Fresh from winning the highest accolade in magic, Asia’s first Elite Diamond Merlin Award recipients Lawrence and Priscilla Khong return to the Esplanade Theatre to collaborate with international heavyweights to push new boundaries in a one-of-a-kind magic show

SINGAPORE, 26 APRIL 2011—Following the critically-acclaimed box office hit MAGICBOX in 2008, starring world-renowned father-daughter illusionists and Asia’s first Elite Diamond Merlin Award recipients (conferred by the International Magicians Society in New York and is equivalent to the Academy Awards for films), Lawrence and Priscilla Khong will make a dazzling return to the Esplanade Theatre with VISION—Where Seeing…is Just the Beginning from 15 to 24 July, 2011.

Touted to be the first of its kind in the world, VISION is also theatre with a script that transports audiences into a parallel universe, allowing for the highest level of magic to be performed. Besides featuring baffling world-class illusions and elaborate dramatic twists of classic magic acts, VISION will debut brand new illusions that have never been seen before, such as the deadly Nam Escape – a new dangerous and difficult stunt involving giant sharpened iron spikes mounted on two mammoth 10 feet (3m) “wheels”.

“Both Priscilla and I are always pushing the boundaries and taking our craft to the next level”, says Lawrence Khong. “We are the only ones in Asia to use such enormous, elaborate and often deadly props that defy all logic and reason. It is a profound statement of our unique brand of magic which delivers innovative and cutting edge world-class performances to the audiences and magic fraternity.”

Featuring some of Singapore’s heavyweights in the theatre and music arena including Samantha Scott- Blackhall, Beatrice Chia-Richmond and Stefanie Sun’s music maestro Kenn C, this unique production has attracted the likes of Emmy Awards nominees and winners, such as Don Wayne from the United States, who has worked on The Magic of David Copperfield, The Olympic Games and The Academy Awards.

Magic consultant to VISION and former consultant to Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and television specials such as The Magic of David Copperfield, Don Wayne ranks VISION as one of the biggest magic
shows in the world for the team’s dogged efforts at pushing the boundaries of magic, but its boundless creativity in adding new twists to classic magic acts.

Wayne explains, “Not only is there a high degree of skill involved in VISION, the sheer scale of the show and its high production value undoubtedly make it a world-class performance!“

“VISION is a big part of our dream to combine magic and theatre,” says Priscilla Khong. “Magic is still perceived by many as an acrobatic act, and I hope this unique integration will help transform magic into a
more recognised and dynamic art form.”

Co-Creative Director and Director of VISION Samantha Scott-Blackhall, an award-winning theatre veteran teaming up with Lawrence and Priscilla for the second time, will leverage on her theatre-storytelling skills, while keeping the genre of magic at the forefront of the show.
“I continue to be awed by the skill and precision of what Lawrence and Priscilla can do,” says Scott-Blackhall.

“It is in VISION where I will integrate magic, music, dance, lights, sound and a theatrical storyline that will differentiate this show from all others. Quite simply, I want the audience to walk out of the Esplanade Theatre saying, “Wow! What an amazing magic show!”
Jason Marine Group Limited is the Presenting Sponsor for VISION.

Red Dot Magic will be working together with the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) along with youth organizations (eg Singapore Street Festival Youth, YMCA Youth etc) in Singapore to put up a concert to raise funds and donations and also to disseminate information about the Japanese people during this time of hardship and tragedy.

We are gathering a team of like-minded and big hearted magicians who will be able to perform street magic to help raise funds for the Japanese during this time of hardship.  All proceeds will go to the Singapore Red Cross Japan Relief Fund.

The concert will be held on 16th April 2011, 5pm-10pm at Far East Plaza Level 2 Atrium.

Your participation will help to fund the relief efforts and support for the victims of the recent tragedy caused by the earthquake and tsunami.

You can reach us via our email address at admin@reddotmagic.com to indicate your interest by 9 April 2011. Remember to include your name, age, NRIC number and contact number! Take this opportunity to hone your close up magic skills,  meet like-minded awesome magicians and most importantly use your powers for the greater good! =D

Recently, Godwin and I was featured on our friend’s photography website. Our friend Christopher Chien, is a photographer and runs www.mondocheesemonster.com, a website that has tutorials and articles on photography. We answered a few questions pertaining to the inception of Red Dot Magic and what we have been up to. Check out the post to know more about the people and idea behind Red Dot Magic.

Comment on your favourite smile

Christopher was also the photographer who graciously helped us out for the RDM crew introduction shoot. Check it out here!

If you are a musician/performer/organization that wants to be featured on his website, contact Christopher at mondocheesemonster@gmail.com with “Feature Me” in the subject and he will get back to you soon.

Alternatively, if you are a beginner in photography, check out his website for more tips and tricks!

Congratulations JC and Ning!

Singapore – On 15 Jan 2011, “Singapore’s Number One Magic Duo” (Razor TV), J C Sum & ‘Magic Babe’ Ning were presented with a “Special Recognition Award for Contributions to the Arts & Media Community” from the School of Film & Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic at the M:idea Youth Awards 2011.

The award was to acknowledge their track record of contributing to the vibrant Singapore arts & media scene with their live illusion performances and television appearances.

J C comments on their latest award: “In a big way, this is a very significant award for us because it is from a mainstream organization that recognized our contributions to the Singapore arts & media community. It is a great step towards bringing magic to mainstream audiences once again.”

Ning adds: “We are just proud to continue to make Singapore proud and showcase local talent.”

Since 2006, J C & Ning have performed professionally as a magic duo and have been acknowledged by Channel News Asia as “Singapore’s Celebrity Magic Duo”. The Straits Times, AXN Asia and Magicseen Magazine also recognize them as one of the very top illusion teams in the world.

The team is well known for their innovative illusions such as teleporting people & cars over great distances as well as setting a world magic record and successfully predicting the national 4D lottery.

Most recently in Dec 2010, J C & Ning made five people vanish 24ft up in the air while surrounded by over 1000 spectators in a mega illusion entitled, “The Aerial Exit”.  This was the grand finale for the Explore Singapore 2010 campaign organized by the National Heritage Board.

They are also the first Singapore illusionists in history to be awarded Merlin Awards for “Most Original Illusionists of the Year 2009” by the International Magicians Society.

Vogue and I spent the last few days reviewing all the reviews. We received several reviews and all of them came from Singaporean magicians. It was a tough call because there were many reviews whom we thought was awesome. But alas, there can only be one winner.

As such, the RDM crew is proud to announce that…

(drumroll please)

The winner of the Great RDM Contest is:

Lee Wei Liang – Singapore

Congratulations. Appended below is his winning review:

FLASH By Chad Long

Once in a while, a brilliant performer would challenge the classics, and make magic relevant again.

Chad Long’s FLASH is a refreshing concept of using “Flash Drives” or Thumb Drives in place of the classic color changing knifes. You may be like me. Someone who has never found the color changing knifes or any paddle routines appealing enough to be added to the regular working repertoire.

But trust me. Let the DEMOs
do the talking (Do me a favor and watch the Demo, skip the trailer) -
http://www.chadlongmagic.com/page8/page1/videos.html

Whether you’re a professional close up magician, or a serious hobbyist who does tricks for your friends and family, I am sure you can relate to the patter or find it insightful enough to script your own. The beauty of this effect is not only in the potential of its presentational ideas, but also because it looks good enough for professional situations. (Unlike some other cheap plastic paddles which is a questionable taste for serious magicians).

Package Deal / Quality of Product :

What you will get is your nicely packaged Flash Drives along with a nice bag for you to keep them together. You will find in your
package one jumbo black drive, one black drive and one red/black drive. I am not conscious about taking care of my props, this quality made product will probably last a life time even if I don’t handle it with care. Excellent choice of colour for the Flash drives; Vibrant Red, Classy Black.

Chad also added that much effort has been put into the manufacturing of the product made from moulds of CAD drawings.

Method/Teaching:

Flash also comes along with FULLY COLOURED detailed instructions and photos. Adding on to that, free explanations demos are available on Chad Long’s website too! If you are reading this, chances are you have enough experience to play around with this gem right after you get it even without the explanations!

While there is much potential to this versatile prop, the basic routine only requires the paddle move. The sleight is in no way difficult to master, and it is absolutely effortless to execute thanks to the optimal size, shape and texture of the Flash Drive.

Bonus ideas are also provided by Chad. If you are a seasoned performer, you probably have a million ideas in your head already adding other sleights like the flick stick move, strike vanish etc can turn this effect into a more dynamic routine.

Final Words:

Jon Racherbaumer has used the acronym S.A.V.O.R to describe the qualities of a classic effect in magic,

Simple – The props are simple.
Flash Drives are very much a daily part of our lives. It is probably
going to only get more common from here on! They are not only
instantaneously recognizable, the patter behind it makes it a very
motivated routine too!

Ageless – The color changing knifes
routine has been around since 1960s, and there must be a reason why
basic effect never fails to survive through time even till today.

Visualness
- Paddle routines have always had a very visual nature. Especially with
the Jumbo ending as the finale!

Open – As mentioned, this
versatile prop allows for countless of variation not only in terms of
presentational ideas, but also with incorporating different sleights to
provide a more complete routine.

Recurring – This is probably
the reason why the Jumbo finale works well! Despite the recurring
effect, the routine is well structured to ensure a motivated finale!

I never found a reason to carry around knifes in my pocket. Flash Drives other hand, makes a whole lot sense.

WOW Factor : 9/10
Durability : 9/10
Practicality : 9/10
Value for money : 8/10 (Including shipping, it costs $40 USD)

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Congratulations Wei Liang! An excellent review. We will be contacting you soon. A big thank you also to those who sent in your reviews as well! Expect more Contests organised by Red Dot Magic in the near future! =D

The Great RDM Contest – Midyear Giveaway is now officially closed. Over the past 2 weeks, we received several well written reviews. It was really surprising

We would like to thank all of the contestants for making the effort to write reviews of exceedingly high standards. Thank you for your participation and we hope you continue to support Red Dot Magic – Singapore’s Magic Portal.

Both Vogue and I are now in the process of reviewing the reviews and it will be released in a few days so be sure to check by this site for the announcement of the winners!

Till then,

This is Thor, signing off.

The charming J C with Magic Babe!

International Magicians Society 2009 Merlin Award winners, J C Sum & ‘Magic Babe’ Ning will attempt their most mind boggling feat yet – the advance prediction of winning 4D lottery numbers.

On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 at 8.30pm, Singapore’s celebrity magic duo will seal their 4-digit number prediction in a giant red packet (红包). In plain view, this will then be locked into a see-through tamper-proof Plexiglas container. The clear acrylic chest will remain sealed and left suspended 3m above ground, in front of St James Power Station’s main entrance for the next 6 days.

The public is free to come by to view the suspended prediction chest anytime (24/7) over the course of the week. Additional security cameras and security personnel will be deployed to ensure that the clear acrylic chest holding the lottery prediction is kept safe and untampered by anyone, including J C & Ning’s team.

On Wed, 27 Jan 2010 at about 6.45pm, J C & Ning will finally open the chest and reveal their prediction, once the official 4D results are drawn by Singapore Pools. Members of the public are invited to come down to The Boiler Room @ St James at 6.30pm on this date to witness this ‘live’ revelation of the 4D prediction by the veteran illusionists in real time. Admission is also free.

This one-of-a-kind event makes momentous news in history, being the first ever lottery prediction to be attempted here, and in this part of the world. This new psychological illusion stunt is a noted departure from the illusion duo’s previous high profile projects, which include visual acts of physical teleportations, as well as, other large-scale mega illusions and feats.

Andrew Ing, COO of St James Holdings Ltd shares, “The 4D prediction is definitely one of a kind and it has never been done before in Singapore. It will be the talk of the town and have everyone anticipating for the moment of truth!”

The Singapore Tourism Board’s representative, Ms Ranita Sundra, Deputy Director, Arts and Entertainment, will be present to audit the proceedings of the prediction to ensure that everything is legitimate and fair.

“The Impossible 4D prediction is purely a mental and psychological challenge. We will be employing 5 different techniques and strategies to generate the 4-digit number.” explains J C.

“We will be buying a ticket for a single 4D number for the 27 Jan 2010 draw. If we hit the right winning number, we’ll definitely take a break for the rest of the year!” adds Ning, Singapore’s only professional female magician and FHM cover girl.

For more info on The Impossible 4D Prediction, please visit: www.MagicJustGotHotter.com

J C & Ning’s latest psychological illusion stunt will coincide with their latest show Sexy Magic/ Urban Illusions, which runs at The Boiler Room @ St James Power Station from 26 – 30 Jan 2010 (Tue – Sat) at 8.00pm every night.

As the name implies, Sexy Magic/ Urban Illusions will tantalize audiences with unique magic acts that includes a fiery opening illusion, a surreal dissecting & floating head illusion, an impossible roller coaster sawing-in-half finale and much more!

St James Power Station is thrilled to have J C & Ning headline at the club as Mr Andrew Ing shares: ““We are very excited about the upcoming show in Boiler Room!”

Tickets for the 60-minute contemporary illusion show are priced at S$40 per person, inclusive of a complimentary drink and free club entry after. Promotions include 15% off ticket price for all St James members, as well as, 20% off ticket price for group bookings of 10 tickets or more.

Tickets for Sexy Magic/ Urban Illusions are available online at www.MagicJustGotHotter.com, as well as, from the St James Membership Counter located at 3 Sentosa Gateway, Singapore 098544.

For enquiries, please visit the official website or call +65 62707676. Please note that due to club policies, children under 14 years of age will not be admitted entry.

Vogue and I both sat down yesterday and started to draw lots for the 10 lucky winners. We received emails from all across Asia, from Singapore to Indonesia. As such, we are pleased to announce the winners for our Cyril: Simply Magic Q&A contest!

Here are the 10 lucky winners:

1. Lim Phaik Hoon – Singapore
2. Javier Tan – Singapore
3. Ramalingeswari Govindan – Malaysia
4. Min Si Thu – Singapore
5. Loo Chee Kean – Singapore
6. Joseph Ryan M. Mones – Phillipines
7. Marcelo Massuyoshi Iwamoto – Brazil
8. Thanthip (Eva) Veeravanitkul – Thailand
9. Ho Xue Yan – Singapore
10. Chia Wai Kian – Singapore

To the people whose name is in the list, congratulations! We will be contacting you guys shortly. Check your inbox today to get the details. To the people that have not been so lucky, cheer up! We have loads of fun activities lined up in this website so be sure to check it out.

Cheers,

RDM Crew.

Joseph Ryan M. Mones

Cyril: Simply Magic Q&A contest is now officially closed. Over the past 3 weeks, we have received dozens of replies that left our emails flooded. We have people ranging from Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, India and even Macau.

We thoroughly enjoyed the 3 part series of Cyril: Simply Magic and we hope you have enjoyed it too.

Cyril has indeed touched the hearts of many. Some of his fans  also took the chance to expressed  their admiration via a comment in the contest post.

Both Vogue and I are now in the process of compiling the name list of the lucky 10 winners and it will be released in a few days so be sure to check by this site for the announcement of the winners!

Till then,

This is Thor, signing off.

Fast forward to 1st September 2009, I am glad to announce that this small little hobby of ours is still alive and very much kicking! In fact, we have definitely gotten more and more serious about RDM.

And today, as RDM turns one! We have decided to launch RedDotMagic 1.0! Optimized for FireFox users. (If you got to use Internet Explorer, use the latest version!)

As RDM strives to give our readers the highest quality, most relevant and bite-sized information about the magic scene both locally and internationally, we needed upgrading as our previous layout couldn’t allow us to do that. After about a month of planning and reconfiguring the site, we are glad to say that:

RDM is now bigger, better and stronger!

we know that you are going to like the new rdm!

We would like to thank a few people for helping our with the site. Thanks to Debra and Y! FC Admin for their help in re-designing our site! They have been awesome!

So keep your eyes glued to this space for all the latest happenings in the magic fraternity.

So here’s a toast to RDM.

YAMMMM SENGGGGGGGGG!