Pasarbella Soft Launch Event

Posted on May 9, 2013 by alexander

Last weekend was Pasarbella’s soft launch and I was very excited to be invited to perform my magic for the launch. I was excited for two reasons, the first reason was that I am always excited about sharing my magic and the second reason was that I love farmers’ market! I remember fondly of my exchange semester in America and travelling to the different states and their farmers’ market. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to be able to re-experience the joys of fresh food and vibrancy in Pasarbella.

Fresh Seafood in a Portland Farmers’ Market, Oregon

And I was not disappointed at all. The stalls in Pasarbella had very fresh seafood, pastries and food.

Opening of Pasarbella, Singapore

Upon entry, I was greeted by the fresh aroma of the sea. The seafood was huge and looks really fresh. They had a wide selection of fresh prawns, oysters, fish and crabs. Simply delightful!

Seafood at Pasarbella

My role at the soft launch of Pasarbella was to add to the vibrancy and buzz of the market. As such, I recommended sets of Interactive Roving Magic with Street Theatre shows interspersed throughout the day. I specifically declined doing a stage show because it would demand too much of the public’s attention and time. And it was my stand that the highlight should really be the stalls.

Interacting with the families and friends of Pasarbella

As you can tell, I also made several changes to my usual attire. Given the context, I decided to “dress down” so that I would fit into the Farmer’s Market theme. I added some accessories and quirky colours in my attire to make me stand out, without making me look out of place. In contrast, wearing a suit and a tie would make me stand out, but look out of place in this event. With that said, I have to put a disclaimer that there is nothing inherently interesting with a magician who dresses in bright flashy clown colours. If he fails to deliver good magic, no amount of coloured polka dots would make the audiences want to stay to continue watching him.

Crowd starting to gather behind

The curious crowd gathered to see what was behind the “oooo-s and ahhhh-s” during my performance. Having noticed a pattern in crowd formation in my performing experience, I anticipated this to happen. That was why I strongly recommended Street Theatre to be featured so that I could perform to a larger group curious audiences and satisfy their curiousity through a good performance.

Performing for the family crowd at Pasarbella

To add a personal touch to the show, I deliberately used the produce from the stalls. As you can see in the next picture, I produced a rock melon and 2 tangerines from a stall called Tangy Tangerines and the onion and lemon from a stall called Sg Organic. I also gave out balloons from my good friends, Brenda and Pearlyn’s stall: Party Blasters. This not only entertained the public, but also “educated” them and made them aware of what Pasarbella had to offer. Since it was cogent with the magic, I gave these stalls a shout-out and a quick pitch in the performance.

Making fresh produce appear!

I resumed my roving magic after the Street Theatre set and I was very privileged to perform for the brilliant mind of the Pasarbella, Mr Clovis Lim. Clovis was featured on several publications about the concept and creation of Pasarbella. He is truly a young entrepreneur who dares to take an idea and push it into realization.

Performing to Clovis Lim and friends

Very much like the conception of Meta Illusions’ Street Theatre show (which was inspired by street shows in America and Europe, not seen in Singapore), Pasarbella was conceived from other global markets. And prior to Pasarbella, there weren’t any “farmers’ market” in Singapore. I take my hat off to Clovis and team in being brave and bringing this first-of-its-kind idea into life in Singapore.

Pasarbella Singapore

I did several Street Theatre shows during the launch on each day. Given the wideness of the place, I alternated my shows between both ends of the market to maximize visibility and engagement of the public.

sIMG_5686

There were a lot more children in the audience in the West side of the market because of Party Blaster’s bouncy castle but it did not affect the show as it was specially designed to engage children and adults, without having to be too kiddish nor clownish. This is the strength of a well designed show that aims to provide fun and magic, instead of aiming to “cater to kids” or “cater to adults”.

Audience participation and anticipation

All in all, it was a super fun experience performing at Pasarbella and reliving the sights and sounds of a farmer’s market. I am really glad that I was able to add buzz, colour and energy to the event making it fun for children, adults and families in general.

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen

Interactive Roving Magic for a Gala Dinner

Posted on May 8, 2013 by alexander

Last week, I was invited to perform at a gala dinner at The White Rabbit off Dempsey Road. It was a really exciting and fun performance as I got to work with a good friend of mine, Saiful (Check his company out here: Fabulousity Party). It is always a pleasure to work with him as he understands my USP and appreciates the value that I give when he gets me for an event. Truly a joy working with him every time : )

Good friend and events producer: Saiful

I was specially engaged to interact and engage the guests during the cocktail reception before the main dinner. The White Rabbit is quite a charming place with a nice garden porch. Guests who arrived earlier were treated to my magic instead of just “standing around” and waiting. The crowd started to stream in shortly.

Performing to an Australian couple

Interactive Roving Magic allows me, the magician to bring the magic even closer to the guests. The magic is often done in their hands and they get to experience the magic on a personal level. It creates a new dimension of amazement as magic is not only visual but tactile. This is something that stage magic cannot achieve.

Performing close up magic up close!

From the pictures, you can tell that the guests consisted of a diverse group. A large majority are Singapore expats who had been in Singapore for a while. In the midst of performance, one of them even jokingly exclaimed, “Please come to Australia with me to perform!” I was amused and flattered.

Singapore Expat Magician

My performance during the cocktail session was highly appraised by the organizer as well as the guests. What set me apart was the fact that I was able to perform my magic in a clear and eloquent manner which allowed my audiences to understand and appreciate the magic even better. Saiful understood this and why it was necessary to have a performer who speaks eloquently, therefore making me his choice for this event.

Magic in the hands of a spectator

It was a fun filled night and when the doors were open for dinner, the crowd were energized and ready for the evening to come! It was satisfying to hear the many praises and future engagements that were conveyed to me by Saiful at the end of the night.

For an events producer, this is a positive indication of success. You can never go wrong when you choose quality over budget because quality and class will make your current event a success and secure future engagements for you. Like Levi’s motto: ”Quality never goes out of style”

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen

PAssionArts Festival 2013: Arts for everyone

Posted on April 30, 2013 by alexander

“Hi Alexander,

I have to give a huge thanks to you for all your help in this event! You were a real crowd-puller, and you were really great in engaging with the residents. Many were impressed with your magic and I believe your presence really helped to make the event a success. So thank you!”

Nur Hazwany Mohd Razali (Ms) Constituency Manager

Changi Simei Constituency Office

One of the visions of PAssionArts is to showcase “Arts and Culture for Everyone, Everywhere, Everyday”. This was also one of my ideals while developing Street Theatre in 2010 after returning from America and experiencing the numerous sideshows on the streets and festivals.

When thinking about magic shows and performances, one might think of a grand stage and a theatre or a platform where the magician’s profile is accentuated. While these shows are fairly common, they are less accessible to the general public simply due to the technical requirements and setup of the performance. Street Theatre, on the other hand, does not require such technical arrangements therefore making it an art form that is truly for everyone and everywhere.

Stage Magic Performance at PassionArts Festival

Last weekend, I was very fortunate to be engaged by Changi Simei Community Club for both Street Theatre and Stage Magic in their PAssionArts Festival. It was truly a series of fortunate events as one of the organizers was a Psychology major in NUS and had watched my performance in The Swing Thing at the NUS Arts Festival. She was inspired by the message in the play and decided to give me a shot in the PAssionArts Festival. Thank you for the leap of faith! : )

Engaging everyone: The new generation of Singapore, as well as the older generation

The beauty of Street Theatre goes beyond its minimalistic technical requirements. It is the very fact that the performance does not hide behind a “4th wall” (a technical term for performances that does not engage/acknowledge the presence of an audience, like dance and traditional theatre), and that the magic props are objects that look real and does not depend on special mechanisms. Because of this show design and structure, very often I have audiences telling me the same thing “I have seen a lot of magic shows, but today, I have seen the real thing!”.

360 degree audience (a circle show)

With the vision of performing this show “everywhere”, one of the fundamental designs of the show was the material. Unlike magic performances that needs a special backdrop, this show can be done surrounded. I suspect this is one other reason why audiences think that they have seen “real magic”.

Arts and Culture for Everyone, Everywhere, Everyday

In closing, Street Theatre is a unique show that fits very nicely in festivals and even arts festivals where the engagement and interaction of the audiences brings a new dimension of theatre and Street Theatre is a magic artform , that can be appreciate up close regardless of age or language.

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen

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Magic Illusion Show for International Conferences

Posted on April 25, 2013 by alexander

The past couple of weeks have been really hectic for the team at Meta Illusions as we were engaged for two major international conferences, one from Pakistan (held in Orchard Hotel) and the other one from China (held in Resorts World Sentosa Ballroom). Because of the scale of the event, they both had backing from Singapore Tourism Board. In fact, the China conference was so huge that they had to run the event twice on different days to accommodate all their participants.

Performing for an international audience is not unfamiliar to us as both Jonathan and myself have had diverse experiences interacting with foreigners in our corporate engagements. However, there are still some subtle nuances that one needs to be mindful when performing for an international audience. The ignorance of cultural nuances will result in embarrassment for the performer and audiences.

Setting up the stage for Pakistan/Singapore Conference

After understanding the audiences type for the event, I had to change certain parts of my act for the Pakistani audiences. While my act was neither lewd nor obscene, I had to make some slight modifications. In a typical performance, at the end of one of my acts with a female audience member, I would make a rose appear and give it to her as a token of appreciation. I removed this segment as I know that while it is not uncommon for flowers to be given as a gesture of respect and appreciation in some cultures, this gesture in other cultures would be construed as an indication of romantic interest, and the display of romantic interest that is frown upon (and not the gesture of giving a flower).

Presenting roses as a gesture of appreciation to the VIP Table

In contrast, when the producers from China and Singapore were discussing with me what magic effects that I could do to present the VIPs with a souvenir, the idea of making roses appear by magic was extremely well received. I made a bouquet of roses appear for the VIPs and presented each with a stalk.

Apart from creating the magic moments for the VIPs by making roses appear, the team and myself was also involved in the cocktail reception, stage performance and making a VIP appear on stage.

Close up mingling magic

Fortunately for the team, we were all effectively bilingual. We presented our magic in mandarin and did our close up magic in the spectator’s hand. Such form of magic interaction transcends languages and is powerful across cultures.

Pre event magic entertainment by Jonathan Low

Godwin performing a classic close up magic effect

In designing the stage magic segment, I worked hard to incorporate the theme of the conference into the show. The main gist of the conference was to inspire and motivate the audiences, letting them know that nothing is impossible; just like magic. I crafted my show with these messages of hope and inspiration. In the final act, I presented an illusion in which a barren plant blossomed with flowers and then butterflies gathered and “danced” around it. Many of the audience member told me that that was one of the most beautiful piece of magic they have seen and that the music and message really touched them. I felt heartwarming sense of satisfaction as I knew that the message had got across to them.

The Butterfly Illusion

After the illusion show, we made the VIP appear on stage to present a lucky draw! This was a lot of fun as the VIPs were extremely spontaneous and they amused the crowd by looking confused and lost as they caught off guard and “teleported” onto the stage.

Click on the picture below to see a video of it!

VIP appearance Illusion

Both events were extremely fulfilling and it was a great team effort that made the events a success! I truly appreciate their involvement and assistance. Thanks guys!

Godwin, Jonathan, Tom and myself!

Signing Off,

Alexander Yuen

NUS Arts Festival 2013 Closing Show: The Swing Thing

Posted on March 25, 2013 by alexander

And there it is, The Swing Thing!

The show debut on the 23rd March as the closing show for NUS Arts Festival 2013. I truly enjoyed the whole process and involvement in this play. I learnt a lot from the director, Jeremiah Choy and from the other cast and crew. This was an amazing journey of discovery, learning and unlearning.

Interview with Anita Kapoor on Okto’s Art Bites

I was really enthusiastic about this collaboration when I first heard of it late 2012. When I was a freshman in NUS, I thought to myself, “It would be really awesome to present my magic in NUS Arts Festival!”. When I saw the call for audition, I knew this was it! I went down to the audition and presented a snippet of my stage work. And I got through to being a part of the main cast!

Before the doors opened at University Cultural Centre

Despite the hectic work schedule that I already have at Meta Illusions, this project would take up a substantial amount of my time. In the end, it was all worth it and I have no regrets at all because I wanted to be involved not only because I could share my magic, but also to show the public that magic can be an art form, layered with meaning, symbols and emotions.

Before the auditions I felt that the public would not consider magic to be an art form. And unfortunately, most of the time, they are right. This is simply due to the fact that most magicians present their magic in a way that is meaningless, silly and obscene. Magicians that make one object after another appear and disappear without any rhyme or reason, magic happening so quickly that it leaves no room for the audiences to think and ponder on its implication. Because of the lack of intellectual stimulation from watching magic, adults immediately assume that magic is just for kids!

As always, I do my best to present magic in a meaningful and artistic way. With the help of the director and the team, I worked on 3 carefully crafted magic pieces in The Swing Thing. While the routines are considered classics in magic, each piece had a story to tell in relation to the whole show. I am really proud of my re-creation!

Alexander Yuen The Swing Thing Nus

In my other piece, I presented one of my favourite effects in magic and explained how psychology is used to manipulate my audiences’ perception. This was different from magicians/charlatans who claim to use “psychology” in their magic as the content on psychology that I used to present the bits of magic was theoretically grounded and it was something I learnt and synthesized from reading research papers in my classes in NUS.

After the show, the professors in NUS who attended the show were intrigued by my approach to magic and psychology. I too enjoyed sharing with them my research in NUS and listening to their insights on research. Also, I had a couple of people telling me that they really enjoyed the intellectual and insightful slant in my magic.

The show was a great success, and all the cast members did an amazing job in the show. All of us had a distinct role and contributed to the different layers of the show. I am honoured to have worked with these great individuals.

The day after, I received several emails expressing their enjoyment of the show, and also a few email request for me to present my magic in art festivals that they are organizing. You have no idea how elated I was when I read those emails! I am really glad that my performance resonated with the audiences and that they too feel that magic has the potential to be an art form. A small step of success for me towards making magic an art.

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen

Magic Workshop

Posted on March 19, 2013 by alexander

For the past 3 months, the students at Evergreen Secondary School has been working really hard in learning magic. You might think it is easy to learn the secrets of magic, this course focused a lot more than just the secrets. One of the key principles of doing good magic is being able to perform and present the content. The class also focused on presentation, public speaking, voice projection and confidence.

Hazim, gathering the crowd!

I am really proud of my students. They have shown me that they can deliver the show and performance when they put their heart and mind to it. And I really have to acknowledge their hard work because the magic that I taught was not kiddish in nature nor basic nor simple. In line with our belief in magic, they were taught effects that would impress their peers and family members, effects that would require weeks of practice and polishing. I am really proud of you guys!

Atikah presenting and explaining the premise of the magic.

The magic courses that we structure was not simply based on book knowledge and tricks, we believe that magic facilitates other skill development like creativity, confidence and team work. You can imagine the joy I feel when I see the class cooperating in setting up the booths, preparing the performance and making balloons for their peers. It was an epitome of team work!

Nurilman, performing for the crowd!

What is truly remarkable is that these students were able to gather their peers, held their attention and delivered their performance. It was not an easy task especially when their generation seems to be more peripheral in their selection of content and have a shorter attention span. Great job!

As a trainer, I am very proud of these kids. More importantly, years from now when they would have forgotten how the magic tricks were done, from their display of team work and perseverance, I know that they have learnt greater lessons in life that cannot be taught through a textbook.

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen : D

Stage Magic Show at Tampines Stadium for 2013!

Posted on January 12, 2013 by alexander

Hello there!

Even though it has been 2 weeks past the New Year, I would still like to wish all of our readers a Happy 2013!

So 2012, has been a blast, it has been a really exciting journey for Meta Illusions. And we could not have done it without your support!

On the last day of 2012, I was invited to perform for Tampines GRC’s countdown party. There was an huge crowd of 5000 people, it was truly one of my most memorable shows of 2012.

Opening the show

As you might imagine, being able to perform for such a large scale event was not an easy task. But I was very fortunate that to be recommended by a friend to the organizers of the countdown. My stage magic show added a different dimension to the existing programmes of songs and dance. It gave a different texture to the whole event as it was an interactive performance.

Audience interaction and participation!

The crowd was very enthusiastic and the energy from 5000 people is truly unique experience!

Closing the show!

Well, there you have it. This was the last show of 2012! Once again, happy new year!

Esquire Magazine Men’s Night Out

Posted on December 27, 2012 by alexander

In the beginning of December, the team at Meta Illusions was approached by Esquire Magazine to be a part of their inaugural Men’s Night Out. Despite our heavy schedule in December, mainly engagements for private parties and dinners, we expressed our interest to be a part of the Men’s Night Out.

After several emails and phone calls, we were booked for this event at the very sleek Avalon at Marina Bay Sands (MBS). Closer to the event itself, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the reason why the marketing team at Esquire was so bent at getting the magicians at Meta Illusions to perform was that they felt that we suited their branding of the charming and suave gentleman in contrast to other magicians that were too clownish or cheesy. They got us so that their overall theme of celebrating “Men at His Best” would be enhanced.

Two-Thirds of Meta Illusions; Samuel and Alexander

Samuel and myself went down to the event in our usual attire, a classy suit, and made sure we looked our best as always. We warmed up the crowd with our brand of close up magic, performing our feats of amazement in the spectator’s hand.

Intimate miracles happening in the spectator’s hand

Of course, what differentiates ourselves from other magicians is our natural ability to engage and interact with our audiences. What this means is that our performance is never a passive one in which the audience members simply take a back seat and watch. They would actively and voluntarily take part in it as we worked hard to script and routine our performance so that it is only natural that the audiences will feel compelled to be involved.

Interacting with our audiences

Awesome feeling of amazement!

It was a great performance, Samuel and myself had a ball of a time! The audiences were there to have fun and we made their night even more enjoyable by adding that extra touch of magic. This enhanced the atmosphere of the whole event and when the main programme began on stage, everyone was loosen up and ready to have more fun!

Men at Their Best, indeed!

And we are very pleased to share with you that because the organizers felt that we added that magical touch to their event, we will be featured in the next issue of Esquire Singapore! Do look out for that!

Liam Neeson telling you not to miss Meta Illusions on the next issue of Esquire Singapore!

With that, Meta Illusions would like to wish all our readers, friends and love ones a Happy New 2013 ahead!

Signing off,

Alexander

Corporate Magic at Bentley and McLaren Showrooms

Posted on November 28, 2012 by alexander

November was a really hectic month for myself as I was being called back for reservist at the Naval Diving Unit. Fortunately for me, I have two excellent and extremely competent team mates, Jonathan and Samuel, to help me with the shows, planning and consultation.

Earlier in the month, I did a corporate performance at the Bentley and McLaren showrooms. It was a gathering for Hewlett-Packard Alumni members.

Sexy car!

It was an evening of fun and nostalgia for the members as they caught up over dinner. One of the main reason why Interactive Roving Magic or Close Up Magic was recommended to be the best form of entertainment for this event was that the organizer had the intention for the members to catch up and network.

Given the agenda of the event organizer and the dynamics of the interaction, a stage show would not have been the best option as it “forces” everyone to watch the magician in performance and forsaking conversations.

Magic with a borrowed Handphone

Roving magic allows the experienced magician to discern which tables/guests are taking a break in their conversation. Likewise, it is very important for the magician to identify which tables are deep into business conversations. Such skills come with time and experience. Needless to say, Interactive Roving Magic gives the magician the liberty to entertain those table who are ready to let loose and watch and participate in the magic.

Corporate Magic: Sleek and Intellectual

It was a great coincidence for me to meet some of my previous clients in this event! And they were not surprised that I was the magician for this evening as they knew Meta Illusions’ style of magic was in line with the evening’s programme.

I personally enjoyed this event very much, it was fun interacting and mingling with the members of HP alumni. And I also got to try out new magic which had been working on for 2 years!

I will be heading out to another Interactive Close Up Magic performance this evening at the very beautiful Mt Faber. Catch you all soon!

Signing off,

Alexander

Magic Courses in Singapore

Posted on November 3, 2012 by alexander

First of all, I have to admit that I have not written in for quite a while. My apologies as I have been really really busy not just with performing magic, but teaching magic as well.

I was engaged to teach magic to a class of secondary 3 students in Queenstown Secondary School. The overriding theme of the course is to impart skills beyond magic technicalities and sleights, it is to create a sense of self confidence and a strong sense of determination.

With these set of goals in mind, I hand picked certain effects that were easy to execute but needed a certain amount of practice. I wanted them to experience magic that was strong and effective so that when they show it their family and friends, it would be successful hence creating a renewed sense of motivation for them. Also, I wanted them to practice hard so that they could achieve their goals of being able to adequately perform these magic effects.

I distinctly remembered the first day when I got the students to introduce themselves. Some of them spoke really softly and some of them were not able to make eye contact with me and their classmates. It was a challenging process and I had to tweak the syllabus. I taught them how to project their voice using their diaphragm, and try to “bounce” their voices from one end of the class back to themselves. This technique is obviously very useful in performance, specifically, Street Theatre where the performer needs to compete with surrounding natural noises like road traffic, construction and people.

Street Theatre in Singapore

Once my students were able to project their voices, I went on teaching them magic techniques, principles of magic and deterred them from abusing magic.

I am very confident that this class of students will turn out to be excellent magicians if they choose this path as I emphasized the ethics of a magician and the responsibility to their audience when they are performing. I am very pleased that at the end of the course, they treated their audiences with respect and entertained them very well.

I was overwhelmed with a sense of achievement as they share their experiences of performing magic to their family members and friends, and how it brought them joy making other people happy through magic. I think this is one of the most precious gift one human being can give to another.

To the Magic class of Queenstown Secondary, I am really proud of you and your achievements! More than anything, I am delighted to see you being able to stand in front of your classmates and present the magic that I have taught in a professional and charming way!

Awesome class from Queenstown Secondary School!

All the best in your future endeavors, in studies, in magic and in life!

Signing off,

Alexander, or Mr Alex, as they would call me

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