Moving!!!

I've decided to move my blog over to the regular website, DeanAlanMagic.com That way people interested are not taken all over the place, they'll stay on the same site to see the latest information on what good ole Dean Alan is up to!

And That's A Wrap!!!!

Summer 2015 is done! In the bag! Finished! Complete! (unless someone else calls in the next day or so). How was it, you might ask? BUSY!!! Over the summer I presented the following shows: The Ultra Magic Show, The Jurassic Magic Show, The Very Seussical Magic Show, The Super Marvelous Magic Show, The Magic Circus, AND The Top SECRET Magic Workshop! I performed indoors, I performed outdoors. I performed for small crowds, I performed for big crowds. I performed at Summer Camps, schools, libraries, in gyms and numerous times at an outdoor amphitheater. The farthest distance I had to drive to get to a show was 120 miles. The shortest was 1/10th of a mile. Oh, and 22 public appearances this summer, over 100 private appearances.

Typically every summer there is material that will get moved to my big show. This year Marco the

Monkey will move into the Steampunk Illusionist Show. That is the only routine that got bumped up. One show from the line-up got it's life extended, the Jurassic Magic show. I had originally planned on presenting that show only this summer and then retiring it again. But the popularity of the show was so huge, that I decided to add the dinosaur show to my regular line-up of shows. In fact, I even ordered a new dinosaur puppet!

Not everything that I had planned for summer made it into the show. There was one dinosaur trick that never made it, which is fine, because that trick will now be in the school year version of the show.

There were several really cool magic effects that I had planned to use in the Ultra Magic Show but they too never made it. One was making a full glass of liquid vanish into thin air. Another piece that didn't make it into the show was a story routine, but that one is already shifted to the Steampunk show.

So now that all this is over, what's next? Well, work has already begun on the upgrades to my fall shows. The Fall-O-Ween Magic Show & The Thankfully Fun Show will be getting a special backdrop. I am contemplating adding a turkey puppet to the Thankfully Fun Show. AND there is a very cool addition to the Fall-O-Ween Magic Show, but you're going to have to wait and see for yourself! As for The Very Merry Magic Show, well I've got a LOT of stuff to add to that show and it's going to be really special this year. It's going to be really hard to choose between the three shows this Fall....so why not choose 2 instead (or even all 3)!!!

15 shows to Go and Summer is Over!

I can hardly believe how fast this summer has gone by. It's almost over...BUT I still have 15 shows to do. One of those 15 is at Locust Shade Park in Triangle VA. That one is open to the public and I'll be there Thursday August 27th at 10:30am. I think there is a small ticket price, but if you can make it out, please do! I've got some fun things in store for Thursday.

One of the most amazing things about the summer were the number of public performances. I typically only do private events in the summer, but not this year. I've had 22 public performances this summer! And a lot of my old friends and fans have come out to support the shows! Thank you!!!!

I'll keep this short and sweet because I want to give you a complete wrap up of summer once it's over. Until then, stay safe and think magically!

Brand New Dr. Seuss Book Is Out!

I just picked up the new book by Dr. Seuss called "What Pet Should I Get?" It's a really fun book, though smaller than the previous 'LOST' books of Dr. Seuss. This one contains only a single story. It has some interesting historical information at the end of the book however.

The publishers have estimated that this story and it's artwork where done by Dr. Seuss between 1958 and 1962. They also think it could be the precursor to One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish because the same two children appear in both books.

This new book will be featured in my new elementary school reading assembly, and I think it will also find it's way into a revamped version of one of my daycare shows.

As I mentioned above, it's a fun book so run out and get a copy!

New Contest Up and Running

The Summer is about half over at this point, but I still have a ton of shows to do. AND, I want to alert you to my Facebook Photo Contest. I put it up on my facebook page on July 1st and so far, NO ONE has contributed, lol. It costs NOTHING! And you get a chance to win a prize. So why not give it a chance. Just go to my facebook page, LIKE the page and then post a photo or two or three from my show at your location. https://www.facebook.com/DeanAlanMagic

For those of you who want to know how Summer 2015 is going. GREAT!!!!!!! Except for one show, lol. Yes, I had one show that was a little rough around the edges. I never in my life encountered a group of kids who didn't know what Dinosaurs were, until now. By the end of the show they sure got a good education on Dinosaurs. But it was a hard road getting through that one. When it was over, the kids kept telling me how much they loved it. So, it just goes to show that you can't always judge the show by the reaction. This group just acted differently than 99% of other groups. But as long as they had a great time and enjoyed the Dinos, then I'm fine with that.

Seven Weeks of Shows left till Summer is over! Then BIG CHANGES in the Fall!!!!

Inside the Jurassic Magic Show

What is Jurassic Magic you ask? It's a show about Dinosaurs that uses magic in a fun way to entertain and educate young children. This was the very first themed show I ever created back almost 20 years ago. I retired the show a while back because the enthusiasm about dinosaurs had vanished from the public. But now with the new Jurassic World movie and other projects about dinosaurs on the horizon, I thought it was a good time to bring the show back.

But I did more than bring it back. I updated the show. I added some routines and removed some things. The original show was a 35 minute program. This new version is 45 minutes and includes lots of magic, several really cool dinosaur puppets and just the right amount of fun and education to please the pre-k crowd.

The puppets include a Tri-Ceratops, a baby T-Rex who looks just like the image on the poster above, and a Stegasauras, which you can see to the left. The puppets are fun and they lead up to a magic trick. I use them primarily to teach the kids different things about the dinosaurs.

I have one new routine that is going to go into the show, but I've not finished building it yet. It's a 'stretching' dinosaur routine where a picture of an Apatosaurus changes into a Diplodicus Dinosaur. It's a fun way to show the audience the difference in the size of the dinos.

I still have a few spots left for the Jurassic Magic Show, so let me know if you'd like to have it for your pre-k audiences. www.DeanAlanMagic.com

First Summer Show is Done!

Well the opening of the Summer Magic Tour 2015 is off and running. The first show was this past week and what a fun crowd I had! The photo above is from the school and you'll notice a teacher holding up a picture. This was drawn during the 'Magic Drawing Contest' which turned out to be merely a 'Drawing Contest' because I forgot something, lol. But it was still fun and I LOVED the picture she drew of ME :)

Friday I had 1 magic workshop and 6 magic shows. The 6 were for one client and they all went wonderfully. I should have taken some photos there but I was too caught up in resetting the show and doing the show!

If you're on the summer tour, watch out for Marco the Monkey, he is a big hit this Summer! AND if you're still looking for a Summer show, I have a couple of dates left, not many, but I may be able to squeeze you in. The show is really awesome this year!!!!
Just visit my website at www.DeanAlanMagic.com

Summer Magic Tour 2015 Is ON!!!!

Tomorrow, I officially begin the start of my Summer 2015 Magic Tour. Though I've been doing shows for the past couple weeks, the ones tomorrow start a continuous run until the first week of Sept. There are no weekdays when I don't have shows. However, there are about 7 open time slots, so if you're really late to the game and want a show, I'll do my best to accommodate you. And if I can't do it, I have a guy who can do a fantastic show as well.

I'm already scheduling shows for Fall 2015 and Winter. So if you're so inclined, feel free to contact me NOW while I still have lots of open dates.

By the way, along with the start of my summer tour, it's also the 'Summer of Weight Loss'....at least that is the plan. I'll let you know how it goes! Wish me luck!!!!

Twenty Dates Left For Summer Magic Shows!

Click Image for Larger Version

There are approx 20 dates left for Summer 2015. These are weekdays that I'm referring to, not weekends. Summer 2015 is going to be incredible. I've been working on material for the show for months now. There are some jaw-dropping routines that will be in the Ultra-Magic Show which I expect will leave people talking for weeks afterwards. Marco the Monkey appeared in a number of my Spring shows and I even tested him out doing his own magic trick, which went over GREAT. He's a remarkable little fellow and he is all ready for his Summer run of shows.


The Jurassic Magic Show, for the preschoolers,  is actually my ole Pre-Hysterical Dinosaur Show coming out of retirement but it's getting a make-over.  Some of the new magic for the dinosaur show has already showed up and it's GREAT.

At this point in time, if you are interested in the Magic Workshop, I can ONLY do that in the afternoons. But if you look at the list below, you'll see I have a number of afternoons wide open. Usually afternoons are any time after 1pm.

June 22, Afternoon open

June 24, all day open

June 25, Afternoon open

June 26, all day open

June 29, afternoon open

July 1, afternoon open

July 6, afternoon open

July 17, afternoon open

July 28, afternoon open

July 30, afternoon open

July 31, afternoon open

Aug 14th, all day open afternoon only

Aug 18th all day open only Afternoon open


Aug 21, afternoon open

Aug 27, morning open

Aug 28, afternoon open

Aug 31, afternoon open

Sept 1, all day open

Sept 2, afternoon open

Sept 3, all day open

Dinosaur Magic Show

Years ago, when the first Jurassic Park movie came out, I was having breakfast with David Ginn. He was in town to do a lecture. He mentioned to me that if any magician ever put together a dinosaur magic show, they'd cause money to fall out of the sky. Well those weren't his exact words but you get the idea. It wasn't long after that when I chose to quit my regular 9-5 job and take up magic full time.

My first show was a show about dinosaurs. It was a very odd show for me because I was used to magic magic magic and this show had puppets and very little magic. But it was a hit from the very first time I presented it. Before I put it together I had to study for weeks about dinosaurs. Apparently, all the dino-related science I learned in school did not stick. So, I quickly devoured everything I could about dinosaurs. The next step was to take all that knowledge and shrink it down to easily understandable points for kids. Then I had to take those different points and find magic and puppets that could help tell the story.

The end result was a very popular show that I did for years. I presented the show several hundred times during the course of 10 years. But then one day I decided the show had run it's course. Clients were choosing other shows and not the dinosaur show for their kids so I retired the show. I cleaned up all the puppets, packed them in plastic and cleaned all the props and packed them away. I had no intention of ever doing that show ever again.

Then along comes Jurassic World and my friend Mark Daniel. Mark is a school assembly performer and he loves dinosaurs. In fact, he has a Dinosaur Museum that he tours with in North Carolina, South Carolina and Southern Virginia. AND he does a show about dinosaurs different from mine, but the same concept. Jurassic World of course is the NEXT installment to the series and probably considered a reboot by many. I just knew that dinosaurs would be huge again this summer. Marks popularity with his show also proved I was correct.

So this summer 2015, Jurassic Magic Returns! I will have new dino-magic, new puppets, and maybe a little bit of the older material mixed in. Today, I presented the old version of the show for the first time in many years and it's still a hit with the kids. I have another one tomorrow and that will be the last one until Summer. I have dates available for my Jurassic Magic Show if you're interested, HOWEVER, this show is specially designed for PRE-K and K audiences only. It's not a show for elementary school aged kids. So if you want something for the younger kids that they are sure to love, let me know!!!

How Pirates Got Me Banned

Pirates are huge. There is no mistaking that. Disney is scheduled to shoot a 5th Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Go to the party stores you'll find entire sections of Pirate stuff for kids. Kids love treasure hunts, they love pirate ships, they love dressing up like pirates. Pirates are big stuff.

So about 8 years I created a Pirate trick for my show. The reason was kind of funny, it was because I had found a pirate hat in my collection of props and thought, 'Hey, why not use this!'. So I made a treasure map, found on old chest and put fake treasure in it. And I also made a sort of 'mis-made' Jolly Roger routine, where an old piece of black cloth eventually has a pirate skull and cross bones appear on it. I would present the pirate flag trick first and follow it up with a treasure hunt to find the treasure chest.

The result of this little creation the kids would go crazy for the Pirate routine. They loved it! I never created an entire magic show around pirates though. It was only like 1 or 2 routines and that was it. I do know guys who do entire Pirate shows and they are always in demand. And I will tell you that I have had requests to do Pirate Birthday parties on numerous occasions.

Now, having said that, I was down in Richmond VA about 4 years ago. I decided to put the Pirate routine back into the show, as it was only in there during one run in the summer a few years before this. I figured, 4 years has passed, the audiences will be mostly new. I get hired to do a show in Richmond at a daycare that I have performed at several times. They were a regular client and always great to work with. So the day of the show, I'm setting things up, all seems fine. I start by hiding my treasure chest before the kids get in. Then I set up everything else for the show. The pirate flag routine is near the start of the show and the end of the show is the treasure map routine where I go on a treasure hunt with a kid from the audience. Reaction, the kids loved it. In fact, there were several kids in the audience with Jolly Roger and pirate t-shirts. (kids LOVE pirates)

When the show was over, I went through the typical ritual, thanking the kids, shaking their hands or giving them high fives as they went back to their classrooms. And of course I hear all the comments by teachers and kids, all positive.  In other words, another home run! Then I go to the office to see the director to get my payment. She has an odd look on her face. "I need to talk to you" she says and then she rips into my about 'we don't do pirates here'. At first I thought she was joking. Then I realize, she is actually serious. Despite the fact that several kids had pirate t-shirts on, which I brought up to her, she was firm that we don't do pirates and I somehow should have been able to read her mind and know that ahead of time. That same summer, one of the chains was having a 'Find The Treasure' theme during Summer Camp. Pirates are huge, remember.

My flyers that summer mentioned the Pirate routine. One of the promotional pieces that year featured the pirate map. They got the flyers, they were a regular client. What did I do? I was as polite as a person could be. I told her if there was any indication that pirates were off limits, or if they had told me ahead of time, I would have gladly removed that material.  But with the huge popularity of pirates among children and in the summer camps, it was frankly a surprise that she would prohibit the whole idea. Unfortunately, I couldn't take back the show, I had already performed, so all I could was apologize. As I drove home, I began to go through this conversation again in my head and how nasty this person was about it.

Then my mind got to thinking about another situation that took place earlier that year. A client called to ask me not to mention my name 'The Wizard of Reading' during my Wizard of Reading Show. That show is part of my educational assemblies for schools. I was told they don't use the word 'wizard' at the school. I happened to know that this very school just had several members from the Washington Wizards visit the school and talk to the kids. I asked her if she restricted them from using the name 'Washington Wizards'. She said 'no of course not'. Then why the double standard?????????

Both of these situations to me are issues of double standards. If you've got kids in the school wearing pirate t-shirts and yet you tell the performer, who is a GUEST in your school, that you don't do pirates, then you are showing a double standard. Same with the Wizard of Reading/Washington Wizards story, double standard. I don't mind adhering to certain requests and fact I am quite accomodating in those situations. I have a couple schools I visit that don't do Halloween and have requested I don't do anything with 'witches'. Sure thing, no problem! I was happy to oblige. But there were no kids in the audiences dressed up like witches either so there was no double standard.

If you're wondering if I was banned from those two schools the answer is yes. But not by the schools. I put on a self imposed ban. I don't like to be yanked around. As I said, I don't mind adhering to certain requests beforehand within reason. But in the Pirate case, I was so poorly treated after having delivered a stellar show for the kids and teachers, that I decided not to return. I don't mistreat people and I don't tolerate that in return. I am always polite and courteous. I have enough people that want my show with no strings attached that I can go without the rare few that make life difficult.

My Newsletter and Contest

Every month I send out my free e-newsletter to clients and prospects who I've done business with in the past or who have signed up for the newsletter on my website. Last month, I announced that I was going to have a contest. Basically a Children's Book Give-Away. The original concept was easy, anyone who was in my online database or who signed up for my newsletter, would get a chance at winning the books. Then I would draw a name from a hat and the winner would get all the books. BUT then I found out that someone on my list sent in a 'spam' complaint on me. Unfortunately, I don't know who it is. As I mentioned, everyone on my list was either an existing client OR someone who signed up on my site. I don't send newsletters to folks I never worked with unless they've signed up on their own. And I never share my list with ANYONE, EVER!

Let me try and explain something. I am a 1-man operation. I spent around $3000+ getting this computerized email system developed for my business so I could stay competitive in the 21st Century. A single complaint has the potential to shut me down totally. The company I work with can cancel my account and I'm out all that money. I just deleted every name on the list that I have not done business with in the last year. IF you find that you are not getting the newsletter or notifications from me, then it's because you got removed and you'll need to sign back up. I totally apologize if you were removed and you wanted to stay on.

So, I'm now going to alter the Contest a little bit. You will need to sign-up or re-sign-up for my newsletter via my website (DeanAlanMagic.com) and then you'll be in the running for the books. I will draw a name out of a hat before Summer and the winner gets the books. Below is a photo of the books. Just so you know, I've found a few more, so there are even more books than those listed. It's up to about $150 in brand new books that you can get for FREE just by signing up for my newsletter.

To sign-up Go to my website and scroll down the page to the Opt-In Box and Sign-Up. It's FREE

A New Friend Is Joining the Magic Show

Here he is! Oh well, only a glimpse of him right now. His name is Marco the monkey. He will be doing a guest spot in the Summer 2015 show. I have the distinct feeling that Marco will steal the show.

I first saw Marco (actually Marco's uncle) in a different show. It was the wonderful Le Grand David Magic Show in Beverly Mass. The magician's name in that show was Marco (which I named my little friend after). Marco the magician's use of the monkey was hysterical. It truly brought the house down. In many ways, I'm almost glad that I don't remember what he did. I just remember how funny it was. But my friend Marco, whose real name was Cesareo Pelaez, passed away in 2012. Last year, in 2014, the rest of the company/cast members sold off all the props from the show and later in the year the theatre that they had used for over 30 years was sold as well.

So I decided I would add a Monkey routine to my show and I named him Marco after my friend. He will be making small appearances in shows prior to summer. But with any luck, I'll have a full fleshed out routine ready to go by the first Summer shows. Marco will be appearing in the Ultra-Magic Show. If you'd like to see a picture of Marco the Monkey's Uncle, yes, he was a Monkey's Uncle, look below.

By the way, Marco the Monkey is only going to the Summer 2015 shows. IF his run is successful, and I expect it to be, he is getting a promotion and moving on to a different magic show.

The Seuss Tour Continues

When my tour of Seuss programs begins in February, I visit mainly elementary schools. But as the month progresses and we move into March and April, I also go to daycares and eventually libraries. There are some subtle differences in the way the show is presented in these different venues. At elementary schools, there is a larger emphasis put into the educational content. The daycare version the emphasis is on fun. The library edition is a blend of both education and fun.

Some of the books are covered in detail. For example, during the Bippilo Seed routine, I find a metal box, just like the duck from the story finds. The box has gold writing on it, just like in the story. And inside the box is a Bippilo Seed. So I am basically acting out the entire first page of the book during the routine. And it continues from there.

Sometimes books and characters are mentioned but they don't get the same degree of detail. For example, I mentioned Fox In Sox and Yertle the Turtle, but they don't have their own separate routines like The Bippilo Seed, Gustav The Goldfish, The Sneetches and others have.

The photos on this page are from a daycare and the ages in the audience were from 3 to school age, and the show was enjoyed by all (teachers included).

More Seuss Adventures

Last Monday, March 2, was Dr. Seuss's birthday and Read Across America Day. An elementary school in Ashburn VA had booked me almost a year in advance for that date. As fate would have it, it snowed the day before and school was cancelled for March 2nd.

Thankfully, we rescheduled for Monday March 9th.  I was able to present three assemblies at the school all on the books and stories of Dr. Seuss. The photo at the top of the page gives you an idea of what my stage set-up looks like. My two tables are draped with custom made Dr. Seuss covers. This is actually the set-up from a couple years ago. I still use the custom draped table covers, but there are more props involved in the show.

New this year has been the story, Horton and the Kwuggerbug. Everyone loves Horton, but until
recently, I only thought there were two Horton stories, Horton Hatches the Egg and Horton Hears a Who. Turns out, that in between those two books was Horton and the Kwuggerbug, but it never got published into bookform. So a few months ago, this story and a few other 'lost' Seuss stories made their way into a book by the same title.

The image to the right is a painting of a Beezlenut Tree, the tree which is the focus of the story about Horton and this shifty Kwuggerbug. This is actually the conclusion of the routine. It starts with the image of only the tree and then the bug and Horton's trunk appear on the picture. I really like sharing new stories with audiences who think they know everything there is to know about Dr. Seuss. I always have people (students, teachers, and other adults) come up to me and tell me they learned something new about Dr. Seuss in the course of my show.

Horton and the Kwuggerbug Book also contains a number of 'Lost Stories'. One is about the boy Marco, who often appears in Dr. Seuss stories. AND this book has the very first GRINCH story, except, this original Grinch is far far different from the one who appeared in How The Grinch Stole Christmas. 

Last year, I featured The Sneetches story along with other stories in my show. The Sneetches is a great story but I found it to be rather difficult to effectively illustrate with magic. I like to tell the stories from the books using magic. I had created several different Sneetch routines over the years, but none made it into my show because I didn't feel it was quite right. Then suddenly, I stumbled upon the solution. It was so great because the idea allowed me to share the basic story with the kids and have fun with the magic at the same time. I was quite proud of the outcome.

I have been asked if I will do another new Reading Assembly with a Seuss theme next year? I can't answer the question at the moment. I had originally planned on stopping with 2015. But I've since found a couple more stories that I know will translate wonderfully into magic routines and allow me to share with kids and teachers. For me the real reason behind this is to encourage kids to read. By sharing the stories of Dr. Seuss and other fun facts about the stories it helps to peak the interests of the kids and they then want to find the books and read them for themselves. The key to reading when you're young is to be interested in the material. IF you are not interested, no amount of forcing will turn a kid into a reader. Trust me, I know, I was one of those kids with terrible reading comprehension. I could read the same paragraph a dozen times and not recall what I read. Then one day I found magic and reading about magicians changed the way I thought about reading. Now I love to read books of all kinds. And because I missed so many of the great Dr. Seuss stories as a kid, I can now enjoy them fully and help others to find enjoyment in them as well.

The Easter Magic Show

It's been a long time since I offered this show. My Easter Magic Show was something I offered a long time ago to groups and churches that were having Easter Egg Hunts and needed some entertainment in between the various 'hunts'.  Naturally I'll do a routine or two with eggs, I also have a fun flower routine and something with a rabbit, though I do not use a real rabbit. I stopped using live rabbits a number of years ago as I would encounter kids who allergies to rabbits. So instead I found great rabbit tricks that used images of rabbits but not the real thing.

I generally think of the Easter Magic Show as a show for younger children, because they are the ones who usually attend the egg hunts. But if you're in the Northern VA area and are interested in having a magician as part of your Easter activities, check me out on the web at www.DeanAlanMagic.com

What I Learned From Dr. Seuss

For the past 15+ years I've been presenting a Dr. Seuss Magic Show at daycares, libraries, and elementary schools. It is the single most popular educational show I have. The story about it's origins is one I've told friends before, but I'll briefly share it with you.

I received a call one day from a daycare asking if I did any Dr. Seuss magic tricks. I told them that I did not, but I could put something together if they wanted to book a show. I told them I'd include one trick related to Dr. Seuss. The trick I came up with was simple and based on a classic kidshow magic trick. I think the original went by PetShop Pranks, or Barnyard Follies or something like that. It was a Supreme Magic item. I simply used Dr. Seuss images in place of the animals. Easy as 1-2-3.

What I didn't expect was when I arrived and everyone, kids, teachers, and parents were all dolled up in Cat in the Hat Hats and various other costumes related to Dr. Seuss. Most were home made items, but many of the hats looked store bought. It was then that I found out how popular the Doctor still was and that his birthday was actually 'Read Across America Day'.

The following year, I added more material to the show until I came up with an entire show of Dr. Seuss routines. But again, they were more just magic tricks with a Dr. Seuss covering. It wasn't until I brought the show to elementary schools that all that changed. I began to delve deeper into the stories. I researched how the stories came about, the origins, the stories related to other stories and so forth. It was then that the show really became an educational show. And it was then that I really learned how to make a really strong themed show with a great message.

Prior to the elementary school version, I was merely taking standard magic tricks and repackaging them with Dr. Seuss pictures and so forth. But now, I was using magic to tell many of the stories. Not every story is easy to illustrate with magic. And some took many years before I hit on the right formula. An example was last years The Sneetches routine. I worked on getting that book into my show for more than 5 years but I just never had the right routine. Finally, last year I stumbled upon a brilliant concept for the routine which perfectly illustrated what was happening in the story. It was a hit.

The show today is a mixture of story based routines and some of the older magic with a Seuss theme. The difference between now and then, even the older routines are educational because I share many of the important aspects of the stories and characters while I do the magic.

The photo at the top of the page is a routine called 'Gustav The Goldfish' which can be found in the book, The Bippilo Seed and Other Lost Stories of Dr. Seuss. In my routine the entire story is acted out in a similar way as it appears in the story. When the routine is over, I share how this story never made it into print while Dr. Seuss was alive. The reason was because Dr. Seuss's wife Helen Palmer asked him if she could have the story for her own, and she changed it a bit, added different illustrations and renamed the book 'A Fish Out Of Water'. Many people were familiar with that story and not Gustav, but now they learned where it came from.

Dr. Seuss took simple and sometimes silly stories and rhyming words to convey often complex subjects. But no matter the message, his stories were always fun to read which in turn helped young readers to build up their reading skills and helped them to find joy in reading. 
And because of his example I've really learned how to take any magic trick and turn it into a themed presentation and not simply for kids. Messages such as motivation, success, time management, and so forth can be taught by using magic as the vehicle to get the message across. One of my Seuss programs even has a lesson in perseverance and this directly relates to Theo Geisel's own life.


Thank you so much Mr. Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss)!

Virginia Summer Camp Magician Commercial

Short commercial for my upcoming Summer 2015 Tour

Virginia-Maryland Summer Camp Magic Shows Announced!

Each Summer for the past 15+ years, I've brought out new shows for Summer Camps. I always have a new preschool show and one show for school agers. This year, there are actually 3 programs. The third program is actually a workshop.

When I began my career performing magic full time, one of the first programs I developed was called The Pre-Hysterical Dinosaur Show. It was a huge hit for years and then the dino-craze kind of died off, much like the dinosaurs themselves. So I retired the show about 4 years ago. But I've recently discovered a new resurgence of interest in the 'giant lizards'! So, I'm bringing the show back with some modifications and upgrades. The new show will be called Jurassic Magic. Please note, this show is for preschoolers ONLY!

The show will run 45 minutes and will have magic, puppets and lots of fun things for the kids to enjoy.


The next show in the line-up is The Ultra Magic Show. This show is being designed for school aged children. I'm going to bring back a couple of the strongest routines from my past shows out and introduce a LOT of new material. This show will be 45 minutes, like all my programs and will have magic, more magic, and even more magic! I'm probably going to produce a short promo video for this show, so watch for that in the coming weeks.

Whenever I create a show, it usually takes a couple months to develop. The bigger the show, the more time it takes. The Ultra Magic Show, won't be big in regards to size, but it will be BIG in regards to content. So the planning has already begun.

The past two years I've taken out a version of the Underground Magic Theatre Show, but this year, the Ultra Magic Show will be replacing it. The time needed to set up the UMT show makes it very difficult to do and as much as I love doing that bigger show, it's not practical. Now, having said that, this new production may turn out to be bigger than I'm anticipating, lol. Time will certainly tell.

The final program in the Summer 2015 line-up will be The TOP SECRET Magic Workshop! I get requests every summer for a teaching workshop and for the most part I've been turning them down. But this year, I decided to go ahead and bring back the program. The workshop is 45 minutes and will include teaching/instruction in a number of magic tricks. I will have hand-outs for the kids, activity pages, and all the kids will get their own autographed magic poster. Oh, and along with that the kids will receive 1 actual magic trick that they can keep and take home. Most of the magic in the workshop is presented using everyday items like string, rubber bands, coins and the like. But this one special magic trick is like a bonus on top of everything else.

IF you are interested in any of these shows, go visit my website at www.DeanAlanMagic.com. You can actually book the shows direct through the website now by clicking the 'book-a-show' page.

2015 is Taking Off Like A Rocket

I must ask this question, Have you received my email newsletter yet? IF yes, GREAT! If no, then you've got to sign up. I sent out my first online newsletter today which contained info on the new Super Hero Show, News on the new Dr. Seuss Show and information on Summer Shows! It also had some additional information about my recent public appearances and something really HUGE that is in the works.

The image above is a screen shot of the newsletter, well as much as would fit into the screen. It's actually a bit longer than that. Here is how the newsletter works. For all my current customers and those who sign up for the newsletter, you will get one email per week. The newsletter will probably be the only one with images and such. The other emails will contain stories, sales and marketing ideas and general motivational stuff. Let's face it, no matter what job you have, you are in sales. Moms and Dads are sales people, they have to sell their kids on what to eat, the right way to behave, what to watch and NOT watch on TV and so forth. Yes it's called parenting, but it's also a form of sales.

Daycare Directors are sales people, they've got to sell new prospects on using their center. They've got to sell their employees on new programs and new procedures. School Teachers are sales people. You have got to be able to deliver your lessons in such a way that the students understand them, comprehend them and can retain them. You are selling math, science, art, history, reading and so forth. WE ARE ALL SALES PEOPLE in one way or another.

I'm going to show you some easy ways to do it. Ways that may only benefit you personally and other ways that my help you in your work. You might be wondering, what does it cost? My newsletter is free. The great thing about email is you can choose to read it or not. But I'll tell you this, I'll also be sharing some magic and the occasional magic lesson. That's right, I'll teach YOU a trick that you can share with friends and family. Don't worry, it won't be so difficult that you won't be able to do it. I promise it will be fun to learn and fun to try out on your friends. I probably will only teach a trick one time per month.

Why? I'll be honest, many of you are not only customers but long time friends. I like to share stuff with my friends. And if I can pick up a few new friends along the way and in turn help or teach you something, then it's a win win for everyone. This is only for existing customers and anyone else who signs up for my newsletter. Next week I have a 'super hero' story to share that I think you'll really enjoy. Where to sign up? Just go to my website www.DeanAlanMagic.com and about half way down you'll see a box for the sign up. 

I've been working on this for more than a year and have had several false starts, but it looks like it's all working now. I'm so excited for 2015 and all the cool things that are in store!!!!!