FISM: Please introduce yourself briefly.
Dal Sanders: I am Co-Producer of the FISM North America Championship (FISM NACM) and have performed magic throughout the US professionally for almost 50 years. I am Past President of The Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) and the current President of the Texas Association of Magicians (TAOM), the two main organizations hosting the FISM NACM August 30th – September 2nd 2024.
FISM: Besides being Co-Producer of FISM NACM, what is your affiliation with FISM, and what does FISM mean to you?
DS: In 2020 I became the FISM Representative for The Society of American Magicians. I am also a FISM Judge and currently serve as the Vice President of FISM North America.
As you know, FISM is made up of over 100 magic societies from around the world. I am a member of several of them. As far as I can tell, those societies have all made commitments to “elevate and advance the Art of Magic and to promote harmony among its magician members.” Wording similar to this is in almost all of their bylaws or constitutions. Many of these organizations have contests and championships with wildly different results and acceptable skill and entertainment levels. These differences are often the reason that the organizations have difficulty getting along and working together.
FISM is committed to not only promoting harmony within magic societies but also between magic societies. As far as the contests are concerned, FISM has established a fair and unified criteria for judging acts in a way similar to judging subjective arts including dance, theater and visual arts or even specialized sports like gymnastics and diving. This is a HUGE plus. FISM also helps member societies to battle exposure and piracy of intellectual property. In my opinion, this is all HUGE.
FISM: Do you have a special memory to share from a FISM Championship?
DS: Although I wasn’t in Bejing to see it, I was greatly moved when my friend, Shawn Farquhar, won the Grand Prix. I had watched him develop that act over the years, and I think it is a perfect match of magic, music and heart.
Hector Mancha and Young-Min Kim were so incredible in Rimini that I will never forget them.
In Blackpool I saw Yann Frisch for the first time. His act was almost a visual essay on insanity. It was so well acted and performed. Of course, In Quebec, I was emotionally knocked out of my seat and into a standing ovation when I saw Laurent Piron, Ding Yang, Simon Coronel and Shoot Ogawa. At that same convention, Markobi made me laugh so hard I almost fell out of my chair and then he totally fooled me.
FISM: What is one of the challenges you have encountered when organizing this FISM NACM?
DS: When we started working on the FISM NACM, we were determined to bring in FISM winners from around the world to perform. We have 5 Grand Prix winners, and most of our other acts have won first place in their category. Sadly, these artists are not as well known in the United States as they are in Europe. This was a challenge for us.
People kept asking who these acts are and why they should go see them. We are fortunate that several of the acts had recently performed on America’s Got Talent, Masters of Illusion or Penn & Teller: Fool Us. This helped us a lot but for the most part, I got the same reaction over and over: “I don’t know these acts and I don’t know what FISM is.”
Hopefully, they will know after the convention.
FISM: “The road to FISM 2025 goes through Dallas 2024” - please explain.
DS: This slogan is for our North American contestants. To compete in the FISM World Championship in Italy in 2025, they have to first compete in Texas. The slogan serves the dual purpose of getting North Americans excited about FISM 2025.
FISM: In the 76-year history of FISM, a World Championship has never been organized in the US. Do you believe we can envision a FISM WCM in the US in the coming years?
DS: We will absolutely have a FISM World Championship in the United States in the coming years. That was the dream of my mentor Brad Jacobs and it is my dream too. American magicians are learning more and more about FISM, and after our 2024 FISM NACM in Texas, I believe that there will be a huge interest in bringing a World Championship to the United States.
FISM: Why do you think competitors from the United States have been underrepresented at FISM WCM?
DS: North America has been at a disadvantage. While many acts have managed to break through and perform well at FISM WCM, most have not. They don’t have the training, or the coaches, or the financial support that other continents have. Our FISM NACM committee has made a commitment to change that. We have established a team of incredible magicians, performers and past FISM winners who have agreed to mentor our future FISM bound acts. Led by Marc DeSouza, Erik Tait and others, this new endeavor will certainly get our North American magicians ready for FISM.
Our team is so very excited about the FISM NACM. It is being hosted by the Texas Association of Magicians (a new FISM Society) and the Society of American Magicians. We will be celebrating The Dallas Magic Club’s 100th Anniversary. We are bringing in the world’s Greatest Magicians including Laurent Piron, Eric Chen, Artem Shchukin, Shawn Farquhar, Adrien Quillien (aka Adrian Kill), Norbert Ferré, Adrian Vega, Shimpei Katsuragawa, Yu Komohara, Wessy, and Lance Burton and Friends. The convention is at a new hotel that is nicer than any other location where other magic conventions are held, and this will all happen on a beautiful huge stage. A convention this big, HAD to be held in Texas.
Stay tuned for more magical stories and insights right here on FISM's blog!
About the Interviewer:
Christina Nyman - FISM Europe Vice President – was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and resides in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. She has a Master of Law Degree. President of Magica Club Lëtzebuerg, Past President of the Swedish Magic Circle and current Vice President, Lifetime member of the Swedish Magic Academy, Honorary Member of Cambridge University Magic Society and the CMI College.
Christina has regularly been attending national and international magic conventions and functions for more than 30 years. She has co-organized magic conventions with international gala shows and competitions. Christina has about 20 years’ experience as a judge at national and international competitions and 10 years as an official FISM judge.
Christina has a good knowledge of ten languages and has a vast worldwide network in the magic community. She is able to perform in several languages and writes articles for magic magazines. Christina has an extensive knowledge of magic history, attends conferences on this topic and carries out research. Christina has been a member of the FISM Europe Executive Board since 2014.
