Can food levitate? Can ice cubes burn? Is mind control fact or fable? Where does science end and illusion begin? Don’t google the answers just yet. Get the facts straight from the masters themselves... from a band of talented magicians who will take you on a journey that spans the realms of science and magic
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Get ready to be whisked away into an enchanted world where objects fly, explode, change colour and disappear into thin air and people defy the jaws of death in terrifying stunts that will leave you spellbound. But it doesn’t stop there. You also get to watch and understand the sheer beauty of the science that lies behind the greatest magic tricks ever performed.
The Magic of Science 2, a television show that airs on Discovery Channel, fuses the flair of showmanship and magic with the grandeur of science. In an exclusive interview with Billy Kidd, one of the glamorous anchors of the show, the young illusionist describes how magic can be just as hip and sexy as any other art, and what’s more, it is often backed by science too.
“The show, Magic of Science, is hosted by magicians and we show you science demonstrations that are recreated to look like magic,” explains Billy Kidd. “We disguise magic in science and educate the viewer by explaining the science behind the magic to them.”
Raised in Edmonton, Canada, Billy began her career in the performance arena with many years of training in ballet, tap and hip hop. She was accepted into one of Canada’s top theatre schools at the age of 18, and went on to become an actress of repute. Magic, however, came into her life much later. “I got into the field of magic a bit late,” she says, and goes on to explain that it all began when she once watched a magician in action. “A friend of mine showed me a magic trick of a disappearing object that suddenly reappeared. It was so funny that I started laughing.
She never did tell me how the trick was done, but I figured it out myself and when I found out how it was done, I found the trick even funnier. A little later, I happened to meet a street magician who was performing for a street audience. His show blew my mind.”
The street show was to change her life because magic soon became a passion for Billy.
She began studying hard to learn the ancient art of the illusionists. “Magic is usually self-taught and that is how I learnt it,” she says. And once she began unravelling the world of magic, there was no looking back. It changed the course of her career and her dreams.
“What I love about magic is that you can show people how things that are not real can seem real,” she says, adding, “To perform magic is a scary thing as you never know how people will react. But I loved studying the psychology of people and watching their reactions to my magic. Soon this became an addiction for me.”
Billy can never forget her earliest days in the field of magic. “My first time as a performer was really terrifying,” she says. “I was so nervous that I made myself physically sick. I only did a card trick but it was a scary experience. Eventually, however, it turned out to be a successful performance.” As one of the few female magicians in the industry, Billy’s versatile style charms audiences and makes her truly exceptional. She manages to fuse comedy, close-up magic and street performances into one fabulous show. Today, she is known worldwide and has conducted her walk-around performances in Canada, US, Japan, Dubai, Portugal, Austria, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.
Billy admits that there are challenges in being a woman magician because there are very few of them. “One of the big disadvantages I faced as a woman magician was the fact that I have small hands,” she says laughing. “But it is exciting too, because I have to force myself to be different. You cannot copy anyone in the industry. I had to learn to think out of the box. It was also nice to be able to encourage other young women in the profession.”
According to Billy, people are still fascinated with magic though the Internet has changed the face of the art. “Today, you can go to YouTube and see how a magic trick is done,” she says. “But in many ways, the Internet has made magic more powerful because though people know a trick is done, they will not be able to do it themselves.”
It was not easy filming The Magic of Science series. “We filmed for three months in many countries, with a lot of long days and a lot of hard work,” she explains. “I remember one incident vividly. We had to use chemicals to do a trick outdoors on a cold and windy day. When we started to perform the magic, we realised to our astonishment that the chemicals had been blown away by the wind and had to start all over again.
So, you see, there is a lot to deal with each time. The best aspect of this season is that apart from science-based magic, you also get to see real magic where there is no science involved.”
Magic of Science 2 airs Monday to Friday at 8 pm, on Discovery Channel.