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Magic Convention Guide Podcast 01.03.10 – Blackpool

March 1st, 2010 - Magic Convention Guide

We caught up with Derek Lever during the Blackpool Magic Convention to talk briefly about this years convention, and some of the things you can expect at the 2011 convention.

The 2011 Blackpool Magic Convention starts at 9am on Friday 18th February 2011, and will include the first European FISM Championships, featuring 30 close up performers and 60 stage performers!

Tickets and information can be obtained through the Blackpool Magicians Site, and you can follow all our updates on Blackpool 2011 here on our site.

We also caught up with The Magic Circle, and Equity, who both had stands at Blackpool, to talk about why the organisations are important to magicians, and what they can offer members.

Click below to listen.

[podcast]http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3?http://magicconventionguide.jellycast.com/pod/MagicConventionGuide010310%20-%20Blackpool.mp3[/podcast]

The 2011 Blackpool Magic Convention takes place 18th, 19th and 20th February 2011, and you can check out all the photo’s we took this year below

All of our reporting from the weekend can be found on The Blackpool Magic Convention 2010 reports

Blackpool Hotels

February 23rd, 2010 - Magic Convention Guide

Picking a Hotel for Blackpool weekend can be hard, how was yours? did they welcome you with open arms? or lock you out because you weren’t back by 9 (am or pm!).

We’d like to hear your views on your hotel, please keep it constructive if possible, so we can start to build up a list of where’s good to stop, and where’s not.

You might want to include things like access to the Ruskin and Winter Gardens, costs, quality of room, did if have parking? internet? etc.

Just pop through your thoughts to info@magicconventionguide.com and we’ll list them up on our hotel reviews section for Blackpool to help you book for next year…

Blackpool Magicians Convention – 58th International Gala Show

February 23rd, 2010 - Magic Convention Guide

The weekend of outstanding magic came to a close with the International Gala show at The Opera House on the sunday evening. The show started at 7pm, although actually didn’t finish until close to midnight almost 4 hours later!

The audience was greeted by the sounds of ‘Salene’ as she played the electronic Violin as they took their seats before Mick Miller took to the stage to Compere the evening.

First up was the amazing talents of Korea’s Han Seol Hui, his Fism winning act, manipulating CD’s at speed. It was a high energy set to open with and as always with the Korean contingent, polished and skillful.

Mick Miller returned with David Williamson to talk about ‘electronics in magic’, David trying to demonstrate with a remote controlled dancing silk. Unfortunately the only movement on stage was Williamson sending Wayne Dobson on a winding tour of the stage in his wheel chair, from the wings and back again. Hugely funny.

Next up was The Great Kaplan with an act many of us might have seen, but I personally always love. Catching a bowling ball ‘falling’ from the ceiling, hat juggling amongst other things, his comedy timing spot on, mixing juggling and magic into a funny set.

Dania presented her record breaking Hula Hoop skills, showing deft control and skills with single, double and triple loops. She continued by adding many more to hula hoop with ease enough to cover her body.

Clive Webb & Danny Adams were back, minus the large amounts of paint from the previous night, although one unfortunate audience member was attempted to be vanished, and had gallons of ‘goo’ poured over him inside the box, as with the previous night great fun, and spot on comedy timing!

Huang Zheng did her manipulation act “remember”, a lovely routine set to music, silk, card, flower and streamer productions, before Levent came to the stage to deliver a good set.

Russ Stevens closed the first half with illusions, including I believe at least one brand new one, he also included this routine set to Stings ‘Shape of My Heart’. The first half ran close to 2 hours

The second half opened with presentation of awards (as mentioned previously), before Ken Dodd OBE, said ‘a few words’. Ken was followed by the superb manipulations of Yo Kato from Japan with his thimble and wand manipulations, against excellent quality, and fast.

David and Dania presented they new act, quick change set to various decades of music, again, as always amazing costume changes, and full of energy.

Headlining the show and closing the evening was Franz Harary and Company, I think Franz suffered slightly from the audience being tired, and not giving him the energy that he was expecting as the show was now heading towards its fourth hour. This aside Franz really performed for the audience, his excess baggage bill must have been huge as he rolled out large scale illusion after illusion that he had brought over. Testament to Harary as well was the fact that he only had a small part of his on stage crew with him, the rest being made up of local dancers and magicians.

Producing dancers to start off with, levitations, impailments and working through some of his signature style of illusions, it was a good set full of energy from Franz.

The show was very long, but enjoyable and had a great mix of magic and comedy in it, and was a wonderful close to a fantastic and long weekend of magic.

Blackpool Magicians Convention – Murray Award, Ken Dodd comedy award and Special Awards

February 21st, 2010 - Magic Convention Guide

Before the second half Blackpool Magicians club awarded their special awards.

Jack Delvin and John Pye were awarded the Blackpool Magicians Club Murray Award.

Tom Owen was awarded a recognition of his service to the Blackpool magicians convention

The Ken Dodd comedy award was awarded to Clive Webb and Danny Adams

Blackpool Magicians Convention – Yigal Mesika Star Lecture

February 21st, 2010 - Andy Reay

Again another capacity crowd, this time for Yigal Mesika from Israel. Blackpool Magicians Convention have pulled out all the stops this year. Although Yigal is working with a product that is difficult to see from a long way away, the audience were not short of enthusiasm for the magic he presented.

We learnt some amazing presentations including floating bills, rings, forks, sunglasses and much more. But not only that, we learnt how to perform using Yigals apparatus correctly. The magic Yigal Mesika performed was extremely visual and just as strong  seen on large projector screens.

Yigal discussed technique and also conditions which was a major factor that often goes without consideration. I had not seen Yigal perform before today, so well done to the organisers.

Blackpool Magicians Convention – John Bannon

February 21st, 2010 - Magic Convention Guide

John Bannon is just a pleasure to watch, put a deck of cards in his hands and you have Nirvana.

He took the audience through a number of excellent effects, the nice thing with Johns effects being that although they perform extremely strong, many you wont be busting your knuckles over.

A great example of this was a nice self working poker hand effect which he walked the audience though.

Of course John Bannon is extremely talented and the end of the lecture involved him ‘wanting to do some moves’, which gave us the chance to see some classic Bannon moves and magic.

John doesn’t lecture that much, so its always worth attending anything he does, a great lecture, full of something for everyone, simple, and complex.