The typical college freshman can not conjure a fishbowl from a brown paper bag filled only with paper and tissue.
But for Danny Dubin, it’s an old trick.
Dubin, a freshman in the School of Communication, is an amateur magician who has performed around D.C. at different venues ranging, including the Australian Embassy, the LivingSocial Building, the MadHatter Bar and many others since arriving at AU in the fall of 2012, he said. Currently, he performs at Public Bar D.C. in Tenleytown on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
“I got this gig [Public Bar Tenley] by networking,” Dubin said. “In the first week I called up different bars in D.C. and then performed for the manager.”
Performing at Public Bar led to his Australian Embassy performance, after an audience member saw him perform and offered him the gig, according to Dubin.
Dubin also claims to have found out about other gigs in D.C. by working with another friend in the area, Max Major who will often refer Dubin to a venue if he himself cannot make the gig.
Dubin studied magic for the first time at the “Z” Frank Apachi Day Camp in Northbrook, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, around age 8, he said.
“I learned most of my magic from books and a lot was self-taught, and I have been to magic conventions, performances, workshops and contests,” Dubin said.
By eighth grade, Dubin was performing at a local family restaurant every Thursday and Saturday, he said. He has performed at bar mitzvahs and birthday parties as well as weddings. He has even had gigs for private companies, including the Ronald McDonald House, Navy Pier, Relay For Life, Boy Scouts of America and Radio Disney.
Dubin caters his shows to the age of his audience, he said. Dubin walks around Public Bar Tenley doing small tricks with money or cards for the adults, while during shows for children he keeps the program short, goofy and interactive, Dubin said.
One of Dubin’s best tricks is the “fishbowl,” during which he shows the audience a brown paper bag with nothing inside but paper and tissue and then magically pulls a fishbowl out of the bag, he said.
However, Dubin remains uncertain if magic is the career path he will follow.
“It’s great performing in D.C.,” Dubin said, “but I’m not sure what I want to do in the future, like any other freshmen.”
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