The word “magic” derives from three languages, French, Latin and Greek. Originally, it referred to the idea of the ability to read the stars and manipulate the fate that the stars foretold. However, what we perceive as magic today is different. Like the various theorists of anthropology, psychology and cognitive science, we are divided in our opinions of magic into those who believe in supernatural powers and thus the reality of them and those that argue about its legitimacy. The general perception of magic may vary among individuals and differ with the level of the presentation and intensity of the magic. Nonetheless, some magic has just the right potential to leave everyone in awe. This past Friday, Loras was left in such a wonder.
To celebrate Sibling’s Weekend, the College Activities Board (CAB) invited Boston based magician Peter Boie to campus for a performance on Friday evening. For an hour and half, the ballroom was immersed in the marvel, laughter and applause of the audience. Young children, some parents and the Duhawks, young and old, filled the room with emotions and expressions of bewilderment, surprise, joy and curiosity. Boie’s unimaginable tricks, spiced up with his act of play and incredible sense of humor, captivated the audience throughout his performance.
Boie involved the audience (even the dean of students at one point) to facilitate his acts, which made it even more engaging to everyone. As the show ended, praise and admiration filled the air. Pleased with the performance, some even went about quoting it as the ‘best performance the college has ever had.” Equally delighted, I couldn’t help admiring this talent.
Boie commenced his journey in the world of magic at the young age of eleven when he came across a magic book at his school library. Since then, he has been learning, creating, practicing and honing his skills, fully immersed in his own world of “magical” entertainment. His success has been defined by his ever-growing popularity and the various awards and titles he has been bestowed with. Throughout the year, Boie travels around the country with his creativity and talent, performing at various colleges, companies and private occasions. He has been doing this for 16 years and says that this is his life. He likes to call himself a ‘magician for nonbelievers,” adhering to his philosophy of “creating an atmosphere where one stops thinking whether it’s real or not and just enjoys it.” The audience did just that; one could tell from their vivacity that they enjoyed the performance throroughly.
Boie began his performance on Friday by saying that “magic is power; power to do the impossible.” Later, elaborating on his notions of reality and illusion, Boie stated, “Illusion is something untrue that is perceived to be true and reality is something that is true no matter how you perceive it.”
The vastness of the magic is not as easy as our superficial vision of it. The emotional and mental intricacies involved in the creation of magic cannot be understood without deep passion, study and practice. We may never be able to solidify our belief in magic and never understand it completely unless we make it a way of life like Boie. The uncanny knack of a magician, however, will continue to fascinate us in many ways.
An influential magic exhibit does have the power to make one think, and think beyond what seems impossible.
