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In the latest in this series of occasional interviews with local residents, we meet local magician Dan Ellis.

How long have you lived in Crosspool and what do you like about it?

I’ve lived in Crosspool for my whole life which is 18 years. It close to everything that I need. School was only a five minute walk, grab a bit of lunch from the shops and its only 15 minutes on the bus away from the city centre.

How did you get into being a magician? Are you in the Magic Circle?

I get asked this a lot and my honest answer is I have no idea how I got into it. My granddad was a magician but he died when I was young and I don’t really remember him. I think most boys get a magic set for Christmas when their little and most of them grow out of it. I guess I didn’t! I am a member of the Sheffield Magic Circle.

What does this involve doing day to day?

Being a magician isn’t as glamorous as it might sound. Day to day I just meet people, make phone calls, send emails and letters to get myself more gigs. When I do perform I do mainly close-up magic which is the sort of stuff you might see the likes of David Blaine doing on TV. I do magic right under people’s noses so there are no boxes or glamorous assistants to hide behind; it’s just me having fun with my audience.

Has being an magician given you the opportunity to tour and travel?

I’ve done shows up and down the country but a majority of my work is local. It is yet to take me abroad but hopefully it won’t be too long. Magic is the sort that thing that come across well in any language so I hope it can take me all over the world in the future.

What sort of performances to do do for events, parties or corporate dos? If people are interested in booking you, how can they get in touch?

Like I said I’m mainly a close-up magician meaning I do magic for small groups of people at parties, weddings and corporate events. I mix and mingle with guests and perform magic right under their noses.

Magic is a great ice breaker which is why I think corporate events and weddings are very good venues for it. Often there are groups of people who have never met before and my magic creates a talking point for people. It also helps create a great atmosphere which fits in with parties and weddings really well.

If people are interested in booking me they can check out my website which is www.citymagicians.com or give me a call on 07976 300898 and I’d be happy to chat even its just about what its like to be a magician.

If you could do one thing to make Crosspool better, what would it be?

I can’t really think if anything I would change in Crosspool apart from maybe having a magic shop here but that would probably put me out of a job if everyone could do it! I think that things like the Crosspool Festival and the summer fare are really great things for the community and I think that Crosspool should have more of these things.

Look out for Dan at this year’s Crosspool Festival.

City Magicians

Crosspool characters: Judith Hanson