Heya, fellow brothers of the Dove clan...I can't help noticing that this forum is getting a lil' deserted, and very few new posts are up. So for the sake of an interesting thread...in which I hope everyone would post, let's share what made us go into the artistry of manipulating doves; dove magic. Was it an experience, the love for the animal, or just because it looks cool? C'mon, we all wanna know...I'll go first.

Well, I got into doves after watching Dimmare on WGM. I was very young, probably about 10 or so, and I thought it was fascinating to be able to produce birds from an empty silk. I did my research, and I even, for a brief time, believed the masked magician website about doves being able to be compressed to the size of a McNugget. This has obviously changed!
What added to that was my love for animals. I grew up alongside many pets, and animals have always been a fascination. So at the age of 14, I got my first dove and viola!..the journey in animal productions and doves began...

So, what's your story?

I’ve been taught in business to listen to the customer. In the entertainment field, the customer is the audience. If you listen to your audience, they will tell you what is good and bad. The audience reaction to me producing a dove is simply too good for me to ignore. The more doves, the better.

Doves are quite magical. They are very compact, and yet, with wings extended, they seem very large. Kind of like a parasol. Their white color also gives the illusion of being large.

My first influence was Lance Burton when he appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1979(?). They gave him close to 20 minutes, I believe. Something that is unheard of these days.

Lance Burton, Rick Thomas, and my own love for birds!

Ken,

You get an "A" in marketing and common sense. As an old marketing professor, my primary message is "listen to the customer". Unfortunately, too many times we "major in the minors" that are totally insignificant or even negative to the customer.

Animal magic works! Reinventing the wheel is not progress.

By nature, people notice animals. The four letter word in entertainment is "show". Animals get that attention.

Being ranch raised, I grew up around animals. Loving animals was and is its own motivation. However, my real introduction to doves in magic came after I was a booking agent in the very early '60s. Representing dove magicians hooked me on dove magic for life. The customers like it. That is the heart of the business.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Watching the acts of Johnny Thompson and Channing Pollock did it for me.

Well, Jason Byrne changed my life...specifically the part in his routine with the Playdoh. I don't have an act of multiple doves. I do my whole routine with Filomena, my magic dove; the same you see on my shoulder in the photo. I was inspired by Fielding West's routine with his bird and Dana Daniels with his psychic parrot. I find these extraordinary acts and were developed with a single bird. Next to my life changing by Jason, James Dimmare and Johnny Thompson's acts are spectacular!!!!
Thanks,
Hansel!

Vern my Bird actually made me turn to doves, as he is a handful (yuk, yuk) and he got irritated about having my hand in a certain place all the time!

No. Really it was Lance Burton, seeing him live is even better.

I actually believed you about Vern for a second. Hahaha. Got me, there!

In my case, it was Shimada that most strongly influenced me.

I was doing a manip act and knew exactly how the routine would change when I added my first birds.

As it happens, I bought my first 3 birds in St. Louis at the midwest magic jubilee. I performed in the contest show--took second place in the adult division and bought the birds from the guy who took first overall. You may have heard of him--Lance Burton.

Overall, what drew me to doves was mostly how big they play. The flapping of the wings, letting them fly from hand to hand, etc--really helps fill the stage.

Totally agreed. that's one of the main reason why I continued after the first time I produced a dove on stage...and trust me it was'nt pretty...This gives me an idea for a new thread! Off to post!