Curtis Kam Lecture!

Save the Date: November 13, 2024 - Curtis Kam Lecture!

Location: Yu Akai Center (588 N 4th St, San Jose, CA 95112)
Time: 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Join us for our November meeting, where we’ll have a lecture by the amazing Curtis Kam! This lecture will feature a mix of walk-around and close-up magic that can be performed with or without a table. Expect to see some "Palms of Steel"-style material, as well as practical effects using cards, coins, and other everyday items.
Before the lecture, we will hold our board of directors elections for the 2024-2025 term.
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, November 13th, 2024, and we’ll see you there!

Still on the fence? Check out more of Curtis Kam's magic on Instagram for a sneak peek of what’s in store!

Oct 9th Magic Competition

 

2023 Ring 216 Close-Up Magic Competition

Oct. 9th, 2024
Mark your calendars! Sign up to perform!
The deadline to sign up is tentatively Oct 4th, 2024.
On Oct. 9 2024, Ring 216 will host its annual Close-Up Magic Competition.

Mark your calendars and plan to come out to support your fellow magicians as they present their best material in a formal close-up setting.

And since magic is always better when more people enjoy it, bring your friends and family!

The performances start at 7:30 p.m. sharp! We'll be at our usual location at Yu-Ai Kai Senior Center, 588 North 4th Street, San Jose, CA. And we will stream it on Zoom.

 

Sign up to compete.


The deadline to sign up is tentatively Oct 4, 2024.  Whether you're a past winner, a brand-new entrant, or something in between, now's your chance to share your routines and show off your skills. This is a great, low-stress way to hone your act and get feedback. Remember: The goal is to do your best and not focus on winning. Just have fun!

Sign up now ›

If you're thinking of competing, please keep in mind the following information:
  • The goal is to create an atmosphere as close to a formal close-up environment as possible. If you've visited the Magic Castle, picture its close-up room. Guests will join together in groups and will be seated typically in 1-3 rows arranged in a semicircle. The last row will likely be standing to allow all to view the table.
  • You'll perform your act up to 4 times for different audiences, depending on the number of guests in attendance.
  • All paid members are allowed to compete.
  • Acts must be at most 6 minutes long, so start timing yourself. Note: We may increase or decrease  this time based on the number of participants (fewer participants would mean longer acts, more participants mean shorter acts)
  • The competition has two divisions: the Masters Division is for previous winners of any competition, and the Standard Division is for everyone else. Each division must have at least four competitors; if not, we will have a single division.
  • We hope to have many non-magicians among our audience members, and we'll try to mix the non-magicians throughout the groups.
  • If you've won in the past, you are free to compete, but you must perform a different act from your previous first-place winning act.
  • Given enough lay people, we may have a people’s choice award in the standard division and the master's division.
  • Please note that the “Magician of the Year” award can be achieved by winning two of the three competitions in a given year, excluding the people's choice award. The two wins must be from member-voted competitions.


Check out all the competition rules.

Bay Area Magic Club - The calendar for the rest of the year...

Join IBM Ring 216 for our in-person meetings. Our meetings are held in San Jose at the Yu-Ai Kai Community Center, 588 North 4th Street, San Jose, CA 95112, on the second Wednesday of each month from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Below is the tentative schedule for the rest of the year:

October 9: Close-up Competition
November 13: Elections
December 11: Stage Competition

Armando Lucero Magic Lecture on May 8th, 2024: Master of Poetic Magic

Armando Lucero represents the pinnacle of artistry in the world of magic. With decades of dedication to the craft, he has honed a unique approach that transcends mere tricks, elevating magic to a form of poetic expression. His profound knowledge and skill in sleight-of-hand are unparalleled, making each performance a masterpiece of precision and elegance.

When: May 8th, 2024 Where: Online via Zoom ONLY Fee: $20 for members and $30 for non-members PayPal ONLY - "friends and family" to payment@ring216.org Include your email address in the notes. Kindly complete your payment by noon on May 8th. Each payment Zoom access is for one person only, with no watch parties or link sharing permitted. Remember to set your Zoom name to the one used during payment, as this will be used to verify your entry into the lecture.


Armando's philosophy extends beyond technical mastery, focusing on the deep emotional connections that magic can forge between performer and audience. His teachings and performances inspire magicians globally, emphasizing the importance of integrity, artistry, and the pursuit of perfection in magic.

Join us as Armando Lucero brings not just a performance, but a transformative experience, reminding us all of the beauty and wonder that magic can bring into our lives.

Three compositions: One from Paper Cuts and two from The Hungry Imagination. Taco - Against All Odds - What Is Magic? Taco: A card merely thought of is found. Against All Odds: A spectator unwittingly finds four of a kind, but from a deck, they shuffled! What is Magic?: Matrix: Four coins sit apart at four corners with a card over each. After a moment, one by one, each coin vanishes until all four are found together in one corner. Script included. 

Join Armando for a moment of Shibumi

Shibumi: Shibumi, at least for me, is doing what I want when I want without those burdensome tension thoughts pulling me down -- just hanging in that sweet spot of precarious balance between too much and too little, an intersection of blissful fluctuation while sitting with cards, coins, and coffee. What is this about? It’s about the thinking behind magic, which involves psychology, specifically heuristics and sleight of hand over brute force techniques. Three tricks are shared, along with tangential effects, to stimulate the conversation.  What is this not about? It’s not about tricks and secrets alone, but rather an opportunity to ask questions and get a cursory glance at the thinking behind the magic from Armando’s point of view. 





Meeting

Open Performances & Workshop Night

Hello, Ring 216 members or interested attendees! Whether you have a trick that you are just a few steps away from mastering or have just picked up a new gimmick from your local magic dealer; we would love to have you perform it for us at our next meeting on Wednesday, April 10th! This is an invaluable opportunity for you to get experience performing in front of a crowd, socialize with your brothers and sisters in magic, and if you wish get crucial tips from fellow magicians. Hope to see you there!

Location: Yu-Ai Kai Community Center, 588 North 4th Street, San Jose, CA
TIME: 7:30 –9:30 p.m.

Date: April 10th, 2024