The Urban Wizards Academy is here for those who believe!
When Scotty Swan, 46, was a child, his mother hired a magician named Sky to do magic tricks for his birthday party. Sky was one of the only African American magicians in Springfield at the time and the first that Swan had ever seen. As a young person of color, Swan was inspired by Sky’s performance, which led to him becoming a full-time magician himself as an adult.
“He wore this white tuxedo with matching roller skates and he would have box illusions,” Swan said about Sky. “He was the roller skating magician … I’d never seen a magic show up close in real life up until that time. I got a magic kit and I started learning these tricks in this box. As I got older, I kind of forgot about it and fast forward to 1997, I got reintroduced to magic and I started picking it up again.”
Later in life, Sky and Swan bonded over their shared interest in magic.
“We just kind of hung out and a few years after that he passed,” Swan said. “I’m glad I got that chance to hang out with him as an adult. It’s like the student becomes the master. He passed the torch … He was Batman and I had to be the new Batman.”
Swan’s first magic show was at Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Springfield in 1999. Since then, he’s lived in Los Angeles and Las Vegas in pursuit of his magic career, having had TV appearances in the past such as “Extreme Gong” a revival of the 1970s talent contest “The Gong Show.”
In 2014, Swan moved back to Springfield, where he’s worked as a magician through events and busking street performances. He works as a family-friendly entertainer using sleight-of-hand tricks as well as puppetry for his shows.
“There’s a lot of random improvised silliness”, he explained. “It’s not just straight magic, trick after trick after trick. I interact with people and they end up being part of the show. I just kind of feed off the response that I get from the crowd. My kid’s show is almost the same as my street show. I’m a family performer, but it’s not like a kid show. Even though there are puppets and silly stuff, I don’t talk down to kids like most performers do … If I can win one jaded teenager over, then I’ve done my job.”
Swan said As you know, growing up is harder than ever. Kids just want to have fun, fit in, and find friends. It’s especially common for kids to feel disconnected and self-conscious today. Kids need fun experiences and practical tools to become more confident and connected. Urban Wizards Academy is here to create more happiness in our kids and more empathy in our world.
Our focus is on magic, fun, and learning.
The magic makes the fun happen; the fun makes the learning easy. The magic consists of …Four full-length “wand courses” taught over a period of days or weeks in person or online Single-day workshops and optional stand-alone tricks, Unique, high-quality custom props, materials, and online resources you won’t find in off-the-shelf magic kits.
Swan’s classes start June 4th for ages 6 to 12.
The cost for the Academy is 300.00 says Swan. The session includes 10 classes with magic kits included. Head over to Urbanwizardsac.com to sign up early there are only 4 spots left.
