The Secrets Of Magicians
With the Magicians Society annual show coming up, MidWeek’s intrepid reporter learns the secrets of how magic tricks are actually done
Noah Ellis and his mom, Heather, smile while Chock
shows off one of her tricks
doing a lot of things we haven’t tried before.”
Besides this month’s show, Ching tells MidWeek that the holiday season is especially busy for the Magicians’ Society.
“People approach me with requests for charity shows, like the Salvation Army. Club members, they do a lot of charity work.
“I’ve been around the club since I was 6 or 7 years old. I think it’s worth it,” he adds.
The club members enjoy showing off their tricks for charity because, Ching says, they are so dedicated to their craft.
“For most of us (this is) a part-time allocation, some are simply doing it for fun, maybe a couple of us who are full time.
“I’m not just doing magic shows. I’ve written a book on magic, got several products coming out. A few of us are branching out.”
It’s very exciting, Ching adds, to be a part of the group, especially one that is so close-knit.
“A lot of us grew up in a pretty tight circle. Everybody knows each other. There are not too many who do what we do.
“It’s nice to see how people’s skills are coming up to speed.”
Chock shows the trick of having a pocket built into a
newspaper cone for the ‘roll up cone’ effect
Ching, whose personal speciality is floating and animation, remembers getting his “call to magic” at a young age.
“I was growing up in Pauoa Valley taking care of my aging grandmother. One thing we did together was watch a variety show. One caught my attention, this guy did a pocket handkerchief trick, it really impressed me.”
Afterwards, Ching headed to Jimmy Yoshida’s magic shop to the materials he needed to try the trick on his own. From there, the rest is history.
“I kind of got known for the art of making things move around. If you’re actually watching magic happen, that’s what impresses me about it.”
The Hawaii Magicians Society is a local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.
The network includes more than 14,000 magicians worldwide who gather together at their local meetings, conventions and communicate through the IBM official magazine, The Linking Ring.
Anyone 12 years and older with a sincere interest in magic is welcome to join the IBM. The Hawaii Magicians Society has a special sub-chapter, the Society for Young Magicians, specifically for youths, which is headed up by group member Ron Ishimaru.
This year the HMS web site won top honors in the IBM, competing with all other pages (from other groups) on the Mainland and internationally. Check out the site at www.hawaiimagicclub.com
HMS’s annual event happens on Thursday, Dec. 28, at the Jikoen Hongwanji Hall, 1731 N. School St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for kids and $10 for adults.
To contact the society about entering the show’s competition, or for any other questions, call Ching at 836-1800 or email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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