dollars burning a hole in their pocket might be excited to know that their investment dollars are needed for becoming a partner in opening up a magic shop in Key West, Florida.
With the business meeting adjourned, it was time for the monthly ring show. Bondi agreed to Emcee. He began with a humorous explanation that he was a former mortgage broker and now, with the collapse of the real estate market, he is a newspaper advertising salesman. He did a quick plain paper to a stack of dollar bills and rolled up the bills to pull out the green fibers. Chris Dunn was first up with the new Tenyo “Spikes through Balloon”. This version seemed ungimmicked and different from Bob Gurtler’s (Andre Kole) original invention. Chris concluded with an “Any Card called for” effect. Dan Stapleton gave away one of his videos and presented an effect from it that he called “Plates”. He successfully determined four playing cards that had been selected and written by four spectators on paper plates.
Charlie Pfrogner, our Ring Dean of Creativity, had a clever original effect with an “elephant cage”. It was an “inside-outside” box. An elephant silk vanished from a small crystal silk cylinder and reappeared in the box. Charlie said it was an “asbestos” trick… “It was the best I could do”! Bev Bergeron took the stage and enchanted us with an old but great effect. The “cat’s eye” was a small red plastic box and a marble and a silk hankie. The marble “escaped” from the sealed box just like Houdini did from a locked truck.
Magic Ian did a great variation and combination of classic Bob Carver effect, “Professor’s Nightmare” and Linking Ropes. Bondi was back with a four of hearts card turning into a four of spades. Finally Dan Dyer, a former ring officer and now Lake County resident, presented a cardboard box filled with Ring 170 memorabilia, photos and records. It was at least 2 decades old and included ash trays! Dan also treated us to his comic presentation with a spring raccoon.
With the Ring meeting concluded we look forward to a year of more ring fun. Join us when you are in Orlando.
Good things are always happening in Ring 170.
Dennis Phillips
2008-02 Ring 170 Magic Auction & Lectures
FAME of Greater Orlando
IBM RING 170
PRESENTS
Saturday, March 8, 2008
9:00 AM – 5:30PM
Magic Flea Market / Auction Workshop & 2 Free Lectures
Great Fun Great Deals
New & Used Magic
- Plenty of Free parking -
Rent table space and sell your old unused magic.
For full table $15.00, plus $10.00 per person admission. Contact:Art.Thomas@Disney.com to reserve a table. Payment at the door.
GENERAL ADMISSION: $10.00
SCHEDULE:
8:00am - Flea Market Load-in & Set-up
9:00am - Flea Market Opens
10:00am – 11:30am - Private workshop, by Michael Ammar
(Additional cost: Workshop is limited to first 15 people)
12:00pm - Flea Market Closes
12:15pm -12:45 Free mini lecture by Magic Ian – Rope Magic
1:00pm - 2:45- Headliner lecture, by Michael Ammar, Free with admission
3:00-4:30pm – Auction
Food & Drink available on site
LOCATION:
Christ the King Lutheran Church – Barnabas Hall
(4962 Apopka-Vineland Rd., Orlando, Fl 32819) Call: 407-947-1182 for more info.
• Take I-4 to Exit 74A-Sandlake/International Dr. exit
• Turn west onto Sandlake Rd. go 1.3 miles to Apopka-Vineland Rd.
• Turn right onto Apopka-Vineland, go north 3 miles (4 traffic lights).
• First left driveway after Woodbreeze Rd. traffic light.
Please note there is an additional price for the Ammar private workshop. This is a very special workshop by Michael Ammar. Go to www.Ring170 for more info.
E-mail CraigFennessy@gmail.com for workshop reservations.
IBM RING 170
PRESENTS
Saturday, March 8, 2008
9:00 AM – 5:30PM
Magic Flea Market / Auction Workshop & 2 Free Lectures
Great Fun Great Deals
New & Used Magic
- Plenty of Free parking -
Rent table space and sell your old unused magic.
For full table $15.00, plus $10.00 per person admission. Contact:Art.Thomas@Disney.com to reserve a table. Payment at the door.
GENERAL ADMISSION: $10.00
SCHEDULE:
8:00am - Flea Market Load-in & Set-up
9:00am - Flea Market Opens
10:00am – 11:30am - Private workshop, by Michael Ammar
(Additional cost: Workshop is limited to first 15 people)
12:00pm - Flea Market Closes
12:15pm -12:45 Free mini lecture by Magic Ian – Rope Magic
1:00pm - 2:45- Headliner lecture, by Michael Ammar, Free with admission
3:00-4:30pm – Auction
Food & Drink available on site
LOCATION:
Christ the King Lutheran Church – Barnabas Hall
(4962 Apopka-Vineland Rd., Orlando, Fl 32819) Call: 407-947-1182 for more info.
• Take I-4 to Exit 74A-Sandlake/International Dr. exit
• Turn west onto Sandlake Rd. go 1.3 miles to Apopka-Vineland Rd.
• Turn right onto Apopka-Vineland, go north 3 miles (4 traffic lights).
• First left driveway after Woodbreeze Rd. traffic light.
Please note there is an additional price for the Ammar private workshop. This is a very special workshop by Michael Ammar. Go to www.Ring170 for more info.
E-mail CraigFennessy@gmail.com for workshop reservations.
2008-02 Bob Sanders lecture
Sunday February 17th 1:30 PM til 4:30
at The NY Cafe, 1690 CITRUS BLVD. (HIWAYS 27/441).
admission $10 courtesy rate to Orlando and Tampa IBM members, Ring 258 paid local dues members are Free, guests and non-members $15
Limited seating, RSVP to Imailto:Ian@magicians.ws (to get a head count).
------------
Lecture on Silks, plus huge dealer display of fine silk magic products.
Effects with silks and props (eggs, dye tubes, etc.) and give more emphasis to taking individual tricks and working them into a routine that flows better than the separate tricks.
Custom art for silks that they can do for themselves. (How to do it and examples to show.) Any questions on Doves and dove steals Bob is the one to ask. He wrote the "Dove Hotline" for many years. A most knowledgeable man, and a very informative lecture.
Cash or checks accepted for products.
Bob Sanders
Bio
Bob was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama and has always called it home from where ever he might have been at the time. Although he was raised as a cowboy, his mother, a singer/dancer, always encouraged him to pursue the entertainment business. By age thirteen he had a personal manager, agent and contract with a major movie/recording company. He was already performing in theaters and on stage as a professional musician with recording artists and movie stars. (He also went to school with John Denver.) Upon going off to college at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Bob started American Artists Enterprises as a personal management and booking agency for professional entertainers and a firm that traded and negotiated recording contracts. It had offices in Tuscaloosa and New York. Uniquely, it was also the largest agency in the USA handling live entertainment for shopping centers and malls. Over 542 malls and shopping centers bought their live entertainment though AAE. That kept a lot of magicians and variety acts working.
At college graduation, Bob had service in the US Navy ahead of him, so he sold American Artists Enterprises and had to leave the world of commercial music forever. He went exclusively into the magic he had begun at age sixteen. In 1969, following the advice of other professional entertainer friends and to give privacy, he began working professionally as Magic By Sander. In his forty-something years in the business, Bob has performed stage shows in theaters, hotels, fairs, conventions and ballrooms around the country. He also has decades of experience in fundraisers, trade shows and sponsored corporate magic as well as talent in television commercials. His corporate clients have included the world’s largest private daycare provider, the most profitable brewing company in America, some of the largest consumer electronics firms in the world, the largest shopping mall management firm in the USA, the nations largest retailer, major advertising agencies, several leaders of the computer/information industry, medical care providers and communications firms. He has turned down invitations to perform for Worldwide Magical Congresses in Mexico City and Calcutta, India.
Bob has been active in magical fraternal and professional organizations since the 1960s. Those include the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Society of American Magicians and the secretive Wizards of the Ozarks (professional magicians of the West and Midwest), which elected him Magicians’ Magician of the Year 1981-82. During that period he was doing over 200 stage shows a year, working on a Ph.D. in marketing, management, and finance; and caring for his infant son on the road with him. He has held offices in all of the major magical organizations. In the 80s he was responsible for transferring part of SAM’s film library to VHS tape. He is a seasoned lecturer available through the Magicians Lecture Network.
Among magicians he is best known for dove magic. Perhaps that is because he is the originator of Dove Hotline on the Internet and he wrote it for about seven years. Tony Clark handled it for a couple of years while Bob worked on a couple of books. Bob has returned to writing Dove Hotline in March 2006. Bob is on staff at The Magic Café. He also posts on PMZZ, KIDabra and the Genii forum.
at The NY Cafe, 1690 CITRUS BLVD. (HIWAYS 27/441).
admission $10 courtesy rate to Orlando and Tampa IBM members, Ring 258 paid local dues members are Free, guests and non-members $15
Limited seating, RSVP to Imailto:Ian@magicians.ws (to get a head count).
------------
Lecture on Silks, plus huge dealer display of fine silk magic products.
Effects with silks and props (eggs, dye tubes, etc.) and give more emphasis to taking individual tricks and working them into a routine that flows better than the separate tricks.
Custom art for silks that they can do for themselves. (How to do it and examples to show.) Any questions on Doves and dove steals Bob is the one to ask. He wrote the "Dove Hotline" for many years. A most knowledgeable man, and a very informative lecture.
Cash or checks accepted for products.
Bob Sanders
Bio
Bob was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama and has always called it home from where ever he might have been at the time. Although he was raised as a cowboy, his mother, a singer/dancer, always encouraged him to pursue the entertainment business. By age thirteen he had a personal manager, agent and contract with a major movie/recording company. He was already performing in theaters and on stage as a professional musician with recording artists and movie stars. (He also went to school with John Denver.) Upon going off to college at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Bob started American Artists Enterprises as a personal management and booking agency for professional entertainers and a firm that traded and negotiated recording contracts. It had offices in Tuscaloosa and New York. Uniquely, it was also the largest agency in the USA handling live entertainment for shopping centers and malls. Over 542 malls and shopping centers bought their live entertainment though AAE. That kept a lot of magicians and variety acts working.
At college graduation, Bob had service in the US Navy ahead of him, so he sold American Artists Enterprises and had to leave the world of commercial music forever. He went exclusively into the magic he had begun at age sixteen. In 1969, following the advice of other professional entertainer friends and to give privacy, he began working professionally as Magic By Sander. In his forty-something years in the business, Bob has performed stage shows in theaters, hotels, fairs, conventions and ballrooms around the country. He also has decades of experience in fundraisers, trade shows and sponsored corporate magic as well as talent in television commercials. His corporate clients have included the world’s largest private daycare provider, the most profitable brewing company in America, some of the largest consumer electronics firms in the world, the largest shopping mall management firm in the USA, the nations largest retailer, major advertising agencies, several leaders of the computer/information industry, medical care providers and communications firms. He has turned down invitations to perform for Worldwide Magical Congresses in Mexico City and Calcutta, India.
Bob has been active in magical fraternal and professional organizations since the 1960s. Those include the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Society of American Magicians and the secretive Wizards of the Ozarks (professional magicians of the West and Midwest), which elected him Magicians’ Magician of the Year 1981-82. During that period he was doing over 200 stage shows a year, working on a Ph.D. in marketing, management, and finance; and caring for his infant son on the road with him. He has held offices in all of the major magical organizations. In the 80s he was responsible for transferring part of SAM’s film library to VHS tape. He is a seasoned lecturer available through the Magicians Lecture Network.
Among magicians he is best known for dove magic. Perhaps that is because he is the originator of Dove Hotline on the Internet and he wrote it for about seven years. Tony Clark handled it for a couple of years while Bob worked on a couple of books. Bob has returned to writing Dove Hotline in March 2006. Bob is on staff at The Magic Café. He also posts on PMZZ, KIDabra and the Genii forum.
2008-02 Sheldon Brooks operation
Sheldon Brooks one of our good members who, when missing can be foundworking on cruise ships, was operated on a couple of weeks ago. He was having major problems with moving his fingers on one of his hands. The problem was found in the nerve section of his neck. What may seen like a very simple operation can also be a very dangerous one.
He hopes to be able to drive his car in time for ourFebruary meeting.
Bev - b
He hopes to be able to drive his car in time for ourFebruary meeting.
Bev - b
2008-02 Close Encounters...with a real magician!
When I was in my teens, some 45 years ago or so, I used to frequent the Hornman & Martinka Magic Shop in Manhattan on Saturdays. At that time it was owned by the late, great Coney Island Fakir... Al Flosso!
One Saturday morning, after riding in to Manhattan on the LIRR, (Long Island Rail Road, for those of you who have never been to "the island") I climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor landing and opened the door to that musty, dusty world of wonders ... Hornman & Martinka. As I entered Al quickly caught my attention with his heavy Brooklyn, Jewish accent...
"Here kid, watch what I'm gonna' do!"
I turned to see him behind the display case holding up a walking cane. He held the ends of the cane and in a flash it was gone and a bouquet of brightly colored feather flowers appeared where the cane had been! I was completely taken by the effect! (Bought the cane on the spot. Couldn't afford the flowers!)
Al diverted his eyes, and looked past me, to a man sitting in the big easy chair in the corner. I had not noticed him there when I entered the shop.
Al asked the man "Well, what do you think Joe?"
Joe answered something to the effect of "Pretty nice."
Then Al Flosso had the good graces to introduce me to one of the worlds most famous magicians & mentalists...Joseph Dunninger!
Mr. Dunninger was in New York for an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet Mr. Dunninger. After spending a few hours "talking shop" with Al & Joe, I left for home that afternoon with an autographed copy of one of Dunningers books on magic.
Yes, it really happened!
Magically,
Roger "Cigam" Reid
One Saturday morning, after riding in to Manhattan on the LIRR, (Long Island Rail Road, for those of you who have never been to "the island") I climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor landing and opened the door to that musty, dusty world of wonders ... Hornman & Martinka. As I entered Al quickly caught my attention with his heavy Brooklyn, Jewish accent...
"Here kid, watch what I'm gonna' do!"
I turned to see him behind the display case holding up a walking cane. He held the ends of the cane and in a flash it was gone and a bouquet of brightly colored feather flowers appeared where the cane had been! I was completely taken by the effect! (Bought the cane on the spot. Couldn't afford the flowers!)
Al diverted his eyes, and looked past me, to a man sitting in the big easy chair in the corner. I had not noticed him there when I entered the shop.
Al asked the man "Well, what do you think Joe?"
Joe answered something to the effect of "Pretty nice."
Then Al Flosso had the good graces to introduce me to one of the worlds most famous magicians & mentalists...Joseph Dunninger!
Mr. Dunninger was in New York for an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet Mr. Dunninger. After spending a few hours "talking shop" with Al & Joe, I left for home that afternoon with an autographed copy of one of Dunningers books on magic.
Yes, it really happened!
Magically,
Roger "Cigam" Reid
2008-02 Dennis' Deliberations
My Friendly Tet Offensive 2008
Saturday January 26th was when many Vietnamese here in Florida celebrated “Tet”, the Vietnamese New Year. Actually, the official date for Tet will be on February 7th this year. The New Year begins on the first night of the first moon after the sun enters Aquarius. We are moving from the 2007year of the Pig to the 2008 year of the Rat. I guess for people of my generation the Tet holiday will forever be linked to form the words “Tet Offensive”. The North Vietnamese Communist Army staged a massive military offensive against U.S. forces in February of 1968 on the Tet holiday. It utterly failed and American troops in Viet Nam mopped up all resistance in a couple of day but the psychological damage was done in the minds of the American people and we lost interest in the Viet Nam War and 7 years later we finally got our behinds handed to us and withdrew.
That withdrawal and slow military disengagement of America from Viet Nam prompted a number of Vietnamese to apply for political asylum here in the United States and Central Florida became one area of concentration. In Orlando the area around Mills and Colonial is referred to by many as “Little Viet Nam”. I live in downtown Orlando and we have an Asian neighbor and by a series of acquaintances I was recommended to perform a stage show at the local Tet event. It was at the Central Florida Fairgrounds on a rainy Saturday night.
I was not aware just how huge this 2,500 person event turned out to be. I always carry my own sound system for a stage show and it was not needed. They had a full festival sound system run by an events company.
Oddly enough the Vietnamese Roman Catholic Church was a major sponsor. Recall the Viet Nam was a colony of France and the French brought Christianity to the country that previously had been mostly Buddhist in the cities. I find it utterly fascinating to witness religious syncretism. Vestiges of the pre-Christian religion exist in the legends, dance and graphics, but most have been Christianized. One could argue that the entire Christian religion represents a syncretism between Diasporic Judaism, Hellenistic Stoicism and the Roman Empire’s old religion. Humans tend to find the kind of god and belief system they believe they think they need.
Al Coury had seen my name in a Tet flyer and called me a couple of hours before I left the house saying that he wanted to be at the show but he also had a gig that night at another location. I carry a full carload of props since I wanted the act to be big, flashy and filled with flowers, silks and rice bowls. I would still anchor the show with my standard eight minute opening to my club act using doves and a rabbit finale. While I was loading my jumbo Phantom Tube, my wife was folding my two six-foot Rice’s picture silks and the other dozen odd silks and streamers. I inserted two Abbott’s Flag staffs into the secondary load and Cindy asked me how much the value was of all the production items. I calculated at today’s prices I was producing over $2,000 worth of items within 90 seconds of stage time.
I used the help of 3 stagehands and we got the props up on stage and off to the side as I waited for my introduction. There were a number of singers on stage before me. I was not quite sure when to load my doves into my coat so my birdies had an extended wait since I loaded up a bit early. The printed schedule handed to me was in Vietnamese and the Emcee spoke only Vietnamese. I can operate in six other languages and do know a little Vietnamese but I had to keep reminding myself that the Vietnamese have a different approach to schedules and time than we do! The show rolled on and all the cues were met and at the finale, my straight jacket escape, I bowed off to a nice hand. I am not surprised at the great success many Americans are having by taking their magic acts to the Orient. The Eastern cultures love magic!
Since we are moving into a Globalist future and all world cultures are going to be interfacing socially and economically, let me depart from talking “tricks” and help you with an understanding that could get you a future magic gig in “Nam”. Hanoi used to be a French Resort and the Pearl of the Orient. I believe that in addition to manufacturing someday Viet Nam will return to be a tourist haven with resort hotels and cruise ship ports. The magician of the future will understand how all cultures see “magic” and how they see the world.
Tet is a huge celebration lasting three days. Families save money, store food, and plan far in advance for Tet, a major holiday in Vietnam. The Vietnamese take extreme care to start the New Year out right. They buy new clothes, paint and clean their homes, cook three days worth of food, pay off all debts and make amends to rid themselves of all bad feelings. Cleaning is frowned on during Tet because one would not want to sweep out any good luck. Digging and drawing water is also not allowed so the ground and water can enjoy the holiday.
The marketplace is very busy the week before Tet, as people buy food, trinkets, firecrackers, flowers, and other items in anticipation of the holiday. At four o'clock in the afternoon on Tet eve all the markets close down so the people can go home and prepare for midnight when Tet begins.
The atmosphere is very festive. Incense is burned in the homes. The color Red, symbolizing good luck and happiness is seen everywhere. Games of gambling are in the streets, homes and in cars. If a gambler wins then he is said to have good luck gambling in the New Year. If a gambler loses, he is said to have good luck in other affairs. There are dragon dances at night. Food is plentiful, homes are decorated, parks are full of crowds of people dressed in their best new clothes, and for three days the people have an ultimate celebration.
Tet is a time for visits from family and friends. The first visitor to a home is very important. If the first visitor is rich, prestigious, or happy then the family will have good fortune that year. Usually this visitor is a relative, but sometimes the family will invite a special guest that they feel will bring them good luck. The first day of Tet is reserved for visiting family and relatives. The second day is set aside for special guests and close friends to visit, and the third day is for teachers and business associates to make a visit. Negative talk and arguments are taboo. Visitors end their visit with a farewell wish for the family such as, "I wish that money will flow into your house like water, and out like a turtle."
The Vietnamese believe that their deceased ancestors will visit the family for the holiday. Alters are decorated in the homes with incense, flowers, and photographs of deceased relatives. A tray full of fruit, coins, and a tall vase of blossoms are placed in front of the alter symbolizing good luck and prosperity. The third day is also a day to visit the graves of deceased relatives. The graves are decorated with incense, flowers, and candles. Many Buddhists go to their favorite Pagoda to pray for a good year. The Catholics go to a pre-midnight mass.
Not only is Tet the beginning of a New Year, it is also everyone's birthday. The Vietnamese do not know or acknowledge the exact day they were born. A baby turns one on Tet no matter when he/she was born that year. Children say they were born in the year of the symbol of the lunar calendar for that year. On the first morning of Tet, adults congratulate children on becoming a year older by presenting them with red envelopes that contain "Lucky Money,” These envelopes are given to the children by parents, siblings, relatives and close friends.
Families choose a Tet tree, or tac, which is a cone shaped fruit tree with miniature oranges just ripening. The more fruit on the tree, the luckier the family. Greeting cards and good luck symbols are hung from the Tet trees. Each family also has a branch of the Mai tree in their homes, a symbol of spring, which bear lucky little yellow flowers.
Food plays a major role in the Tet celebration. Tet is a time of excess, one does not enjoy Tet, one "eats" Tet. The first day a feast of boiled male virgin chicken, sticky rice, and a special soup made with clear vermicelli and bamboo shoots, boiled pork, and 3 or 5 duck eggs is offered to ancestors who have returned to their homes. Sticky rice and salt are also offered in the streets to any hungry ghosts who might be wandering in the neighborhood. A traditional food is Earth cake, a square cake made with rice beans and pork. When a watermelon is cut they believe that the redder the watermelon the more luck for the family. Several different desserts and dishes are made with coconut. On the third day another feast of chicken is served to say farewell to ancestors returning to their ethereal abodes.
In the United States large populations of Vietnamese celebrate Tet Vietnamese children do not attend school that day. Ladies wear red and yellow, the colors of the Vietnamese flag and the men wear all black. They go to church, eat earth cake, and have games, carnival rides, food booths and contests that are set up at a local college. The red envelopes are passed with "lucky money" in it. In the evening red firecrackers explode and dragon dances begin. You can check “Teacherlink” on the Internet as a source for more cultural information such as presented above.
The magical entertainer of the future will understand the global audience.
************************
Sterling Steal is an aging magician with a rather unusual magic act. He looks like a robotic character and does mostly stage manipulations with large hand held objects. I was pretty impressed by his lecture at Magic By the Bay in Tampa last year. I somehow got on his mailing list and I think you will enjoy this humor he sent me:
You might be a magician if…
Your best pickup line is "Pick a card."
You tell bad jokes 75% of the time.
You pay $50 for a $1 coin.
A "shell" is not something found on a beach.
You won’t play card games with your cards.
While watching a movie or TV, you have cards in your hands.
You pose for a photo with one eyebrow raised!
Your Christmas/Birthday wish list looks like a magic catalogue.
If you've ever been asked the question "can you make my wife disappear"?
You use the word "effect" rather than "trick".
You drive 300 miles round trip to visit a teeny-tiny store.
You have over 100 responses to the phrase "How did you do that?"
You actually want to go to a lecture.
You have a dog named "Houdini".
You record every magic special on TV.
All your friends call you when magic is on TV.
Your entire list of friends name starts with "The Amazing" or "The Great".
You have your local magic shop on speed dial.
You can lose your thumb and you visit the magic shop instead of the emergency ward.
You pay to see a lecture, buy a written version of what was just demonstrated to you, and then buy a manufactured version of something in the notes.
You pay $60.00 for a book and get, possibly, one or two useful things out of it and you're happy. You have so much magic stuff in your room that it’s considered a fire hazard.
You have more elastic bands than a stationary shop.
You spend hours trying to rearrange the letters in your name to use on stage (only to come back years later using your real name).
You don't mind kissing a dove.
It really matters to you how someone shuffles your deck.
You expect people to think ‘it's magic’ when it took you half an hour to set up.
You own a top hat, cape and cane and have never gone to the opera.
You began demonstrating the mysteries of ancient China at the age of 9.
When you come to visit, your friends hide all the silverware and bring out plastic ones.
Someone actually hands you a fork and says please bend this.
You pretended to be insane just to get the straight jacket.
You spend the most money on things that other people aren’t allowed to see.
You never throw out old decks because you "can make something out of it".
You carefully watch a card-playing scene in a movie only to see what kind of cards they’re using.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Just for the male magicians:
Your girlfriend knows the sound of riffled cards over the phone.
You force your wife to take fertility drugs, so you can do those illusions that use twins....
You see a beautiful woman and think if she will suit your act.
You spend more time in front of a mirror than your girlfriend does.
You show your girlfriend the same trick everyday insisting that "I've improved it greatly".
Your wife tells you "we are going out to dinner, now dear; please leave your toys at home".
You are the only one of your male friends that has a nice "silk collection".
Dennis Phillips
Saturday January 26th was when many Vietnamese here in Florida celebrated “Tet”, the Vietnamese New Year. Actually, the official date for Tet will be on February 7th this year. The New Year begins on the first night of the first moon after the sun enters Aquarius. We are moving from the 2007year of the Pig to the 2008 year of the Rat. I guess for people of my generation the Tet holiday will forever be linked to form the words “Tet Offensive”. The North Vietnamese Communist Army staged a massive military offensive against U.S. forces in February of 1968 on the Tet holiday. It utterly failed and American troops in Viet Nam mopped up all resistance in a couple of day but the psychological damage was done in the minds of the American people and we lost interest in the Viet Nam War and 7 years later we finally got our behinds handed to us and withdrew.
That withdrawal and slow military disengagement of America from Viet Nam prompted a number of Vietnamese to apply for political asylum here in the United States and Central Florida became one area of concentration. In Orlando the area around Mills and Colonial is referred to by many as “Little Viet Nam”. I live in downtown Orlando and we have an Asian neighbor and by a series of acquaintances I was recommended to perform a stage show at the local Tet event. It was at the Central Florida Fairgrounds on a rainy Saturday night.
I was not aware just how huge this 2,500 person event turned out to be. I always carry my own sound system for a stage show and it was not needed. They had a full festival sound system run by an events company.
Oddly enough the Vietnamese Roman Catholic Church was a major sponsor. Recall the Viet Nam was a colony of France and the French brought Christianity to the country that previously had been mostly Buddhist in the cities. I find it utterly fascinating to witness religious syncretism. Vestiges of the pre-Christian religion exist in the legends, dance and graphics, but most have been Christianized. One could argue that the entire Christian religion represents a syncretism between Diasporic Judaism, Hellenistic Stoicism and the Roman Empire’s old religion. Humans tend to find the kind of god and belief system they believe they think they need.
Al Coury had seen my name in a Tet flyer and called me a couple of hours before I left the house saying that he wanted to be at the show but he also had a gig that night at another location. I carry a full carload of props since I wanted the act to be big, flashy and filled with flowers, silks and rice bowls. I would still anchor the show with my standard eight minute opening to my club act using doves and a rabbit finale. While I was loading my jumbo Phantom Tube, my wife was folding my two six-foot Rice’s picture silks and the other dozen odd silks and streamers. I inserted two Abbott’s Flag staffs into the secondary load and Cindy asked me how much the value was of all the production items. I calculated at today’s prices I was producing over $2,000 worth of items within 90 seconds of stage time.
I used the help of 3 stagehands and we got the props up on stage and off to the side as I waited for my introduction. There were a number of singers on stage before me. I was not quite sure when to load my doves into my coat so my birdies had an extended wait since I loaded up a bit early. The printed schedule handed to me was in Vietnamese and the Emcee spoke only Vietnamese. I can operate in six other languages and do know a little Vietnamese but I had to keep reminding myself that the Vietnamese have a different approach to schedules and time than we do! The show rolled on and all the cues were met and at the finale, my straight jacket escape, I bowed off to a nice hand. I am not surprised at the great success many Americans are having by taking their magic acts to the Orient. The Eastern cultures love magic!
Since we are moving into a Globalist future and all world cultures are going to be interfacing socially and economically, let me depart from talking “tricks” and help you with an understanding that could get you a future magic gig in “Nam”. Hanoi used to be a French Resort and the Pearl of the Orient. I believe that in addition to manufacturing someday Viet Nam will return to be a tourist haven with resort hotels and cruise ship ports. The magician of the future will understand how all cultures see “magic” and how they see the world.
Tet is a huge celebration lasting three days. Families save money, store food, and plan far in advance for Tet, a major holiday in Vietnam. The Vietnamese take extreme care to start the New Year out right. They buy new clothes, paint and clean their homes, cook three days worth of food, pay off all debts and make amends to rid themselves of all bad feelings. Cleaning is frowned on during Tet because one would not want to sweep out any good luck. Digging and drawing water is also not allowed so the ground and water can enjoy the holiday.
The marketplace is very busy the week before Tet, as people buy food, trinkets, firecrackers, flowers, and other items in anticipation of the holiday. At four o'clock in the afternoon on Tet eve all the markets close down so the people can go home and prepare for midnight when Tet begins.
The atmosphere is very festive. Incense is burned in the homes. The color Red, symbolizing good luck and happiness is seen everywhere. Games of gambling are in the streets, homes and in cars. If a gambler wins then he is said to have good luck gambling in the New Year. If a gambler loses, he is said to have good luck in other affairs. There are dragon dances at night. Food is plentiful, homes are decorated, parks are full of crowds of people dressed in their best new clothes, and for three days the people have an ultimate celebration.
Tet is a time for visits from family and friends. The first visitor to a home is very important. If the first visitor is rich, prestigious, or happy then the family will have good fortune that year. Usually this visitor is a relative, but sometimes the family will invite a special guest that they feel will bring them good luck. The first day of Tet is reserved for visiting family and relatives. The second day is set aside for special guests and close friends to visit, and the third day is for teachers and business associates to make a visit. Negative talk and arguments are taboo. Visitors end their visit with a farewell wish for the family such as, "I wish that money will flow into your house like water, and out like a turtle."
The Vietnamese believe that their deceased ancestors will visit the family for the holiday. Alters are decorated in the homes with incense, flowers, and photographs of deceased relatives. A tray full of fruit, coins, and a tall vase of blossoms are placed in front of the alter symbolizing good luck and prosperity. The third day is also a day to visit the graves of deceased relatives. The graves are decorated with incense, flowers, and candles. Many Buddhists go to their favorite Pagoda to pray for a good year. The Catholics go to a pre-midnight mass.
Not only is Tet the beginning of a New Year, it is also everyone's birthday. The Vietnamese do not know or acknowledge the exact day they were born. A baby turns one on Tet no matter when he/she was born that year. Children say they were born in the year of the symbol of the lunar calendar for that year. On the first morning of Tet, adults congratulate children on becoming a year older by presenting them with red envelopes that contain "Lucky Money,” These envelopes are given to the children by parents, siblings, relatives and close friends.
Families choose a Tet tree, or tac, which is a cone shaped fruit tree with miniature oranges just ripening. The more fruit on the tree, the luckier the family. Greeting cards and good luck symbols are hung from the Tet trees. Each family also has a branch of the Mai tree in their homes, a symbol of spring, which bear lucky little yellow flowers.
Food plays a major role in the Tet celebration. Tet is a time of excess, one does not enjoy Tet, one "eats" Tet. The first day a feast of boiled male virgin chicken, sticky rice, and a special soup made with clear vermicelli and bamboo shoots, boiled pork, and 3 or 5 duck eggs is offered to ancestors who have returned to their homes. Sticky rice and salt are also offered in the streets to any hungry ghosts who might be wandering in the neighborhood. A traditional food is Earth cake, a square cake made with rice beans and pork. When a watermelon is cut they believe that the redder the watermelon the more luck for the family. Several different desserts and dishes are made with coconut. On the third day another feast of chicken is served to say farewell to ancestors returning to their ethereal abodes.
In the United States large populations of Vietnamese celebrate Tet Vietnamese children do not attend school that day. Ladies wear red and yellow, the colors of the Vietnamese flag and the men wear all black. They go to church, eat earth cake, and have games, carnival rides, food booths and contests that are set up at a local college. The red envelopes are passed with "lucky money" in it. In the evening red firecrackers explode and dragon dances begin. You can check “Teacherlink” on the Internet as a source for more cultural information such as presented above.
The magical entertainer of the future will understand the global audience.
************************
Sterling Steal is an aging magician with a rather unusual magic act. He looks like a robotic character and does mostly stage manipulations with large hand held objects. I was pretty impressed by his lecture at Magic By the Bay in Tampa last year. I somehow got on his mailing list and I think you will enjoy this humor he sent me:
You might be a magician if…
Your best pickup line is "Pick a card."
You tell bad jokes 75% of the time.
You pay $50 for a $1 coin.
A "shell" is not something found on a beach.
You won’t play card games with your cards.
While watching a movie or TV, you have cards in your hands.
You pose for a photo with one eyebrow raised!
Your Christmas/Birthday wish list looks like a magic catalogue.
If you've ever been asked the question "can you make my wife disappear"?
You use the word "effect" rather than "trick".
You drive 300 miles round trip to visit a teeny-tiny store.
You have over 100 responses to the phrase "How did you do that?"
You actually want to go to a lecture.
You have a dog named "Houdini".
You record every magic special on TV.
All your friends call you when magic is on TV.
Your entire list of friends name starts with "The Amazing" or "The Great".
You have your local magic shop on speed dial.
You can lose your thumb and you visit the magic shop instead of the emergency ward.
You pay to see a lecture, buy a written version of what was just demonstrated to you, and then buy a manufactured version of something in the notes.
You pay $60.00 for a book and get, possibly, one or two useful things out of it and you're happy. You have so much magic stuff in your room that it’s considered a fire hazard.
You have more elastic bands than a stationary shop.
You spend hours trying to rearrange the letters in your name to use on stage (only to come back years later using your real name).
You don't mind kissing a dove.
It really matters to you how someone shuffles your deck.
You expect people to think ‘it's magic’ when it took you half an hour to set up.
You own a top hat, cape and cane and have never gone to the opera.
You began demonstrating the mysteries of ancient China at the age of 9.
When you come to visit, your friends hide all the silverware and bring out plastic ones.
Someone actually hands you a fork and says please bend this.
You pretended to be insane just to get the straight jacket.
You spend the most money on things that other people aren’t allowed to see.
You never throw out old decks because you "can make something out of it".
You carefully watch a card-playing scene in a movie only to see what kind of cards they’re using.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Just for the male magicians:
Your girlfriend knows the sound of riffled cards over the phone.
You force your wife to take fertility drugs, so you can do those illusions that use twins....
You see a beautiful woman and think if she will suit your act.
You spend more time in front of a mirror than your girlfriend does.
You show your girlfriend the same trick everyday insisting that "I've improved it greatly".
Your wife tells you "we are going out to dinner, now dear; please leave your toys at home".
You are the only one of your male friends that has a nice "silk collection".
Dennis Phillips
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)