In this informal chat, Alexandra and Dominique Duvivier interview Jeff McBride. He tells anecdotes, shares his magical journey, his encounters, his inspirations, his interests, his passions, his work... This interview is in three parts. Not to be missed!  

An encounter with a mentalist. Fabien Olicard shares with us his inspirations, his conceptions... everything that has led him to become one of the most successful mentalists of our time. Not to be missed under any circumstances!  

This interview of Claude Rix by Alexandra and Dominique Duvivier is dedicated to the "Fruits d'Or", which is a magic brotherhood created by Claude Rix in 1973. We have seen Fred Kaps, Ali Bongo, Tommy Wonder, Richard Ross, Guy Lammertyn, Léon Chapelier, as well as Franck Garcia and Jean Ludow... And in the last few years, we have always seen: Gaetan Bloom, Alexandra and Dominique Duvivier, Francis Tabary, Devil, Pavel, Horace, the Blackfingers, Piet Forton, Quoc Tien Tran, Marc Paul, Antony Owen, Christopher, Jean Régil, Jean de Merry, Norbert Ferré, Bertran Lotth, Boris Wild... to name just a few! Every year the brotherhood meets for two or three days near Reims, France in the small village of Montaneuf to talk magic, perform magic, drink together, create magic tricks, eat together, exchange magical ideas, drink together, eat, laugh and especially drink a little to celebrate the new "Fruit d’Or" of the year (the new magician elected by the brotherhood)! The induction ceremony for a new member involves quite a ritual, including a rather original "test" since the "candidate" magician has to swallow a knife using a method that has never been used before by all the other members of the "Fruits d’Or".  

Alexandra and Dominique Duvivier interview Pierric Tenthorey. In this informal chat, Pierric shares with us his career path, the genesis of his magic act for which he was awarded the title of World Champion (Close-up FISM Grand Prix in 2015), and finally reveals what motivates him (magic, theater, comedy, directing, painting, etc...) as well as his future projects. This interview is in three parts. Not to be missed  

Dominique Duvivier lectured at the “Mephisto Day” on 10/01/1995, which you can discover in four parts.  

The principle: the people present have a freewheeling discussion on Mentalism. Today, three protagonists: Philippe de Perthuis, Alexandra and Dominique Duvivier. This videocast takes the form of an interview with Philippe de Perthuis, who specializes in this field.  

Bertran Lotth is one of the best magicians of great illusions in Europe and he is French! He was awarded the "Baguette d'Or" in Monte-Carlo and twice the "Mandrake d'Or", and has twice received the award for best magic show of the year. He has been performing exclusively for the Futuroscope for almost 20 years and has been working for the Puy du Fou (voted best amusement park in the world) for 30 years. An exemplary career from which every magician can draw inspiration.  

Interview with Lisa Menna by Alexandra and Dominique Duvivier. Lisa Menna talks about her career, her experiences, her conceptions... everything that led her to become such a talented magician, and who inspired Alexandra Duvivier so much. Not to be missed under any circumstances!  

Le Double Fond opened its doors on June 1st 1988. This exceptional archive allows you to discover Dominique Duvivier and Gaetan Bloom in one of their first shows in those days; this show was split into four parts.  

Dominique answers his daughter Alexandra's question: "Why and how did you use video equipment (camera, VCR...) as soon as it came out for the general public in the early 1970s?"  

The principle: some pictures are shown, and the people present have a freewheeling discussion about what it evokes in them. Today, three protagonists: Gaetan Bloom, Alexandra and Dominique Duvivier, who share their memories, anecdotes and real-life stories about these great figures of magic. The main pictures of the day: Juan Tamariz, David Roth, Paul Daniels. Not to be missed under any circumstances!  

Howard Hamburg shares with us a subtlety from Dai Vernon for the execution of this technique for "Triumph". The effect is greatly enhanced!  

The "elders" thought that magic could only be divided into 3 families of effects: appearance, disappearance, transformation. In the last century, Winston Freer revolutionized magic by discovering 17 families. Dominique Duvivier developed the concept and today, his work is based on 30 families! In this video, Alexandra Duvivier highlights the importance of this concept and explains how she takes it into account to enrich her performances and make them more attractive.  

 

« Hiding the Elephant » is a book written by Jim Steinmeyer that traces the history and "wars" between magicians when magic became the entertainment of choice for the general public before the advent of movies. He describes the creative process in magic, the notion of keeping a secret in magic, etc... through the great magicians of the time (Thurston, Selbit, Devant, Maskelyne, Kellar, Robert-Houdin, Buatier de Kolta, Houdini...) and the illusions they created. A fascinating and essential book!  

Recommended books that have had a lasting impact on my career. If you read these few books, the impact on your magic can be at least doubled. I give you the main lines of thought from these books and strongly encourage you to get them!