Providing the greatest magical entertainment in Geelong is everyone’s favourite magic man, Dazzling Dan.
“Whether it’s roving magic among a large festival crowd or up close with guests at a wedding reception I’ve been refining my skills to cater to any special event. While my brand is well known for providing family friendly magic shows I am also well known for my ability to engage and amuse the toughest adult audiences.”
Having dabbled in magic since childhood, Dan turned his love and passion for magic into a business nineteen years ago while he was still a school student.
“I had to register the business because I needed to set up a bank account to bank the cheques I was receiving! However, I had also been performing regular public shows five years prior, and dabbled with magic even earlier as a child.”
Dazzling Dan does not fly solo, behind the scenes his assistant Lisa takes care of business operations to make sure everything runs smoothly. The entertainment is an endless amount of fun for audiences.
“There are many ways to enjoy magic. Some clients book me to perform close-up shows, whether it is standing at a table 5-10 people, or roving among guests at stand up (cocktail format) evening. This format has been popularised in recent times by the Street Magic craze (taking magic off the stage and into the street). The more familiar format is a magic show where I am invited to perform to an audience at a public event, or guests at a private party.”
The vibe Dazzling Dan aims to provide audiences is fun-filled with “cheeky magic suitable for the whole family.” He does this by performing interactive shows that allow audience members to join in.
“I engage the audience in a gentle, calm manner, ensuring all the magic is inclusive and that anyone assisting feels valued. My aim is for them to leave the show having had a fun and rewarding experience.”
Dan finds the trick of making money appear, and change into more money a well received trick, one which no doubt we all wish we had the ability to perform.
“I also like to borrow items to perform magic with, making a person’s mobile phone disappear for a few seconds gets a very big reaction while they try to process a response to the situation.”
Dan’s personal favourite to perform? “All the tricks I perform in my show are my favourites, they have been selected and refined from thousands of tricks in my collection. My favourite magic is when I improvise or what we magicians call “jazz magic”. Occasionally someone will challenge me to do something different (or humorous) with my magic, I usually accept the challenge if I can improvise the magic on the spot.”
Feedback for Dazzling Dan and his magic shows have been favourable amongst audiences. “My job is to entertain and inspire, so when I’ve dedicated my career to creating magic that leaves people feeling an experience of joy, it is great to get that feedback; that I’ve succeeded.”
Down the track Dan knows he will continue to perform magic shows, and even develop entertainment on other media platforms. “I am also a Creative Producer of film, tv and multimedia. I look forward to collaborating with local artists on my new media endeavours, there are so many amazingly talented artists and if I can bring their skills together on projects, then that would be such an exciting experience, to collaborate, create and sell new, original and exciting entertainment content.”
What does having his very own business in Geelong mean for Dan? “Geelong is amazing. It provides plenty of opportunities to run my business full time, and you can travel from one side to the other within thirty minutes. Geelong has been my home all my life and I love that my work exposes me to how culturally rich and vibrant the community really is.” Many creatives in Geelong share their love for the support provided to-like minded people and programs in place to keep their creative dreams alive, “I am excited by the creative initiatives the City of Greater Geelong are committed to and look forward to seeing the city blossom.”