The 12th Shanghai International Magic Festival closes

The 12th Shanghai International Magic Festival has come to a successful close at the Shanghai Centre Theatre. The festival was hosted by the Department of Arts of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the China Acrobats Association, the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Shanghai Media Group and the Organizing Committee Office of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival, among others, and organized by Shanghai Media Group Performing Arts Group, the Shanghai Acrobats Association, Shanghai Circus World, the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe and the Shanghai Circus School, among others.

The four-day festival was rich and full of highlights, with sections devoted to showcase performances, competition, academic exchange, public-service shows and a props exhibition. The showcase section in particular kept to the forefront of world magic performance, presenting two themed programmes, International Stage Magic Showcase and International Close-Up Magic Showcase, with 12 productions in all. Magicians from China, the United States, France, Spain, Austria, Italy and other countries took the stage in turn, offering audiences one dazzling feast of magic after another under the theme "Theatre Meets Magic".

The festival also included 21 rounds of the newcomer competition, six lectures and one themed forum. In addition, Chinese and foreign magicians gave public-service performances at the Huangpu City Lawn, the Yuepu Cultural Centre in Baoshan, the Putuo Children's Library and the Yunjian Theatre in Songjiang, bringing "magical street surprises" to local residents, and took part in a special festival performance in Nanxun, Zhejiang.

On 28 October the closing ceremony of the 12th Shanghai International Magic Festival was held at the Shanghai Centre Theatre. Attending were Bian Faji, Vice-President of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and President of the China Acrobats Association; Tang Yanhai, Secretary of the Party Group and resident Vice-President of the China Acrobats Association; Chen Yuren, Vice-President of Shanghai Media Group Co., Ltd.; Li Ming, President of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival Centre; Yu Rongjun, Vice-President of Shanghai Media Group Performing Arts (Group) Co., Ltd.; Domenico Dante, Honorary President and International Adviser of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques (FISM); Andrea Baioni, President of FISM; Peter Din, Vice-President of FISM; and leaders of the China Acrobats Association.

Bian Faji (seventh from left), Vice-President of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and President of the China Acrobats Association, and Chen Yuren (fifth from left), Vice-President of Shanghai Media Group Co., Ltd., present the awards to the winners

Tang Hai (first from right), Secretary of the Party Group and resident Vice-President of the China Acrobats Association, confers the "Great Wall Cup" honour on Ramon and Alicia

The "Great Wall Cup" is a new calling card the China Acrobats Association has worked to build in recent years: by conferring the honour at international acrobatics competitions it promotes international exchange and cooperation and raises the association's international standing. Since it was first awarded at the 36th Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival in 2012, it has been conferred on 38 acts from 21 countries at 15 international circus competitions around the world. This was also the first time the China Acrobats Association had conferred the "Great Wall Cup" on an outstanding international act at the Shanghai International Magic Festival.

Leaders of the China Acrobats Association with representatives of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques

During the festival, leaders of the China Acrobats Association held talks with representatives of FISM. The two sides exchanged views on strengthening cooperation further and jointly advancing the art of magic. Tang Yanhai said that as the most authoritative and influential people's organization in China's acrobatics world, the China Acrobats Association has strong organizational and talent advantages, and that it hopes to draw on the FISM platform to play a greater role in advancing the art of magic and to contribute China's strength. Andrea Baioni said that FISM and the China Acrobats Association are important partners that have long maintained friendly relations, and expressed the hope that these talks would serve as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation further, to work together to bring more magic enthusiasts into FISM, to enrich the international magic family and to help the art of magic flourish.

Winners of the 12th Shanghai International Magic Festival

I. Masters Competition winners

Gold Award

Eden Choi — Forbidden Fruit

Silver Award

Zhu Mingzhu — Paper Plane

Ramon and Alicia — Everything Is Wrong

Bronze Award

Léa Kyle — Quick Change

Filiberto Selvi — Dance of the Violin

II. Newcomer Competition winners

Li Yao — Flying Blossoms: Umbrella

Lin Guanting — TimeLiner

Li Juncheng — Dream Return

Zhang Chenyang — Memory

Zhang Junzhe — Midnight Rhapsody

Guzaliayi Abudukelimu — The Grapes Are Ripe

Official WeChat account of the China Acrobats Association

Call for submissions

To promote the development of China’s acrobatics sector and strengthen the spread of acrobatic culture, we are openly collecting industry articles, event reports and introductions to outstanding acts relating to acrobatics, magic, comedy and circus.

Formats: illustrated reports, reposted links or video files.

Submissions: [email protected]

Source: China Acrobats Association

Executive producer: Liu Hui

Production: China Acrobats Association filming and production team

Reviewed by: Cui Xing

Editor in charge: Li Boyang