Among the forty-eight acts which made the live finalists shows for NBC's 2012 America's Got Talent television show, are two magic acts, an escape artist, and a mind-reader. One of the magic acts -- Hawley Magic -- will perform at the I.B.M. Convention in Norfolk. Hawley Magic is Jonathan and Trisha Hawley.
Here is how the NBC Website describes each of these four "magic" acts:
HAWLEY MAGIC
Hawley Magic is a husband-and-wife magic act consisting of husband-wife team Jonathan and Trisha Hawley. They were dancers prior to practicing magic and have nine years of performance experience as magicians. They love to perform and continually convince Jonathan's niece that Trisha goes to "Neverland" whenever she disappears on stage. They join AGT's Top 48 contestants to compete for a million-dollar prize.
JARRETT AND RAJA
Jarrett Parker, 39, and Raja Rahman, 33, are a magician-and-pianist duo that use a unique combination of magic, music, and comedy. The Las Vegas-based performers join America's Got Talent's Top 48 contestants, where they will compete to win a one-million-dollar prize.
SPENCER HORSMAN
The world's youngest escape artist, 26-year-old Spencer Horsman, is dedicated to bringing daring escapes into the 21st century. Spencer is a second-generation performer who started his act at the age of four. Spencer's parents are both former Bigly Brother's Circus Clowns. Hoping to have his own show in Vegas one day, Spencer joins the show's Top 48 contestants to compete for a million-dollar prize.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: twenty-six is not especially "young," and Horsman probably is not the "world's youngest escape artist." For instance, last year at the I.B.M. convention in Dallas, Calin Diamond, AGE EIGHT, performed an escape act, and was billed as "the youngest professional escapologist in the world.")
ERIC DITTELMAN
Eric Dittelman, 26, is a mind reader who predicts people's actions and determines what they are thinking. Eric started performing magic in fifth grade and shifted his focus to mind reading in college. Drawing on his background in improv and comedy, Eric incorporates a unique blend of humor and surprise into his mind-reading act. He joins the show's Top 48 contestants to compete for the million-dollar prize.
In addition to these four "magic acts," there are other acts which focus on skills and talents closely related to the magical arts -- juggling, and ventriloquism, as well as novelty acts often seen in magic variety shows. Christin Sandu has a balancing act; Ben Blaque has a crossbow act, and has appeared with magician Kirby Van Burch in Branson, Missouri; Mike Price is the "Rock Star Juggler;" and Todd Oliver (with his dog), is a ventriloquist.
To read more about all these and the other America's Got Talent finalists, go to NBC's Website -- www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/contestants.
