“Magic is the vehicle to make people happy and bring joy and wonder, and as long as I can do that, magic is cool,” according to John Rotellini. Rotellini visited the Boone DMACC campus on Wednesday, January 10.
John Rotellini is a professional magician of ten years, however he has been practicing magic since he was in elementary school. He was raised in Sheridan, Wyoming and now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rotellini gained his aspiration for magic from David Copperfield, and has studied under other famous magicians.
“When I started to learn magic, I realized it was a great way to make people smile,” he said, “It kind of allows people to become five year old’s again.”
Rotellini gains his ideas for tricks from various movies, songs, books, television shows. Rotellini has always been greatly supported by his parents and grandparents for his desire to pursue magic, always being as supportive as they could be.
Rotellini went to the local community college in Sheridan, and then went to the University of Wyoming and studied psychology.
“You’ve got to work really hard, be passionate about what you’re doing or want to do, and you’ve got to want to learn.” These are some of the rules Rotellini lives by, and has built his career off of.
Rotellini has a history of doing some tricks that included tigers and helicopters. One trick involved Rotellini driving a sports car for several blocks blindfolded during rush hour. He had spoon bowls over his eyes, lots of duct tape and a bag over his head, ending with parallel parking outside of a theater that would soon be the first stage performance of his career.
The DMACC performance was about the audience, full of predictions, and involved some danger. It was up to the audience how the show would go. Student Edward Kivlahan said, “It was a good display of audience participation and illusion.”
Rotellini reflected about his craft.
“I am a big believer in that I am a perpetual student. At no point will I know everything there is to know about magic. I can learn an awful lot, but there are people who have forgotten more than I will ever know.”
For more information contact him at his website http://johnrotellini.com/ or with his hashtag #johnonstage.