It’s a simple yet lyrical and captivating scene: a crumpled ball of paper that develops a life of its own and takes the magician on a joyful dance.
Although Laurent Piron, a magician from Belgium, does not have a particularly impressive showpiece, his whirling “Paper Ball” manoeuvre earned him the title of “World Magic Champion” last month.
Now that the champion has returned from the competition in Quebec to his home outside of Liege in eastern Belgium, he is prepared to reveal a list of international appointments.
Every three years, the World Championship of Magic is held, but Piron had already spent years honing Paper Ball to bring back the storytelling prowess of a bygone period.
After my performance, “several more experienced magicians approached me to tell that they had been transported back to their youth and had forgotten the skills,” Piron told AFP.
“With this paper ball, we intended to accomplish just that. Trickery is irrelevant to us because the end result is to evoke extraordinary feelings.”
It differs from the style of a magician like David Copperfield, an American who is well known for making the Statue of Liberty disappear and pretending to walk through the Great Wall of China.
However, Copperfield, a world-renowned illusionist, was equally moved by Piron’s more modest trick. When the Belgian returned home, he found a voicemail from Copperfield praising Piron.
“He admired it. Even though he performs in large venues, he genuinely loves magic. He is still without a doubt the best since he is knowledgeable in all “said the 35-year-old.
But with this behaviour, we confused him.
Piron, a DIY enthusiast and the son of a sound engineer, began performing magic tricks at the age of 18 after learning the fundamentals with a buddy.
He moved to Vancouver, Canada, when he was 22, where he became involved with street magicians.
“I acquired professional knowledge and relationships with the general population on the street. The crowd moves on if they don’t like you “said he.
“You need to be enthusiastic, use eye-catching language and humour, and be engaging. The streets showed me how to build my character to draw others in.”
The magician returned to Belgium in quest of a stage after spending several years “chasing the sun” around Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.
I’ve always appreciated theatrical magic, a story with visual elements that’s more than simply a rabbit appearing out of a hat or glitter boxes, and then I found ‘La Magie nouvelle,’ ” he remarked.
The movement’s proponents combine narrative arts with illusions in an effort to avoid the “power struggle” between the performer and an audience that is always attempting to figure out the tricks.
Piron had official training at the CNAC circus schools in France and is currently a key figure in the Alogique theatre ensemble.
He thinks that the new aesthetic will help magic overcome its reputation as the underdog of the performing arts and inspire his classmates to pursue studies in lighting, visual effects, and storytelling.
Additionally, he has drawn offers to play in Japan, Britain, and Las Vegas as a result of his achievement. He would like to reserve Broadway for his upcoming stunt.
