Magicians hone craft at event

Friday, Jan. 17, 2003 | 9:22 a.m.

Most of the year it only seems as if there are 1,000 magicians in Las Vegas.

This week, there actually were.

That's about how many amateur and professional practitioners of the black art attended the 26th annual World Magic Seminar at Riviera.

The convention began Sunday and ended Wednesday night with an awards ceremony.

Siegfried & Roy founded the seminar as a means for magicians to come together and discuss their craft. Only 25 attended the first gathering.

"This year's convention was sparkling," said seminar chairman Rich Bloch, a magician who often opens for Amazing Johnathan. "We were sold out. It was one of the best ever attended."

The convention, which is closed to the general public, included two major additions this year -- a two-day session for teenagers, which preceded the main event, and an awards ceremony by the Academy of Magical Arts.

Lance Burton was a driving force behind the teen seminar, which began earlier than the convention last Friday.

"Ten years ago we started a teen program," Burton said to the gathering during closing ceremonies Wednesday. "This year we expanded it to a whole weekend, a whole separate thing from the convention."

Burton said 35 young magicians attended the classes, which included lectures by some of the top talents in Las Vegas, among them Penn & Teller, Amazing Johnathan and Siegfried and Roy.

Bloch said Siegfried & Roy are not merely figureheads for the seminars.

"They are deeply involved in the construction of the programs and the tenor of the event," Bloch said. "In addition to being astounding performers, they are deeply committed to the development of the art of magic.

"They take the seminar very seriously. They want to make sure it is a teaching and sharing experience."

Bloch noted that in years past the Academy of Magical Arts has held its awards ceremony, which is the magicians' equivalent to the Oscars, in Los Angeles.

"This year, for the first time, the Academy joined us to honor the outstanding people in the world of magic," he said.

Receiving performance awards were magician/memory expert Harry Lorayne and English magician Alan Shaxon. Les Smith, owner of a company that builds props for magicians, received a lifetime achievement award. Author Sid Fleischman, who has written a number of novels incorporating magic, was honored for his literary accomplishments. And Cesareo Pelaez, one of the top grand illusionists in the world, was also given a lifetime achievement award.

The Academy of Magical Arts is an arm of the Magic Castle, a private club for magicians in Los Angeles.

Among those who were honored by the organization, but were not on hand to accept their awards, was David Blane. Blane was named Magician of the Year.

Also recognized at the awards ceremony was Al Cohen, 77, former owner of Al's Magic Shop in Washington D.C. Cohen owned the business for 57 years before retiring about two years ago.

The Wednesday ceremony included performances by some of Las Vegas' top magicians, including Jason Byrne and Darren Romeo, who includes singing in his performances.

Romeo is a protege of Siegfried & Roy, who produced a show featuring him during a brief run at their theater at The Mirage last year.