The Mystery, The Energy PHOTO: MICHAEL CAIRNS

By Gabe Fajuri

As he launched the deck of cards toward the ceiling, the audience held its collective breath, teetering somewhere on the brink between belief and disbelief. The set-up sounded preposterous. The magician strode out onto the plat- form and suggested the impossible. Unwrapping a brand new deck of cards, he tossed a pillow into the crowd. After a few more throws to ensure a random selection, a willing spectator was asked to merely think of a card and keep its identity a secret — that is, until the deck was airborne. Then, the magician promised, the thought-of pasteboard would stick itself to the ceiling! Eat your heart out, . On the count of three, the deck flew from his hand, headed on a quick upward trajec- tory toward the ceiling some 30 feet away. No one seemed to believe what was happen- ing. This must be a gag. At the same moment, the chosen-at-random spectator called out in a voice loud enough for the audience of 300 to hear it clearly, “Six of Spades!” This has to be a gag, right?

HOLD THAT THOUGHT… Kostya Kimlat, his first name pronounced Coast-ah, was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1983. At 22 years old, already he’s able to build ten- sion, create moments, and stun spectators with the ability of a seasoned professional. Why? Because he is a seasoned profes- sional. He’s a full-time worker with a full calendar. And his date book isn’t just full of lectures for the local IBM ring or the occa- sional $50 birthday party; it’s dotted with corporate shows and walk-around gigs as much as it includes engagements in front of the -minded masses. He’s at home as a performer under nearly every circumstance, in any surrounding — on the trade-show floor, cozying up to a table at a restaurant, lecturing or performing to magicians — whatever the situation. Kostya immigrated to the Orlando, Florida area with his parents, sister, and grandmother in 1992, at the age of 9. His parents wanted to raise their children away from communism and away from Chernobyl where, when Kostya was three years old, the family fled their home when the nuclear plant accident struck. They also wanted to raise their children in a country where their religion — Judaism — would never be drawn into question. Kostya was the first child in two generations of his family to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah publicly. It was about that time, as he became a teenager, that Kostya was bitten by the magic bug after watching Jeff McBride and Bill Malone on The World’s Greatest Magic. Shortly thereafter, he started working, per- forming for the first time at a restaurant at the age of 14. It wasn’t long before he cut his teeth as a demonstrator in various tourist magic shops, kiosks, and destinations in and around the Orlando area. Additional inspi- ration came in the form of all eight volumes of the Tarbell Course in Magic, which he not only devoured, but also made an easily searchable, personalized index of, granting quick access to his favorite effects. By the time Kostya was a freshman in high school, he’d started an on-line magic newslet- ter, The Magic Express. It was through that

PHOTO: MICHAEL CAIRNS newsletter he met San Francisco magician Walt Anthony, who suggested different ideas his time — his free time, away from high kid is this good, too: to Kostya, not only about what to perform, school, and on summer vacations, that is — The set-up is extremely fair. As usual, a but what to read and how to think. To this soaking up magic in every possible form. For card is selected, noted, and returned to the day, the two stay in touch and Kostya cites one month, he served as an assistant to John pack. Then, the spectator shuffles the pack. him as a major influence in his growth as a Calvert. appeared on his literary In fact, the spectator does all of the shuf- performer and as a person. horizon, and so did Paul Harris. Meetings fling. The cards are dovetailed together At the age of 15 Kostya found himself with Florida magicians like Paul Cummins, in the usual fashion. Then they’re mixed doing walk-around magic for five hours a Chad Long, Bill Malone, and Jim Swain, together face up and face down. For good day at a 21-screen movie theatre opening in coupled with visiting lecturers like Guy measure, Kostya then invites the spectator Orlando, ending each evening with a movie. Hollingworth and Chris Power, also fanned to go wild. The pack is tossed on the table In Kostya’s mind, things couldn’t get any the flames. or floor, where the mishmash of backs and better: he was doing magic, getting paid for By the age of 17, with those varied expe- faces are further mixed. Kostya, all the it, and the movies were free, too. riences under his belt, Kostya took the while, is completely hands-off, though he Then, he says, things changed when a next logical step any other magic-minded wears a slight grin in anticipation of the meeting with Jon Racherbaumer in 1996 teenager would have taken: he delivered his eye-popping finale that’s about to come. opened his eyes to a maxim that colors his first lecture. Once the spectator is satisfied with the work to this day. Racherbaumer phrased it His mentor, Walt Anthony, had booked altered state of the deck, Kostya squares it simply and succinctly: mystery is energy. him for the Oakland 75th Anniversary up and quickly recaps the situation. Running Jon and Kostya met and talked at Magic Convention and introduced him to Alain Nu, through all of the cards in no more than 10 on the Beach, a convention held in Florida. who invited Kostya to lecture at his Phoenix or 12 seconds, there’s no question that the cards have been hopelessly mixed together, face up and face down. Nothing could be Kostya’s love of ideas, of history, and of magic, more certain. Finally, with no strip-outs, shuffles, block- not to mention his genuine attraction to and ability transfer work, and with no fishy funny stuff, Kostya spreads the pack between his hands. to interact with his crowds, are what make his As if guided by Vernon himself, the pack has miraculously righted itself. All of the cards performances transcend the ordinary. are face up. All of them, that is, except for one: the spectator’s selection. The crowd, wherever it happens to have It was at that point that Kostya was devas- Gathering convention later that year. His first congregated on this particular occasion, tated by two card tricks Jon performed — lecture tour, which he booked on his own goes nuts. tricks that would send him searching for by simply calling up one magic club after The secret to this miracle of near-biblical answers in the works of Ed Marlo, Al another, was something of an adventure. proportions? What Kostya discovered that Sharpe, and Eddie Fields, and through the Instead of driving or flying from place to afternoon with Stripper Deck in hand was literature in general. The mystery Racher- place, Kostya made the trip by Greyhound that he’d refined the traditional Hofzinser baumer brought to Kostya was translated bus. He took dozens of routes from city Spread Cull to such a fine degree — modify- into energy in the form of his personal to city, including a 25-hour ride from ing it to suit his own purposes — and cre- search for answers, information, and further Richmond, Virginia to Peoria, Illinois. “My ated The Roadrunner Cull. In less than a inspiration, one that would last for the next parents have always been very supportive,” quarter of a minute, no matter what the con- year and a half. Kostya says. “Whenever I wanted to travel dition of the cards, and under the guise of “Uncovering the methods behind those to a magic convention, there was never any what appears to be a casual stroll through effects was the least important part,” question that they’d let me go — alone. As the pack, the Roadrunner Cull allows Kostya explains Kostya. “It was the search for them long as I called home, they were happy to to cull multiple cards incredibly quickly. that was of the utmost importance. In that hear of my adventures on the road.” Reds separate from blacks. Face-up cards year and a half I slowly came to hundreds of The question is: what does a 17-year-old melt apart from the face-down ones. It hap- ideas and conclusions, hundreds of methods, kid know about magic? What can he teach pens faster than you can believe. and thousands of thoughts that still inspire someone in a lecture? Both for magicians and lay-audiences, me to create to this day. In that time, I gained Enter the Roadrunner Cull. While demon- Kostya’s close-up shows often involve petty respect not only for magic, but also for strating the finer points of a Stripper Deck at larceny. teaching and learning.” one of Orlando’s magic shops, Kostya sud- On occasion, Kostya will invite a promi- Kostya’s eyes were opened to the magic denly realized that he’d forgotten to reverse nent spectator to assist in a card effect. After world at large and, at the same time, he was the pack. He’d typically perform a Triumph- mixing the pack, seven cards are produced. instilled with a sense of enthusiastic rever- like effect with the shaved cards, stripping When the audience volunteer is asked if the ence for his forebears, a sense that’s appar- the face-up and face-down cards apart with selected cards mean anything to him, they ent whenever he discusses their magic or his. one deft move. Not this time. He was forced are revealed to, in fact, make up the digits of You can’t help but be impressed by a 20- to think quickly, and in the process, devised his phone number! Not bad — for starters. something who loudly and proudly acknowl- the bare bones of what is one of the most To follow up that strange “coincidence,” he edges the rich history that inspires, fuels, astonishing versions of Vernon’s classic asks the spectator to make random marks with and motivates the magic he performs. ever devised. In his lecture notes, the trick a pen on a piece of paper on which Kostya has is referred to as Cull-igula, The Hardcore written out the alphabet and the digits one PREPARE TO BE CULLED Triumph. Read the following description. through nine. He then asks if the letters and For the next two years, Kostya spent Then read it again. It is this good. And this numbers that the spectator’s pen passed MAGIC • january 2006 53 through hold any significance to him. The spectator is usually at a loss. So, in an effort to jog their memories, Kostya brings into play a prediction, which has been sitting on the table throughout the lecture, sealed in gift-wrap. When unwrapped, the prediction turns out to be the license plate of the volunteer in ques- tion, removed off the back of their car! Bob Elliot, David Oliver, and Hank Lee have all fallen victim to the license plate trick. In one instance, after the plate had been stolen off the car of a corporate client, it was discovered that the client had driven off, none the wiser that the plate was gone. Luckily, before he got too far down the turn- pike, Kostya was able to reach him via cell phone and coax him back to the show, where he concluded the trick.

NEW TRICKS, YOUNG DOG All of this gushing about Kostya’s finger flinging in the cull department shouldn’t lead readers to believe that he’s merely a one-hit wonder. Yes, pasteboards are both his first love and his strong suit, and he has wowed the magic set with them at events like Fechter’s, The , and MAGIC Live!. However, his work for the lay public includes a wide range of material, from close- up classics like the Chop Cup to a Mentalism- heavy stand-up act geared toward corporate clients. Other favorites of his ever-changing, [Top] Kostya caught in the act, preparing for ever-evolving stand-up show include classics his famous license plate miracle. At age 14 from Malini, Tarbell, and Corinda, and more [above], performing his first show, and pre- modern effects inspired by the likes of Eric senting his first lecture [left] just one year Anderson and Barrie Richardson. All of these, later. Kostya amazing patrons at The Garlic however, are carefully interwoven with mater- [below] and posing with his latest book of ial that Kostya has developed on his own, lecture notes [facing page]. tricks that he has used successfully in close- up settings. “I’m surprised how well some of my close-up effects work on stage,” he says. This means that card effects, including his Cull-igula Triumph and the license plate trick, often find their way into his real-world work. Yes, the kid has corporate clients, and yes, the kid works trade shows. After hitting the magic circuit and lecturing, working at con- ventions, entering contests, and publishing his effects, Kostya began building his client list. He graduated from walk-around gigs and family shows to corporate cocktail parties and trade shows, two areas of his business he continues to develop. Along the way, he has consulted for theatre groups, designed illu- sions for a dance company, and has had his hands featured in a nationally televised call- ing-card commercial. In the last two years, Kostya has traveled the country working for clients that include Absolut Vodka, IBM, CVS Pharmacies, RaceTrac, and SunTrust Bank, and last year he made an appearance with Marco Tempest in an episode of his TV pro- gram, The Virtual Magician. This month he’s 54 MAGIC • january 2006 working at the Magic Castle and will lec- trade shows, creating not just new magic They were all there, in new deck order. ture at the inaugural Session Convention in and sales presentations, but entire marketing The same went for the Clubs and the England. The following months are already campaigns for his clients. And if time allows, Diamonds. Each card was in place. Finally, filled with corporate events and a host of he will continue to share his thoughts and he came to the Spades. He spread through stand-up engagements. And when he’s not on his magic with the magic fraternity. them slowly — too slow for any funny the road, he performs at The Garlic, a beauti- business — and revealed, as the crowd had ful, family-owned Italian restaurant in New AND NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY both been hoping and dreading, that indeed Smyrna Beach, Florida. SCHEDULED CARD ON CEILING… only one card was missing from the pack – When it comes to running with the right It seemed ludicrous to the crowd that the Six of Spades. crowd, magically speaking, he’s in good the trick had gone this far. What Kostya had The audience erupted in a burst of company. This past summer in Toronto, proposed, and was apparently going through applause and cheers. Kostya was invited to 31 Faces North, with, seemed to be the ultimate effect. Not The crowd was convinced that the six where he both lectured and performed in even with the most complicated of apparatus was stuck up there, and yet the mystery front of 30 members of the glitterati. To (unless a gaffed ceiling were involved), could remained. The card looked down on them say that the group of magic celebrities was such an impossibility come to pass. Who for the rest of the show, a playful reminder impressed with Kostya’s work would be a could stick a thought-of card to the ceiling that the beauty of magic is in mystery; that gross understatement. of a theatre with 300 well-posted magicians the unknown can be both captivating and His sincere enthusiasm demonstrated watching the proceedings? Apparently this entertaining. For Kostya, that mystery is his what likes best about him: young man was about to do it — or he was energy. And for his audiences, that mystery “Kostya has chops, but he’s also learning putting everyone on. is highly contagious. ◆ how to think.” echoed Maven’s As the deck thumped against the ceiling thoughts: “I was impressed with his clear and fell toward the floor, it became obvious. effects and clean routining. But no less There was a solitary pasteboard stuck up important was his manner. He’s neither cloy- there. But it was stuck with its face toward ing nor arrogant. He genuinely connects with the ceiling. The crowd exploded with laugh- people. As Leipzig used to say, ‘People like to ter, releasing the built-up tension. Everyone feel they’ve been fooled by a gentleman.’” breathed a deep sigh of relief, as this clearly Carney’s sentiment is perhaps the best way had been a put-on. to describe the manner in which Kostya goes Or had it? about fooling a crowd. Yes, the magic is Kostya stared at the card, looked at the strong, and the technical foundation he bases spectator, and then scanned the eyes of his tricks on is strong, too — very strong. But the crowd. “Okay, you have to believe me. the gentlemanly part of his personality, the That is the Six of Spades.” Then, a smile genuine smile and joie de vive emanating from came over his face and you could sense an him while delving into philosophy, art, theol- idea had materialized. “Wait, where’s the ogy, house parties, or any of the other varied deck? We never shuffled the deck! Sir, please topics he touches on while discussing card come up here and help me out. You will act tricks, doesn’t come across as mere patter or as the eyes of the audience.” PHOTO: MICHAEL CAIRNS part of a script. Kostya’s love of ideas, of his- With that, Kostya picked the deck up tory, and of magic, not to mention his genuine from the floor and took off the rub- attraction to and ability to interact with his ber band holding it together. crowds, are what make his performances tran- He ran through the first scend the ordinary. You, as a spectator like block of cards, the him because he likes you. Hearts, handing It’s a philosophy that seems simple them to the enough to write about, but isn’t nearly as spectator. easy to put into practice. Yet Kostya, already in his career, has learned this lesson well. “When I first decided to perform profes- sionally, I was afraid it would become too much of a job and I would get burned out,” says Kostya. “Now I’ve found that although I spend a large portion of my week taking care of business, when I go on stage, it’s the most pure and wonderful experience, where I think of nothing but the moment at hand.” Recently influenced by , Penn & Teller, and numerous musical and theatrical acts, Kostya is writing his one- man show. He hopes to find a quiet time in the near future where he can perform art for art’s sake and develop this show outside of a business environment. At the same time, he’s also getting ready for another busy season of MAGIC • january 2006 55