UAE MAGICIAN FINDS FAME WITH TRICKS
UAE-based magician showcases his talent to staff and talks about his passion that makes people happy
Dubai-based magician Normando Macalinao is one of a handful of Filipinos in the UAE who earn a living by suspending reality for captivated audiences. He has been all over the country performing in various events and private functions, but it was his series of impromptu street shows that has made him a local celebrity of sorts.
“I just love making people happy,” says Macalinao, who’s been doing magic since he was 14 years old. “I can make people happy through magic – using a deck of cards and sleight of hand. Every time I see the reaction of people, it means a lot to me.”
The 24-year-old magician learned magic by accident.
“There was this guy in a restaurant who showed me two balls – he kept one ball in my hand and the other in his hand. When I opened my hand the ball vanished and then it appeared in his hands, and I was like, oh my God I want to become a magician,” explains Macalinao.
He adds: “Imagine... I was 14 years old and that’s the first time I saw magic – I never watched magic shows on television. I also didn’t have money to watch live magic shows.”
After that incident, Macalinao started to learn magic by himself. When he became better at it, he started to perform to his classmates at the university.
“That time, I did magic just for fun,” shares Macalinao.
Eventually, Macalinao decided to become a magician. But coming from a family of politicians, his parents did not agree to his idea.
In 2014, the hotel and restaurant management graduate came to Dubai and worked as a waiter in a hotel. Magic took a back seat, but he would still perform for guests when given a chance.
“I got promoted after a year but still I felt that I was not happy,” he says. “So, I took my cards again and started doing magic every- where, even if I don’t get paid. I did it in the streets of Dubai, making some people happy and that’s it.”
Macalinao has been a professional magician for a year now.
During a visit at the Gulf News office, where he wowed staff members with his bag of tricks, Macalinao revealed more about his journey.
ON LEARNING MAGIC
“No one actually taught me magic. I didn’t have money to pay people to teach me. The only thing I had was passion and my obsession to magic.
Normally I bring my cards with me and try to figure out what I’m going to do and learn something new. Sometimes I watch Britain’s Got Talent or America’s Got Talent and observe what the contestants are doing and get some ideas from them and then I create my own.”
HIS KIND OF MAGIC
“I have no idea how many magic tricks I have. I have a lot. I want to do close-up magic, sleight of hand, which I often do now. I do mentalist tricks as well, normally when I do big shows.
I’m planning one day to walk on the water at the Dubai Fountain and walking up on the Burj Khalifa’s outside walls.”
FAVOURITE MAGICIAN
“My favourite magician is David Blaine. I idolise him so much.”