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With a wave of his hand, Dr Henry Ho of Smile Team Orthodontics in Fairy Meadow, NSW, delights and amazes with his magic show.
“I’ve always had an interest to serve my local church. As an orthodontist, most of my work is done with children so it made sense for me to help run the Sunday school sessions. The church provides us with all the materials we need, and we have a Bible study session. I wanted to make the whole Sunday school experience a bit more engaging for the kids so, before the session starts, I began putting on a magic show.
“The kids are really engaged and excited by the magic show. It captures their attention and afterwards they’re willing to listen to the message we’re presenting. It might be about a passage from the Bible or how to respect each other or how to manage social media.
“I used to be a competitive 10-pin bowler but I injured my wrist and had to give it up. I wanted a hobby that used the fine motor skills I’d gained from dentistry and orthodontics so I started learning magic. Initially, I learned from YouTube videos, then moved onto books about the subject. There are two rules to magic: never reveal the secret of the trick and never perform the same magic trick twice in front of the same audience. Unfortunately, this means there’s no-one willing to teach you magic.
“Luckily, I met some full-time magicians in Melbourne who put on shows, do corporate gigs and work on cruise ships. We became friends and they taught me how to be a better performer.
“I perform close-up magic that has the kids positioned very near to the stage. I do tricks with things like cups and balls and cards. Sometimes I’ll involve an animal in the performance and that always goes down great. Unlike adults, kids love to be called up on stage and be involved with the show.
“Magic not only brings smiles to people’s faces but it also brings some happiness. The news and social media seem very depressing these days. There are wars, inflation, climate change and cyberbullying. Magic lets people forget about their worries for a moment and relax. Everyone knows it’s not real but that doesn’t detract from the amazement of a well performed trick. It’s similar to watching movies. The movie doesn’t have to be real for you to sit down and enjoy it.
“There are hours and hours of practice to get the tricks just right but it’s worth it. Engaging kids with my magic and watching their reaction are some of the real joys in my life.”
