Magic, everyone knows it is an optical illusion, but no one can tell you how tricks are performed. Recently I went to see this comedian/magician/balloon artist, a lot of different professions I know, and it turned out to be a great time. His magic skills included a levitating girl, a card trick, and a reappearing trick done with someone’s phone which was put inside a balloon and then reappeared inside a series of boxes. All of these tricks were awe-inspiring to say the least. I knew how a few of the tricks were done, but the levitation was too farfetched for me to consider, and the only word I could use to explain was magic. Although magic was a part of the show, it was not the main attraction. The main attraction was his balloon artistry. He currently holds the world record for the fastest balloon sculptor and his work is actually amazing. When the show started he handed out giant flowers to some audience members, and then began his work. First he crafted an alien on a motorcycle, which I received, then Charlie Brown, then more and more. What I loved most about the show was his audience involvement. Throughout his show he would ask for volunteers that could come up on stage and help him with a trick. One trick was a card trick where he had the person pick a card and he would be able to retrieve that card. Not only did he pick out the correct card, as one would expect, he revealed a neon sign that had the same number and symbol on it as the card that was picked. There was no way of knowing for sure that he would pick the eight of hearts, but the volunteer did. When I got called onstage I had to throw a balloon into a laundry basket and he said that if I could, I would get a dollar. And I made it into the bin. The other person onstage at the time also had to throw a balloon into the bin, but he was told that he would get 19 tries and $100 if he made it into the bin. The balloon sailed up into the ceiling panels as he threw it, so he got a dollar for being a good sport. Here is where his speed with balloon sculpting came in handy; he asked each of us what we wanted made out of balloon. He chose to have a giraffe and I chose a moose for my friend, and he also made me a dog because I was giving away my balloon. While I waited onstage, with him having no prior knowledge of what I was going ask for, he crafted the balloon creature with incredible speed and precision so that I barely had to wait a minute for him to be finished. The show itself was great and I loved the interactive show, but most of all I liked the feeling of being a little kid again, in a world where magic and balloons were a simple reason to be happy.