León, the hallmark of good magic
The International Festival Vive la Magia returns to León for Christmas in its twenty-first edition. More than seventy magicians perform in more than six hundred performances throughout the community of Castilla y León, including the villages, making it the largest in Europe.
From Christmas Day, 25 December, until 1 January, the city of León will be the centre of magic, with the International Gala shows offered by world-renowned illusionists, who participate in the Vive la Magia International Festival, as well as a One-man Gala and various exhibitions in the streets and cultural spaces. This is the twenty-first edition of the festival. Magicians from different disciplines perform and present exclusive numbers, created by themselves.
Juan Mayoral, artistic director, is one of the great illusionists in the development of magic shows and performance. He is the inventor of games that are performed internationally. First prize for general magic in the world at the International Festival of Magic Societies (FISM) in Lausanne in 1991, in addition to other international awards.
Violeta Zheng, stage director, is a magician, choreographer and show director, and has the oriental charm of her country, China. She is capable of fusing classical and contemporary, dance and mystery, magic and emotion. She has toured all five continents and has won numerous awards.
Both will be the organisers of the great Galas that take place in the Auditorio Ciudad de León, which is attended by more than 30,000 spectators every year.
In this year's edition, the International Gala will be presented by the master of ceremonies Luis Larrodera, actor, monologuist and presenter, who will give way to the performances of great names in magic, such as the American Rudy Coby, who combines science fiction, comedy and magic, and is also known as the comic character Labman; Manho Han, Korean magician; Mikael Szanyiel, Canadian, who mixes opera, magic, humour and mime; Laurent Piron, Belgian, named World's Best Magician in 2022; and the French Ben Rose - with his show about magic dreams - and Remi Lasvenes - with his poetic version of the classics of juggling.
The International Magic Gala, after its exclusive premiere in León, can be seen in other capitals of the region such as Burgos, Soria and Salamanca. And as in previous years, the gala will also travel to the cities of Oviedo and San Sebastián.
The one-man gala has an Arabic name, the magician Karim, an Asturian who will capture the spectator's attention with a promising title, ‘Only for adults’, a magical monologue that deals with life, love and marriage, with a touch of humour.
The International Magic Festival also reaches out to the smaller venues: 70 magicians will perform in more than 600 shows in villages across empty Spain, making it the largest magic festival in Europe. This festival receives every year more than 30,000 spectators -only in León-, 90,000 in the province and 300,000 in the Community. The festival also has numerous proposals to promote and strengthen the culture of magic through different high quality shows, divided into nine thematic blocks, which include street magic, social magic, magic in emblematic places and varied performances, suitable for different ages and which take place in theatres and other cultural spaces.
As part of the Festival, there will be a dramatised exhibition, where the guide introduces the spectator to the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, a collection of objects reminiscent of the chambers of wonders that arose in Europe during the Renaissance. This private collection belongs to the magician Paco González, who will also give the lecture History of the chambers of wonders and the European cabinets of curiosities.
As magic is art, an interactive sculpture will also be on display, entitled: ‘Journey to the centre of the earth’: an allegory to the book by Jules Verne by the author, Amancio González.
Programme
- One-man Gala: a single performance in the Auditorio Ciudad de León on 26 December.
- International Gala: 11 galas in the Auditorio Ciudad de León, from 26 December to 1 January.
- Route of Magic: performances on stages (indoors) in the city of León: San Francisco Theatre, Conde Luna Palace, Guzmanes Palace, Salón de los Reyes of the City Hall of León (San Marcelo) and Espacio Vías.
- Magic in the street: performances in different corners and squares of the city.
- Solidarity magic: magic shows in cultural centres, senior citizen centres, old people's homes, hospitals, libraries and institutions (ALFAEM, Red Cross, Alzheimer León, ASPAYM and Hogar del Transeúnte, among others).
- Spaces with magic: restaurants and bars that offer magic shows to their customers on those days.
- School of Magicians: two-hour magic classes.
- Extensions of the Festival: Burgos, Soria, Salamanca, Oviedo and San Sebastián.
- León, magical province: magic shows in villages in the province of León.
In addition, from 26 to 30 December there will be a dramatised Exhibition at the Teatro San Francisco (the other magic: cabinet of curiosities), which will be complemented by two Conferences (27 and 28 December) about the rooms of astonishment and the materiality of the unexplained.
Once again this year, the artist Amancio González will exhibit one of his works, the sculpture Journey to the centre of the Earth, in front of the Auditorium, during the whole week of the Festival.
León, magical province
The Vive la Magia International Festival also extends to rural Spain. More than 600 towns in the province of León will enjoy the spectacle of magic, with hundreds of performances scheduled in large, medium and small towns in the province.
It will feature performances by the magicians: Luis Noval, Rafa Pereira, Adrián Carratalá, Armando de Miguel, Christian Miró, Dulce compañía, Joaquín Matas, Jon Ander, David Navares, Kiko del Show, Koko, León Bordigoni, Lore Lavand, Mad Martín, Oliverio Satisfecho, Pau Segalés, Raymon, Tony Montana, Xulio Merino, Pablo Costas, Dania Díaz, Germán Vilar, Iñaki Zabaleta, Nacho Samena, Pablo Arranz, Alejandro Revuelta, Ferny Tuboytapa, Magig Luna, Alfonso Rituerto, Gele Rodrigo, Héctor Sansegundo, Iván Asenjo, Leonardo, Quiquemago, 7 Bubbles, Jaque, Undermagic / Josemari Alcázar, Celio Amino, Luis Joyra, Luis Boyano y Karla, Nando Caneca, Fernando Saldaña, Mago Oski, Pedro Santos, Juan Francisco Luzón, Nacho Casal, Toni Rivero, Fernando Espí, Óscar Escalante, Mago Nano, Mago Óscar, Miguelón, Álvaro Arenas, Miguelín, Mago JC or Mirko Callaci.
The International Magic Gala, after its premiere in León, can be seen in other capitals of Castilla y León such as Burgos, Soria and Salamanca. And as in previous years, the gala will also travel to the cities of Oviedo and San Sebastián.
