Some magic performances are built around a clever secret.
Others become something closer to art.
In the video “Juliana Chen – A Magical Performance Full Of Spellbinding Tricks,” world champion magician Juliana Chen demonstrates why she has earned a reputation as one of the most accomplished stage magicians of her generation.
Combining incredible manipulation, graceful movement and influences from both Eastern and Western performance traditions, Chen creates a style of magic that is unmistakably her own.
But the story behind the magician makes the performance even more impressive.
From Ballet and Acrobatics to Magic
Juliana Chen didn't originally set out to become a magician.
Born and raised in Hunan Province, China, Chen was selected at just 10 years old to receive specialized training at the Hunan Academy for the Performing Arts.
She initially studied ballet before moving into acrobatics and juggling.
Those years of intense physical training would eventually become an important part of her magical style.
But injuries forced Chen to reconsider her future as an acrobat.
While recovering from one of those injuries, she saw legendary Japanese magician Shimada performing on television.
The experience helped inspire her to pursue magic.
Chen began practicing with readily available objects such as playing cards and ping-pong balls, eventually developing the extraordinary manipulation skills that would become one of her trademarks.
A Different Kind of Card Magic
When most people hear the words “card magic,” they probably picture a magician standing at a table asking someone to select a card.
Juliana Chen takes playing cards in an entirely different direction.
In her hands, cards become visual objects capable of appearing, disappearing and flying through the air.
Chen became particularly known for her unusual card-shooting technique. Rather than simply throwing cards in the conventional manner, she developed techniques that allowed her to send cards flying with remarkable speed and precision.
Watching Chen manipulate cards is as much about movement and rhythm as it is about deception.
That's where her background in dance and acrobatics becomes so important.
She isn't simply performing sleight of hand.
She's choreographing magic.
Juliana Chen Makes Magic History
Chen's dedication eventually carried her to the highest levels of competitive magic.
She won major awards internationally, including a Gold Medal at the International Brotherhood of Magicians competition in 1992.
Then came the achievement that permanently secured her place in magic history.
In 1997, Juliana Chen competed at the FISM World Championship of Magic in Dresden, Germany.
She won the world championship in manipulation.
In doing so, Chen became the first woman and first magician of Chinese heritage to win FISM gold with a solo act during the competition's first 50 years.
It was an extraordinary accomplishment in a field historically dominated by men.
Chen became known as “The First Lady of Magic.”
Bringing Two Worlds Together
One of the most interesting aspects of Chen's work is the way she incorporates elements of Chinese culture into a contemporary international magic act.
Rather than abandoning her background when she began performing around the world, she used it to create something distinctive.
Her performances have incorporated Chinese artistic traditions alongside the techniques and staging associated with Western magic.
That combination helped create a performing identity audiences could immediately recognize as Juliana Chen.
And that's an important lesson for any magician.
Technical ability can make someone a skilled magician.
Individuality can make them memorable.
From World Champion to International Star
Winning FISM opened even more doors for Chen.
She went on to appear on major television networks and perform at prestigious venues around the world, including the London Palladium, Princess Grace Theatre in Monte Carlo, Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, NHK Theatre in Tokyo and Berlin's Wintergarten.
Her television credits have included NBC, ABC, CBC, CTV, ITV, CCTV and other international networks.
Chen's contributions to magic have extended well beyond her own performances.
She has worked to strengthen connections between the Chinese and Western magic communities, served as an artistic director and helped develop younger generations of magicians.
In 2023, the Academy of Magical Arts honored Chen with its prestigious Performing Fellowship.
Nearly three decades after her historic FISM victory, she remains an important figure in international magic.
Watch Juliana Chen Perform
“Juliana Chen – A Magical Performance Full Of Spellbinding Tricks” gives viewers an opportunity to see what happens when years of training in several different performing arts come together on one stage.
Watch the hands.
Watch the cards.
But also watch how Chen moves.
That's where you'll see the difference between simply executing difficult sleight of hand and transforming those techniques into a theatrical performance.
Juliana Chen's journey took her from ballet to acrobatics, from juggling to magic, and ultimately to becoming a world champion.
And perhaps that's what makes her performances so interesting.
She didn't leave those earlier art forms behind.
She brought them with her.
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