Need to create a boost for Vietnamese magic

The atmosphere of the preparation for the festival in Ho Chi Minh City by magic artists has shown a positive sign, which is the number of participating performances surpassing the previous festival. Specifically, more than 40 performances, including many socialized units participating (15/17 non-public units participated).

Many promising young artists

At the previous festival, the "super thief" performance by Nguyen Viet Duy, from the Ho Chi Minh City Magic Club, brought a very humorous and surprising interactive magic show to the audience. The performance "Hypnotizing a person flying on water 4 meters high" by Tran Dung (son of Meritorious Artist Tran Dinh), also from the Ho Chi Minh City Magic Club, received thunderous applause from the audience. These two young artists continue to participate in this festival and said they will present a new, unique performance, full of magic language.

Also competing at this year's festival are famous magicians such as: Nguyen Van Bay (Southern Magic Association), Dinh Thi Lien (Vietnam Circus Federation), Tang Hong Phuc (Tien Giang Magic Club), Pham Xuan An Binh (Louis Phan), Bui Huu Hien (BHT Magician) Da Nang Magic Club; Dang Van Hoang Khang (Trong Kha) Huong Xuan Vinh Long Circus Magic Troupe; Nguyen Duy Thanh, Bui Huu Tuyen (Ho Chi Minh City Magic Club); Mai Son, Nguyen Van Phat, Tran Thuan (Binh Duong Magic Club); Tran Thanh Ha ( Ba Ria - Vung Tau Literature and Arts Association)...

People's Artist Trinh Thuy Mui, President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, said that the professional quality of this year's festival has improved significantly, with the reviewers recognizing the elaborate and creative performances. The festival is expected to be a success and a valuable opportunity for magicians across the country to compete, learn from experience, and update new techniques from other countries to improve their skills.

Magician Tran Dung performs magic for community projects in Ho Chi Minh City

Need proper investment

Magician Nguyen Khuyen confided: "Many magic tricks today are too old but are still performed (like taking a stick out of a pocket and turning it into a flower pot or throwing a dove up from a fan covered with a glitter scarf, or disappearing a girl in a box...) making the audience no longer interested. It is necessary to invest in the young generation of artists soon, to explore and create new content that is unique to Vietnamese culture." Sharing the same opinion, People's Artist Tong Toan Thang (Vietnam Circus Federation) recognized that it is necessary to invest in and guide young magicians to demonstrate their talents and create breakthroughs in new performances.

Insiders also worry that in addition to the occasions for festivals to meet and exchange experiences, there should be more occasions such as seminars and talks by researchers and experienced artists to exchange with young people about magic. Update information, advise and point out old and bad things to eliminate, suggest directions for staging new magic shows that are creative, innovative and purely Vietnamese. Magician Tran Dung (HCMC) hopes to have a place to perform and interact with the audience every night. From there, young people who love this art will have a place to rub shoulders, learn the profession and improve their skills.

According to experts, the next generation of magicians is not lacking in young people, there are even quite a few young names living in this profession, but to have enough experience, investment funds, prop creation, and performance design, they need a special mechanism to truly sublimate. There are many magicians who are professionally trained but when performing, their performances are still considered secondary, so most magicians today still perform amateurly due to the lack of professional stages and standard spaces for magic.

Magicians spend years creating, pouring in money, sweat and even blood, but are still considered petty tricks, even just "firefighting" acts in art programs.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/van-nghe/can-tao-cu-hich-cho-ao-thuat-viet-20231101212228192.htm