17th Annual Share the Magic

The 17th Annual Share the Magic Show sponsored by the Society of American Magicians and the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District was held on October 17, 2008. What a great night of magic, entertainment, and fun!



Here is a picture of Danielle and our friend Jerry Barrielleaux. Jerry does a great variety act with his pal Reggie, who you can see pictured below.



Several of our magician friends were out to support the event. The magicians performing in the show were Germar the Magician, Bill Sparacino, Magic by Danielle, Zappo, Jerry Barrilleaux & Reggie, and Ric & Kara with Roy Porfido who was both the producer of the event and the Master of Ceremonies.

Throughout the evening lots of laughter could be heard from the children and adults alike.



There was definitely something for everyone between the close-up manipulations, appearances, disappearances, productions of birds & rabbits, storytelling, ventriloquism, to the larger illusions like the dollhouse and shadow box, and even an escape artist act! This one and a half hour show really packed in the magic!

Share the Magic is an annual event that always takes place in October and I really hope that next year we will see you there!




BACKSTAGE: If you ever wondered what happens back stage when the show is going on-- you just might be surprised! We all have our ways of calming our pre-show jitters. For Danielle, there is nothing better than reading a good book.



Of course a lot of times everyone is just hanging out visiting with one another and talking magic, returning calls, or even checking their email.



Aside from the magic, the wonderful audience, the night was made even more memorable for Danielle by having her two best friends Sarah & Jasmine come out to attend the event and lend their support.

Induction into the National Honors Society

On Monday, September 29, 2008 I was greatly honored to be accepted into the National Honors Society along with five of my Sophomore classmates. According to our Principal's speech, this is highest award that can be given to a high school student. That is a pretty humbling thought.

The induction ceremony was really nice. It opened up with the Principal giving her speech, followed by four existing NHS members explaining the different qualities that represents NHS and a candle lighting ceremony. Then each of the new inductees were called up where they received their membership card, a pin, and had to sign the formal Charter. Afterwards we were given a yellow rose.



Towards the end of the evening they showed a great slideshow of all the different events they did last year and they also talked about all the projects they have for this year. They sound like great fun, while still helping others. I can't wait!

The one thing that really stood out in the evening was something our Principal said. She reminded us all that we didn't do this-- or become who we were on our own-- first there was God because he has a plan for all of us; then there are our parents who have loved us and supported us in all our endeavors; third there are our teachers who helped teach and inspire us; lastly, there are ourselves who worked hard to accomplish our goals.

I have so much to be thankful for because I do have all these people surrounding me and supporting me and I hope everyone knows how much I appreciate all that they have done for me.



One of my very good friends and me stop to pose for a picture during the social after the ceremony. Have a ever mentioned my mom really likes to take photos?

The Stars of Magic

On Saturday, September 13, 2008 the Society of American Magicians hosted a show called, “The Stars of Magic” at the Julia Morgan Theatre in Berkeley. It is a great little theatre with lots of charm. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Julia Morgan, she was the architect that was responsible for Hearst Castle. So you won’t be surprised when I say I loved investigating the details of the theatre before the show! In the dressing room there was even a wall where different performers had “kissed” the poster leaving their mark over the years. Very cool.

Each year the Society of American Magicians put on a magic show in hopes of reaching out to our surrounding communities and promoting the art of magic. This is the second time I have participated in this particular Society event and I loved it! I love reaching out, especially to the young, and bringing magic alive for them. I am very much a family entertainer. For me, I love bringing magic alive through storytelling and captivating them with not only what they see, but what they hear.

I was greatly honored upon arriving and finding out that I was going to be opening the show! That was so exciting to me. It is also is a lot of pressure, but it really made me feel good that the President of the S.A.M. No. 112 had enough faith in me and my performance to put me in that position.

After the show was the meet and greet and I received some nice compliments. Aside from performing, that is the best part of every performance for me, except maybe not for the reason you might think. It is knowing that you touched someone’s life, even for just the briefest of moments. It is that one on one contact where it makes me feel 10 feet tall knowing that I made someone else happy by bringing magic into their life. It is those moments that makes all the grueling hours of practice worth it.

Pictured below are photos of the Stars of Magic performers.

The Magic Castle, June 2008

I recently returned from a most magical vacation! My parents decided to pick me up on my last day of school at 10:00 a.m. and take me on vacation to Disneyland. As many of you know, this is where my love of magic first started. As you can imagine, Disneyland is a family favorite.

What made this trip even more special is the fact that my mom made reservations to visit The Magic Castle in Hollywood for Sunday brunch. While standing in line on Sunday we started talking with Kate. She is really nice. When she learned that I was a magician she encouraged me to audition for the Magic Castle’s Magical Arts Junior program. It would be difficult, since I live 7 hours a way, but how cool would it be to be a part of the Magic Castle’s youth program? It is really hard to get into, but if I was accepted as a member, I would feel really honored. I also realize that it can take several auditions and a lot of hard work before even being accepted into the program. It is something I am really considering auditioning for.

A couple of nights a year The Magic Castle also opens its doors up to its Junior Members. Since it is a private over 21 club, youths like me normally can only come on weekends to the brunch. However, it just so happened that they were having a youth event the last evening of our vacation. What was even nicer was the fact that Kate extended an invitation for us to attend! How lucky can one girl get? Not much!

We cancelled our last day in Disneyland and headed up to Hollywood.

Seeing the Castle at night is a lot different than seeing it during the day. If possible, it is even more magical. We started our evening off with a fantastic dinner of Filet Mignon. Oh, it was yummy! Afterwards we saw David Sandy, a past president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, perform in the Parlour of Prestiditation. After that we headed off to see the Palace of Mystery where we saw some great performances by Tom Burgoon, Marty Pollio, and Andost.


For me though the highlight of the evening was the Close-Up Gallery performer, Angela Funovits. Being a female magician it is hard getting to meet other females magicians in a much male-dominated field. I have been blessed by having wonderful male role models and mentors always there to help me, but it meant a lot to me to get the opportunity to meet a female magician that has “made it” in the business.

If she looks familiar to you it is because she was a finalist on NBC’s Phenomenon. What a great role model for up and coming young female magicians like myself! It helps to give us something to strive for.

Angela was so sweet and nice to me. She was really encouraging. As we were walking out of the close-up gallery she asked if I was a magician. That was a great opening for getting a quick after-show chat going. I was so happy! I wish I could have talked with her longer, but I know she had more shows to do— and to be honest, I was a little overwhelmed. It had been a long vacation, I was tired, and I didn’t quite know what to say at the time. I was in one of my shy moods.

When we asked she was even nice enough to take a picture with me in the lobby of The Magic Castle. Know what made me feel even more special? She actually brought her own camera too because she wanted a picture with me! Now that just rocked! Yep, it made me feel pretty special because I’m just little old me.

I really hope to be able to stay in contact with Angela. I think she is a great role model, not only in the magical sense. After reading her bio, it sounds like we have a lot in common. She sounds really serious about her volunteer work, just like I am. I think it is really important to give back.

Why I Love Magic....

Magic helps us all to find the child within. Remember when you were little and everything seemed magical? Christmas, Easter, your first to trip Disneyland and meeting Mickey Mouse? Disneyland is where magic first touched my life.

Magic helps me to reach out to others; to touch the lives of other children and adults and take them somewhere else— to a world of mystery and wonder.

My Auntie recently told my family a story about my 6 six year old cousin. Apparently she wanted to know how the Easter Bunny managed to go to everyone’s homes, hide the eggs and baskets, and do this all over the world before the children woke up in the morning?

Now apparently she knew how Santa did it— he does have reindeer after all, but bunnies have to rely on hopping from place to place. After her mom told her she really didn’t know how the Easter bunny managed it, my little cousin said, “That’s okay Mommie I’ll just ask Danielle. She’s magic just like Santa and the Easter bunny so she’ll know!”

Yes, to my six year old cousin I rank up there with Santa and the Easter Bunny— and one really wonders why I love magic so much?

Hocus Pocus Annual Swap Meet and Lecture Series, January 2008

Here I am pictured with the owner of Hocus Pocus Magic, Paul Gross, when I attended their 2nd Annual Swap Meet and Lecture Series. Talk about a day filled with magic! I had a great time from the moment I walked in the door, until the doors closed. There was a whole line up of awesome lecturers throughout the day! Plus, what girl doesn’t like spending the day drooling over three rooms filled top to bottom with magic? Okay, admittedly there are only a few of us! But besides that, I got to meet some legendary magicians, which you can see below!

The best part, was really getting to meet Mr. Gross. He has been incredibly nice to my family and our assembly. When it comes to magic, my first stop is always Hocus Pocus magic! You can’t beat their friendly customer service and fast shipping! Whenever my mom places my orders— they are here the very next day! If we have any questions, they are always helpful.

Mr. Gross really made my family feel welcome! We can’t wait to go back next year and spend time at Hocus Pocus. And, when I have an order to place—- you can be sure that he’ll take good care of us. So, if you ever need magic, from beginner to experienced, be sure to give the friendly staff at Hocus Pocus a call. I know you will be as happy with them as I am!


The Legendary Mark Wilson and Nani Darnell



Who doesn’t know the name Mark Wilson? Even the very beginner knows this name in the magic world! In fact, almost any child who has ever started in magic has probably started out with one of his many books of magic! It was a real treat to be able to meet with him in person, take a photo, and receive their autographs.

Of course, I wouldn’t dream of walking by their table without buying magic! I bought their debut television DVD, which showcased their first four episodes and the dollhouse! I had a fun time talking with them about their dollhouse, and then sharing stories (and pictures) of the dollhouse my dad built for me too! I also bought some other DVDs from him that I can’t wait to study!


Famed Illusionest, Losander

Here I am with famed illusionist, Losander. I really liked going to his lecture because the type of magic he does is extremely graceful. As a female performer, I especially like a lot of his magic and think it could be very well suited for my stage shows. I look forward to really studying his material and implementing it into my practices! I just hope my mom doesn’t mind the mess too much until I get the hang of working with bubbles!

I also spent a lot of time drooling over his magic wares and have put a certain item of his on my definite “Most Wanted” list!




Well this ended our magical day at Hocus Pocus. We definitely weren’t the only ones out and about and looking for that “special” thing that would take our magic to the next level. We were just one of many, but we were made to feel special from the moment we walked in the door.

My family and I can’t wait to go back next year. I hope that after reading this post, you might consider going too!

Its not only for the experienced; there is something for the beginner as well. It’s also a great place to see awesome professional magicians perform some of their own great illusions. Its like a mini-magic show right at their vendor tables.



I hope to see you in 2009!

My best friend's Quinceanera

Well I obviously don't usually walk around in formal attire as shown in my profile photo. The photo was actually taken on a very special day-- my best friend's 15th birthday. I was quite honored to be asked to be one of her damas, which is like an attendant. Our other best friend (we've all been best friends since preschool & first grade) and I also participated in the church ceremony, which was very special.

It was a wonderful fun filled day. After a full mass ceremony, in the church we all grew up in, we all climbed into a limo where we were taken to the beautiful Napa Valley for photographs. In the evening there was a huge feast at the reception where we ate, danced, and laughed all night.

It was an evening I will never forget....hanging out with my two best friends!