Dan White has consulted for David Copperfield and David Blaine, been featured in Vanity Fair and The Wall Street Journal, and appeared on The Today Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He created and starred in two TV specials for the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel. His residency show, The Magician, has been running in New York City for over a decade.
My definition of success in magic: When your performance and the reaction it gets finally match what you’ve rehearsed in your mind a thousand times.
My definition of failure in magic: Losing your passion.
One trick that I wish I learned to perform better: Not a trick, but hypnosis in general.
One trick that I can always count on: Kollosal Killer.
When it felt, to me, like real magic: Copperfield’s Flying.
Someone who, to me, made it feel like an art: René Lavand.
A piece of magic that, I suspect, never fooled anyone: The Cross Cut Force boggles my mind. For the longest time I thought it was way too obvious, but I now realize that it’s a classic for a reason. It’s both obvious and completely deceptive at the same time, and I think it’s just the utter boldness that makes it fly.
A piece of magic that seems to always fool people: Mnemonicosis.
The thing I understood about magic too late: The thing that makes mistakes feel uncomfortable is how you react to them.
The thing that I never understood about magic: No other art form is as perfectly aligned with mystery as magic. Yet when people picture a magician, they rarely picture someone mysterious. They picture a guy doing tricks. Somewhere along the way, the mystery got separated from the magician.
Is it possible for magic to be “too perfect?” Absolutely, there are many times where a trick is so clean that it only points to one possible method.
Using technology makes it better, or makes it worse? It depends on the effect. I’m definitely not in agreement with people who don’t use it because it’s not dependable. We depend on it for every aspect of our lives—you just have to stress test it properly.
As a kid, the magician who influenced me the most: DC.
After I started performing, the magician who influenced me the most: DB.
A rule that I never break: Don’t be a jerk.
A rule that I’ve never really respected: Don’t run if you’re not being chased. I tend to run too much.
The magician I’d love to have seen: Chung Ling Soo.
The magician I’d love to have dinner with: Malini.
Three things that can make a great show: The energy of the crowd. Well-curated music. When the audience feels like you are completely present but also completely comfortable.
One thing that can ruin a show: Being a jerk.