Wellington can now proudly claim 21 aspirant young magicians as part of their town’s population, as the youngsters graduated with flying colours from the College of Magic Juggling and Cards Skills course at an intimate awards ceremony held at St Albans Primary School on Monday 12 June.
The Juggling and Cards Skills Course, a six-week training programme which ran from 8 May to 12 June at the St Albans School in Wellington, forms part of the College of Magic’s Hope in Flight rural community project and is funded by the National Lotteries Commission (NLC).
“It’s been six weeks since the aspirant performers first picked up a deck of cards and juggling balls set and already their co-ordination skills and improved interpersonal skills have impressed their course instructor and programme coordinator”, says Olwethu Dyantyi.
A renowned South African magician and the face of world-famous beverage brand Coca Cola’s global relaunch campaign, Dyantyi is ecstatic with his Wellington students progress.
“Teaching juggling and card skills to learners with no previous experience in magic was an exciting challenge for me. To see how far they have come in just six weeks, and the confidence they have in their own skills has been very rewarding. I am so proud to have been a part of their introduction to the world of magic”.
Two students who have mastered the gravity defying tricks of juggling and quick-fingered dexterity of card magic are eleven-year-old swimming enthusiast Jecado Meyer and his classmate Marquin Karelse, a twelve-year-old cyclist.
The mischievous twosome dazzled their examiners and fellow young wizards during their final evaluation by performing their favourite card effect that they’d been taught during the course and juggling as many balls as they could.
Having passed with flying wizardry colours, the dynamic duo proudly received their certificates at their graduation ceremony, with their happy family members and school teachers looking on.
“It’s been amazing learning these cool card tricks and juggling routines but our course went by so quickly! We’d love to attend the College of Magic in Cape Town to learn more about the incredible art of magic” said the excited new graduates.
The College of Magic, now in its 37th year of teaching the magic theatrical performing arts and its allied arts (including juggling, puppetry, mime and clowning), with a social and life- skills component to children and adults, is a non-profit organisation, based in Cape Town, and the only one of its kind in the world.
The Juggling and Card Skills course forms part of the College of Magic’s community training programme, the Hope in Flight project, funded with a grant of R500 000 from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) which supports disadvantaged students.
The ‘Hope in Flight’ community programme is an extension of the College’s successful Magic in the community programme, which provides young people from poor communities with the opportunity to participate in an innovative performing arts training and development programme and promote a platform for the understanding and affirmation of South Africa’s cultural diversity.
The next magical outreach courses are planned to be held in Piketberg and Franschhoek from Tuesday 15 August to Thursday 21 September.
For more information about the College of Magic and its social outreach initiatives, please visit www.collegeofmagic.com.
