The IUS Student Programming Council hosted magician Rusty Ammerman during the Children’s Hour on Feb. 6.
Ammerman, who is a regular performer at previous Children’s Hours, performed magic tricks with help from members of the audience.
Ammerman, a native of Connersville, Ind., said he has done magic tricks since he was a young child but did not perform professionally until he was 16 years old.
“I didn’t even have my driver’s license yet,” he said. “I was dating this girl, and she did. She drove me to my gigs.”
He has appeared in 43 states and nine countries, including two tours overseas to entertain U.S. troops. He is a regular performer at the World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood and has appeared on the Bob and Tom Show.
Ammerman filled the hour-long performance with card tricks and other acts, like portraying what he called “super speed” and correctly guessing the first word on page 274 of an ordinary copy of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling.
After reminding the audience of the No. 1 rule of magicians — which is to never reveal their tricks — Ammerman showed the audience how to perform a trick. The trick was to shove a handkerchief into their closed fist and open the fist to produce a Coke can.
Ammerman performed tricks and told jokes parents could relate to, as well as jokes to get the children laughing.
Throughout the hour, Ammerman used music, facial expressions and alleged mistakes to keep the audience laughing and tuned into the show. He pulled audience members of all ages on stage to be his assistants.
After the performance, Ammerman took the time to sign autographs for audience members and answer questions.
Ammerman said his tricks all have different meanings, and he likes them all for specific reasons.
“Asking a magician to name his favorite trick is like asking a parent to pick their favorite child,” he said. “You can do it, but you don’t want to admit it.”
Ammerman has been touring for almost 15 years and said he has always been a performer.
“I had been doing theater and entertainment from the time that I was in junior high, and there was always an issue with getting other people to get rehearsals and getting other people to go to gigs,” he said. “I wanted something where I didn’t have to rely on anyone else.”
Ammerman saw a magician at a theme park he worked at as a teenager and said he decided to start performing magic professionally.
“At some point, I stopped doing tricks and started doing shows,” he said on his website. “I realized that the ability to do a magic trick doesn’t make you a magician, and being a magician certainly doesn’t make you an entertainer. It’s all about how you make your audience feel.”
By AMANDA
CHIAMULERA
Staff
alchiamu@umail.iu.edu