A Metro Vancouver magic man will represent Canada on an international stage this year.
Billy Hsueh is one of six North American magicians who will attend the FISM (Federation International Society Magic) World Championships of Magic, often referred to as the “Olympics of Magic," in July. He is the only Canadian attending the international show; the other five magicians are from the United States.
The 30-year-old magician's love affair with magic started over half his lifetime ago, as a curious pre-teen exploring the goods at the Clownin' Around Magic Shop on Granville Island.
Hsueh was part of a City of Surrey summer camp that took youth across the region, exploring cool places and learning about new things. He tells V.I.A. that the magic shop first captured his attention because he was intrigued by pranks.
"Being a kid, I was interested in pranks, itching powder, and loud things," he laughs.
An employee at the shop showed him some magic tricks, but he was more captivated by the quirky, prank-related gadgets. Still, it "planted the seed" in his then 11-year-old head, and he remembered the "cool card tricks" fondly.
By age 13, Hsueh joined the Vancouver Magic Circle, a chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM), comprised of 15,000 members worldwide.
"You don't need to have a level of expertise, but you need to have a love of magic," he says. "Collectors are part of it as well."
Vancouver Magic Circle offers a curious community
The Vancouver Magic Circle offers mentorship, friendship, and tools for aspiring and expert local magicians, as well as people who simply love the world of magic. They meet every fourth Thursday of the month and help each other fine-tune tricks and plan events.
Hsueh began competing in his teens and was travelling internationally by age 17 at shows including the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians. He says magicians are primarily judged on several factors, including appearance, smoothness of presentation, technical skill, originality, entertainment, and mystery/comedy value.
"Judges will look at how you are dressed and if that fits your act, if it was creative and unique, as well as how entertaining and mysterious it is," he explains.
Magic tricks are generally expected to "fool" the audience. However, larger shows, including the international one Hsueh will attend this summer, also expect magicians to fool judges.
To partake in the FISM World Championships of Magic, the Metro Vancouver magician had to qualify first.
"We have our own routines that we've created specifically for competitions to fool magicians," he explains, adding that it takes a lot of work and "competing against yourself."
How does the local magician prepare for a world-class event?
To compete against the best of the best, Hsueh must practice constantly - and get help as much as possible.
"I'm doing the act everywhere," he says, noting that his "brothers and sisters in magic" lend their expertise. He brings them an idea, and they brainstorm ways to make it work.
Hsueh's routine is based on a classic magic trick called "Think a Drink." The premise is a magician has volunteers choose drinks, they pour water, and out comes the drink they ordered. However, his version takes the method to a "completely different direction" and does not involve props.
When asked how this trick is possible without props, the magician was tight-lipped. However, curious fans can catch him performing the intriguing illusory demonstration on the popular CW Network series Penn & Teller: Fool Us on the episode airing Friday, April 4.
The Tawianese-Canadian magician says it was thrilling to perform for Penn and Teller, particularly because Teller is one of his heroes.
"When I saw him perform, I loved his style and the way he holds himself on stage and presents his magic," he explains. "When I was onstage when they were getting prepped, Teller pointed at me and gave me a wave and I kind of melted."
Hsueh adds that Vancouver has completely changed his growth in magic and that every city has its own style. This is because members belong to city circles with specific knowledge and community.
"We learn from each other. Spanish magic is different than Vancouver's or Chicago's," he explains.
"I just feel very lucky to have found magic in Vancouver."
