| Personally
Speaking - March 2007
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WMS
2007 Review One
by Deana Murray
Living in
Kansas
- we all cringe when someone asks, “Are you a good witch, or a bad
witch?” But there is no
doubt about who gets to be THE WIZARD FROM OZ or who decorates his
dominion with the horses of different colors.
That would be Joe and Martha Stevens.
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Joe and Martha
Stevens
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The act of magicians getting
together is called a ‘conclave’.
The dream of bringing magicians together to entertain and teach
one another became known as the Desert Magic Seminar.
Martha themed and dressed the parties and Joe booked the
performers and filled the dealers’ room with props and gadgets.
What they created could otherwise be called “
Emerald
City
” for magicians, as it is the
Mecca
for all things possible. This
year was particularly enjoyable for me for many reasons... This marked
the 30th Anniversary of their dream...and magicians from all
over the world were there to celebrate.
It was great to see Joe and Martha being honored for all they
have done to launch this very ambitious get together year, after year!
It all got started in
Wichita
under the banner of the “Mid American Conclaves”.
Thinking
back, it’s hard to believe that some of the greatest minds in magic
made pilgrimages to a small metropolitan area known more for the
manufacture of aircraft than magic, but they did, at Joe’s request.
The likes of Dai Vernon, Faucett Ross, Kuda Bux, Tony
Slydini, Flip, Fred Kaps, and even David Copperfield –
among many others took part in these early conclaves.
After several years, it was Jay
Marshall’s idea to move the party to
Las Vegas
, and in doing so the Desert Magic Seminar was born.
While already off to an impressive start in
Wichita
, when this idea hit
Las Vegas
it caused a chain reaction of events. Beginning with the sponsorship of Siegfried
and Roy at the helm, and with the direct involvement of Lance
Burton, the Desert Magic Seminar broke new ground.
And with a Board of Directors
that originally included Jay Marshal, Roger Crabtree, Pete Biro, and
Bill Wells. ...There has been magic beyond the magic.
Together, they created an atmosphere where all talent gets
recognized and where many warm friendships have developed.
Many people, including myself, recognized this unique
“family” quality the Seminar has that separated it from the more
rigid and stoic conventions... right down to the “People’s Choice
Award”. Everyone got a voice and a vote!
A
few years back, Rich Bloch combined his convention with Joe’s to make
the experience even bigger and better under its new title, World Magic
Seminar. As it truly is,
because of the talent, the magic and the audiences are drawn from all
over the world. One
thing the seminar consistently delivers – the most magic celebrity in
the world – when it comes to famous faces and magical royalty.
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James Dimmare and Rich Bloch
on bowling night
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