David Copperfield Assembly #161
President: Doug Thornton, 973.489.1953 – magicdt3000@hotmail..com
Secretary: Christopher J.. Smith, 908.850.8765 – sam-161@comcast.net
Meets: second Monday ; Stage House Restaurant 366 Park Avenue Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Assembly Web Site: www.sam161.org
Magick Balay Lecture at SAM-161
Plus a National S.A.M. Announcement
Our November meeting was full of excitement. S.A..M National President Vinny Grosso made a special trip – after returning from Tokyo the day before – to meet with us and set up a Skype call with S.A.M. Convention Producer John Apperson to make a special announcement: “The Society of American Magicians is proud to announce that David Copperfield will be the guest of honor at our national convention in Las Vegas July 23-26, 2012.” This news conjured up a round of applause from our members. Next, our very own namesake, David Copperfield, called us from his island home. Vinny and our President Doug Thornton thanked David and congratulated him for this special recognition. David also took a moment to wish long time friend and SAM-161 member Carl Bajor a Happy Birthday. David then recounted his long history with the S.A.M. as its Ambassador of Magic and the support he received as a youth from Past President and M-U-M Editor Leslie P. Guest. We were thrilled to have David take the time to call us to make it an extra special meeting. David welcomes all S.A.M. Members to Las Vegas this summer. S.A.M. Convention Producer John Apperson also announced that tickets for the David Copperfield show at the MGM Grand will be included as part of the entertainment package for all those registered at the convention. This $118 value is included with the low convention registration rate of $225 for S.A.M. Members at the early bird rate.
A special National S.A.M. recognition was made to Norm Rosen, for his tireless efforts in leading the way to bring magic performances to our veterans' hospitals and children's hospitals. S.A.M. National President Vinny Grosso presented a special plaque to Norm plus Certificates Of Appreciation to our other volunteers. Great work, Norm, you set the example for the rest of us!
We were then honored to have Magick Balay, a New York City Magician and Wizard, give a very exciting, informative, and fun lecture. Magick taught his handling of the magic he carries with him every day. Magick's bill switch for which he has produced a DVD called "Four Quarters" is the smoothest in the hands bill switch out there. Magick taught his handling in detail and then showed us a quick pen vanish that looked awesome. Next Magick showed us his handling of the "ITR" with his "Centrifugal" floating coin effect . Magick also taught us how to repair a broken ITR so that you can repair it when needed. This was some of the best thread work we have seen, and it can be repeated in your walk around set. Up close all of Magick's levitations are practical and look very magical. We were also given the opportunity to see a short film on the life of Magick and how he grew up with magic from a young age.
Magick is full of energy and had a lot of useful information. It was great to have him visit us for this rare lecture.
CHRISTOPHER J. SMITH – Secretary SAM 161 - Scotch Plains, NJ
