Most recently, many Da Nang Magic Club-hosted magic shows have been taking place along the both banks of the Han River, contributing to reviving this kind of arts and bringing it closer to the public.

An elaborate magic show by the Da Nang Magic Club. Photo: Xuan Dung

Drawing much attention from the public

The Da Nang Magic Club was established in 2020 under the management of the city's Culture and Movie Centre. It has a total of nearly 20 members who are skilled magicians delivering magic performances in the city and other central regional localities.

Chairman of the Da Nang Magic Club Bao Tan Linh (stage name Bao Linh) said that, in the past, magic was not popular in Da Nang, and most of magicians only operated in small groups specialising in performing at eateries. Since the establishment of the club, magicians have had conditions to gather, operate more systematically and have a clear development plan.

Initially, the club encountered some certain difficulties such as a lack of funding for props, practice locations and performance stages. However, with their enthusiasm and great passion, magicians have always tried to bring the best quality performances to the public.

“If you want to develop Da Nang’s magic further, you must first meet the needs of residents where you live” said magician Bao Linh.

Although the club has been established for two years, it has yet to make its public debut due to the complicated developments of COVID-19. Till date, as the city has gained control of COVID-19 outbreak, the club has started to organise magic shows at the western end of the Rong (Dragon) Bridge twice a month in order to meet the growing demands of both locals and tourists.

Such free outdoor shows have always drawn much attention from the public. This shows that magic has always been attractive to people and this kind of arts is fully capable of being well developed in Da Nang in a professional direction.

Mr. Nguyen Van Duy, residing in Hai Chau District, said that magic is not unfamiliar to everyone, but not everyone has a chance to watch a live magic show. He expressed his excitement at the city’s free-of-charge magic shows on weekends.

“All magic performances at the programme always surpass my expectations because they are full of enchanting surprises. Many of them show high levels of difficulty and are in need of complicated magic props, not just like street magic performances. The programme expects to be one of highlights in a series of cultural activities and festivals along both banks of the Han River, thereby leaving a deep impression on visitors to Da Nang"said Duy.

Diversity of cultural products

During the Da Nang magic programme, the audience will be treated to about three magic shows and a circus performance.

In addition, there are a number of musical and dance performances, helping the audience relax as well as make the programme more lively and attractive.

Artist An Binh, who is a member of the Da Nang Magic Club, confided that he felt extremely happy at the magic shows receiving great support from locals. This is the driving force for artists and actors like him to continue their efforts to stick to their profession and bring to the public the most impressive magic performances, added he.

Artist An Binh remarked that the club is focusing on practicing a number of large-scale and more complicated magic performances to well serve the needs of the audience, as well as to compete in national-level magic competitions.

He revealed that, the Open Da Nang Magic Festival 2022 is scheduled to be held in the city in July. The upcoming event is expected to have with the participation of many magic clubs from provinces and cities nationwide.

“The club also plans to open magic classes for magic lovers. These classes will be directly taught by the club's board of directors, including artist Bao Linh - one of the most famous magicians in Viet Nam” informed artist An Binh.

Director of the Culture and Movie Centre Ngo Van Bay said that the Magic Club-hosted Da Nang magic programme has breathed a new life into cultural festivals along the both banks of the Han River, and it has attracted much attention from the public, especially children.

With its role and responsibility of being the management unit of the Magic Club, the Culture and Movie Centre is always making its every effort to create a useful playground for the club’s members to meet, exchange and learn from each other to hone their performance skills.

“The centre pledges to create the best conditions for the club to develop, improve the quality of its activities, and meet the needs of members and the audience, thereby adding more colours in the chain of cultural and artistic activities in the city" affirmed Director Bay.

Reporting by XUAN DUNG - Translating by M.DUNG