When magic meets technology

Check out this superb M for Magic episode, with Joakim Gomez from Singapore Idol:

Special thanks to JC Sum and Ning, Joakim and Sinema TV.

Also check out and like SinemaTV’s facebook page for more exciting stuff!

An invitation to Le Grand Cabaret in Singapore

Last night, Jonathan, Samuel and myself were invited to perform for Association Française de Singapour’s (French Association Singapore) anniversary dinner at Amara Sanctuary Resort in Sentosa.

It was an exclusive event with French Ambassador as the Guest of Honour. We had much fun performing our brand of Interactive Roving Magic in a cabaret setting and style.

Samuel entertaining the Cabaret performers with his magic!

During our breaks, some of the performers requested us to perform magic for them. The performance was different from other venues and events as the guests were mostly french. We had to customize our magic slightly to accommodate to their culture. We did our magic in burst of 3 to 5 minutes, so that they can enjoy the food as well. The reason why it was arranged in such a way is because of the French culture of putting down their utensils when there is a programme going on. Hence they gave us their utmost attention whenever we approached and performed for their table.

Overall, I think the Meta Illusions team did an extremely good job. The President, Christine, thanked us personally after the last set. We do look forward to pictures and their publication which would feature some of our magic highlights. =)

Signing off,

Alexander

So now…. I am really excited to share the news that Jonathan’s episode will be aired next Tuesday, that’s right, on Valentine’s Day. Check out the trailer!

We love it! Tell us what you think by leaving a comment!

Signing off,

Alexander

This production had featured all the performers at Meta Illusions. Samuel and I was in season 1, Jonathan and myself in season 2. Pretty awesome stuff. Check out the episode that featured Samuel and myself here:

It was really fun working with the Sinema Team, I loved their professionalism and I am very certain that this season will be a hotter season than before. You will see magic that has never been showcased before.

And now… the trailer:

Stay tuned….!

Cheers!

Alexander

Meta Illusions was a part of the official opening, Jonathan and I were asked to perform our brand of Close Up Magic for the guest as well as the public. We did our Interactive Roving Magic for audiences inside The Shoppes (the Mall in MBS) as well as the MRT station itself.

This was a shot of me performing outside Gucci for a group of tourist from China. It is amazing to me how magic can transcend cultures. They truly enjoyed the magic. I should add that I performed some bits with features interaction in Chinese.

It was loads of fun performing for the tourist and shoppers in Marina Bay Sands. In the year 2010, I was the resident magician for the Skypark, and I think it is an honour for me to be on top of their list when it comes to Magic Entertainment. Meta Illusions is proud to be their preferred choice for Interactive Magic!

Signing off,

Alexander

This is interesting to someone who studied psychology, like myself. It seems to me that magic has the ability to foster closer relations (something that I wrote about here), and thereafter the reactions and social referencing tend to be more pronounced and quicker. I think there is something special about watching a magic performance together, it’s like watching a movie together.

So academics aside, I am very pleased to have been invited to perform for good friends and relatives.

I had a lot of fun performing for them, and it really does bring a smile to my face that my magic brought a smile to theirs.

So if you have a celebration (Chinese New Year) and think that having an exclusive magic performance is a good way to celebrate it with your friends and family, do check us out at here!

Cheers!

Alexander ; )

The magician would set up his table or case and would be able to gather a huge crowd for his act, and they typically look like this:

This is pretty remarkable, and it is a full show with a definitive beginning and an end. Wonderful, simply wonderful.

And since I was in the States, I managed to meet real Street Performers and interacted with them. I learnt how to gather a huge crowd, I learnt how to maintain a crowd and end with a bang. Also, I took the six months I had in the States to design, craft and test my very own Street show, which I now call, Street Theatre. It was very well received by the Americans =)

While it is true that in Singapore, we do not have a lot of magicians who do shows like this, most of them do “hit and run” magic in which they show one or two ‘tricks’ and then leave. I have a certain distaste for this type of performance because it tend to leave your audience feeling incomplete.

I had a conviction that what I had to offer was different and the things I learnt while I was in America would be valuable to the events industry in Singapore. I decided to do Street Theatre in the streets of Singapore. And the result? It turned out better than expected. I had tons of people stopping to watch my show.

On a separate engagement:

Street Theatre is a show, not a hit and run type of performance but a structured and well designed show to maximize  buzz and add colour to your event. It caters  very well to events like festival, trade shows, road shows and product launches in which buzz and exposure is important.

Check out our promo video for Street Theatre (in HD): 

For more information on Street Theatre or a consultation on the best form of magic for you event, check out our website at www.metaillusions.com

See ya!

Alexander

Season Greetings from Meta Illusions!

I was really fortunate to be able to share my magic and bringing smiles and laughter to adults and children. I brought the Close Up Theatre show to a Water Place Condo for a private performance. I performed for the family’s friends and relatives both consisting of adults and children.

An impossible feat of magic

Many of the adults have seen magic shows in children and kids parties. I had a lot of positive feedback about how the Close Up Theatre Show was something that was different from what they seen and that all of them felt involved in the progress of the show.

There were a couple of parents that came up to me after the show telling me that after watching my show, their kids want to learn magic! That is inspiring! I gave them several resources in which they can learn the fundamentals of magic. =)

It was an awesome Christmas eve. The feeling of bring joy and laughter is priceless. Merry Christmas readers and friends!

Merry Christmas!

Alexander

I had the pleasure of presenting my Close Up Theatre Show in a private gathering.

MetaIllusions is proud to feature this show. With that said, this show is catered to private events with a small (30 pax) number of guest. The Close Up Theatre is a structured show, with a beginning and a grand finale. In fact, this show builds on the show I do at Bar84 during my 6 month stint there.

One of the highlights: Blind Man's Aces

Interactive and fun!

While this show is branded as a show for a corporate type of setting, it is suitable for a family crowd as well. With that said, this is not a kids show with silly gags and oversized props, do check with us so that we can ensure the best fit of entertainment for you.

The prelude to the Grand Finale

I am really excited about this show, in fact, I am pleased to announced that for this particular show, we already have bookings for it in the new year. That’s pretty awesome!

For more information on bookings and pricing check out our website @ http://www.metaillusions.com/

Or you can drop me an email at alexander@metaillusions.com

Signing off,

Alexander

Weddings are one of the most tricky events to do. For close up magic, on its surface, it is very much the same as any other cocktail reception event.

However, here is the catch.

Especially in local context, invited guest span over a huge demographics. Hence as a performer and from experience, I know that there will be grandparents, adults, young adults (usually children of the older relatives) and even younger children. Contrast this to a regular cocktail reception by a company, you can be fairly certain that the range do not span too widely.

Because of the large demographic, you will need a strong performer who can connect and interact with adults, and at the same time not neglecting the children. If the performer does not do his/her job well, the wedding as a whole may suffer.

The second problem: “Who is the star?”

I think a lot of performers do not recognize that the star of the event is not the magic or the magician, it is the wedded couple. I have heard stories in which the performer makes a grander entrance than the wedded couple. While this is all good in a corporate event, in my opinion, it is not for the couple. I would rather the couple shine on their special day. This is the very same reason I only recommend close up mingling magic for weddings, and not a stage show in which the audience would have to fixate on the performer. Also, considering problem one, a stage show is not the most ideal situation due to the wide demographics. That is, one style of magic performance may appeal to the older crowd but leave the younger adults alienated, or vice versa.

With all that said, I am actually very happy to share a wonderful testimonial from a satisfied client who engaged me to do mingling magic for his solemnization event:

“Hi Alex,

Base on the expressions and feedback I got from all my guests, your performance is marvelous and entertaining. I would strongly recommend other of my friends to you further more I will engage you again for my wedding lunch performance.

Once again thank you for making my wedding/ROM ceremony a memorable one”

Thanks Ian! That made my day!

I managed to get pictures for the lovely wedding held at a gorgeous location at Naumi Hotel. (Courtesy of Ian)

Magical Appearance of the Birthday Surprise!

This event was planned way before the solemnization itself, and I customized a special magic effect in which I made a special birthday gift appear for Ian’s wife, Evelyn. When I appeared with the birthday cake, the lovely bride was suprised as it was a secret. That is just one way of making sure that the couple feels special at the end of the performance.

Interacting with the crowd!

The young ones = )

=)

Congratulations Ian and Evelyn!

I hope this would be useful information for you when you plan for your wedding. Do contact us to consult on how you can create that magical moment for your wedding.

Signing off,

Alexander = )