"Traveling the World with His Dancing Cane"
Meet Christian Compton
Those of us who have been fortunate enough to attend one of Jeff McBride’s Master Class has heard him say something to the effect, "You only need one trick to travel the world." or "What one trick are we going to take to the end of the road?" For the Pendragons it would probably be their "Metamorphosis", Jeff McBride said his was his "Miser’s Dream", for Christian Compton, it is his "Dancing Cane."
Fourteen year old, Christian Compton, a ninth grader from Dandridge, Tennessee comments on his dancing cane, "WOW, the dancing cane is by far my most favorite piece of magic of all time. It is such a beautiful magic. I practice constantly, in front of the TV, walking around the house, in my magic corner, anywhere I can. The dancing cane is very special to me because I think this will be my one trick that will let me travel the world."
Christian became interested in magic just two years ago. He bought a stripper deck and showed it to his father, Scott Compton. To Christian’s surprise, his dad used to do magic. His dad got out all his magic stuff he had stored away and rekindled his own love for magic. Christian and his Dad now have a wonderful Father-Son magic act they perform everywhere from birthday parties and festivals to conventions." Christian says, "My dad is my teacher. He helps me out a lot. I am really inspired by my Dad. In fact my whole family supports me in magic. My Mom, Marisa Compton and my brother Charlie always encourage me. They take me to conventions and are there to encourage me to compete. Whenever I want to show them a trick, they always sit down what they are doing and watch me."
Besides his father, the other person who has encouraged Christian is David Mann of Precision Magic. Christian says, "David Mann is one of my favorite and most inspiring magicians. He is a one of a kind magician. One of my proudest moments was when Mr. Mann told me, ‘I have never seen anyone as good at the dancing cane as I am, but Christian, you are the closest I have ever seen.’ Now I don't know how many of you have seen David Mann but let me tell you, he is the best at the dancing cane. I have heard about Peter Pitt, I have seen David Copperfield do his dancing cane and have seen other magicians, but David Mann is at the top. I feel very proud that he thinks I am almost as good as he is."
Well, Christian Compton must be great at the dancing cane. He took first place at the 2005 SEAM Convention in Huntsville. The first competition that Christian ever entered was the Twin City Magic Convention in Bristol, Tennessee. He took second place there. Christian said, "I can’t describe how I felt when I took first and second place at those competitions. Let me think, joyful, happy, excited, bursting of how much I can thank all the magicians who have helped me get this far. Competition has helped me develop stage presence and learn timing, for instance, waiting for my applause cue. Magic and competition has helped me develop a lot more confidence in myself."
Do things always go great for Christian with his dancing cane? Not always, "One time I was doing the dancing cane in front of an audience and was going over the arm and nailed myself in the head. Ouch and embarrassment. Back to the practice room for me."
Christian Compton is fortunate to belong to two Rings, Knoxville, Tennessee Ring 58 and Bristol, Virginia Ring 355. Christian says, "All the members in both of these rings support me in numerous ways. I am lucky to have so many great magicians in Ring 58. Some of which include, past president Mike Strattman, master balloon artist Tom Vorjahan, quick witted Bob Knigge and many more. They all help me so much. In Ring 355 there are some great magicians too. Everyone in these Rings inspire me so much."
Christian’s favorite type of magic (if you can’t guess by now) is stage magic. He says, "I love to be on stage. I love to perform and the stage gives me a bigger space to perform on. It feels great to have a huge audience watching you. Stage effects are so unique and so beautiful. The lights are awesome. I like to open up in a dark mystifying light and start my performance. Sure I like the reaction in close-up, but stage is just more fun for me."
Christian Compton was fortunate enough to attend Jeff McBride’s workshop at the 2005 Winter Carnival of Magic. He says it was an awesome experience and learned so much. It is quite evident that Christian Compton not only learns from his teachers, but he also puts what he learns into practice. Christian says, "I want the dancing cane to be my big time. Some day I will travel the world with my dancing cane."
You can contact Christian Compton at [email protected]