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Community Corner

Snapshots of Strongsville: SHS Grad Will Make You a Believer in Magic

Yes, you can make a career out of this hobby

Name: David Wasielewski

Age: 21

Claim to Fame: Professional magician

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The Scoop: Strongsville native David Wasielewski knows not everyone enjoys a magic show. But for those who do, he’ll do all he can to make his tricks as fascinating and believable as possible.

Wasielewski, pronounced VAH-shelewski, became hooked on magic at age 6, when his grandparents returned from a Las Vegas trip with a bag of simple magic tricks for him to try. He realized by age 12 that magic was his calling, and by age 18 he hired an agent to book performances. He already has performances booked through early 2012.

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He travels northeast Ohio performing mixes from the thousands of magic tricks he knows at parties, restaurants, carnivals, charity fundraiser events and other areas where there’s a crowd. He particularly enjoys striking up tricks for an individual or two and watching their reactions of amazement and bewilderment.

“Magic is as real as you want it to be,” Wasielewski said. “I try to make it as real and as magical to the person as possible without them noticing what I’m doing.”

He isn’t coy about the reality that magic tricks are just that – tricks. He has spent years studying the work of professional magicians and learning trick basics from books and DVDs. He then adapts what he’s learned to develop new tricks of his own.

The 2009 graduate hopes his magic performances soon become popular enough to become his full-time career. To help further fund expansion of his up-and-coming business, he works at a car parts warehouse and teaches classes for youngsters interested in learning magic.

Wasliewski likes to tailor his performances to his audience. He has tricks for people of just about any age, from preschoolers to nursing home residents. Engaging the audience is his favorite part of the craft.

“I don’t make fun of anyone, but I do like to mess with people a bit,” he said with a laugh.

For more information about Wasielewski’s performances, visit his website at www.magicbydavidw.com. He will perform at area fall festivals, including 1-3 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Strongsville location.

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