Who doesn’t like magic?
Magic can trick us, make us laugh, and of course, it’s a great ice-breaking tool. Everyone has been impressed by at least one great magic trick in their life; humans are fascinated by the unexplainable, and the secrets behind magic tricks really piques people’s curiosity. The job of a magician is to safeguard the secrets to their tricks while keeping the audience captivated and entertained. Magicians are truly interesting people to encounter.
Capital’s campus is filled with interesting people from all sorts of backgrounds. Each person has a unique set of experiences and talents that they carry with them, and because of that, getting to meet new people is always exciting. Among those interesting people is is first-year Moyesh Khanal, Capital’s own student magician.
Khanal, who goes by the nickname “Mo Magic,” was born in the country of Nepal, but moved to the United States back in 2009. He was introduced to the world of magic when he was only a kid.
“What kid doesn’t like magic tricks?” said Khanal. “Back in sixth grade, my friend showed me a trick and after that I just kept doing it. Once you learn one trick, you find different ways to do it. Now, my main source for learning tricks is YouTube.”
Despite there being hundreds of tricks to choose from, every magician has their favorite trick that is second nature to them. Some of the more popular are the “signed card” trick and the “ambitious card” trick. Khanal explained that his favorite trick is called “card to mouth.”
“You have someone pick a card, you put it back in the deck, and then out of nowhere it appears in your mouth. I really like that trick because you can fool a lot of people.”
The card to mouth trick is all about diverting the audience’s attention to where you want them to look while you set up the punchline for the magic act. The trick is definitely considered a favorite among most magicians, and it’s a really good technique to pick up for anyone wanting to get into magic.
Every magician needs an inspirational figure or two, and Khanal gave his top picks and an explanation for why he chose them in particular.
“My favorite magician would have to be between David Blaine and Dynamo,” said Khanal. “They both have their own unique style, but I think Dynamo is a little above David Blaine. David does more stunts than magic. He was once inside a giant ice cube for a few days without any food. That’s not a magic trick; you’re killing yourself.”
It’s always interesting to hear a magician’s opinion on other people in the field. But he doesn’t like all magicians.
“I don’t like Criss Angel. I’ve seen a lot of his videos, and he just freaks me out.”
Straightforward and to the point. Regardless of which magician you consider to be your favorite, there are plenty of tricks to learn and be amazed by. The next time you’re bored, try learning a trick to impress your friends or that special someone. All you need is a deck of cards, some free time, and a lot of patience.
