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650 SHOWS IN KOREA FOR MAGICIAN ÉTIENNE VENDETTE by Jean-Paul Sylvain
"Hello, Étienne Vendette?" " Yes, it’s me!" "I wanted to send you a fax, but you just answered the phone. Great!" Well, maybe not so great because even if it was 1 p.m. in Québec, it was only 2 a.m. in Seoul. "There is a 13-hour difference between Korea and Québec. But I have to admit that the best time to reach me is after midnight," quickly added Étienne. Since last January, the 26-year-old Québec magician has given 655 shows in 22 weeks, at a rate of 5 shows a day, 6 times a week. "South Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos and American servicemen―60 000 are stationed in Korea―comprise my regular audience. I perform at the largest indoor amusement park in the world, the Lotte World Adventure, which is a kind of Asian Walt Disney World," says Étienne. The park gathers artists from around the globe: Canada, the United States, Hungary, Mexico, Romania, Russia, etc. Contrary to the show he gives in Québec, where he combines humour and magic, he does not speak during his performances in Korea. Instead, a musical soundtrack accompanies him as he spellbinds crowds by using a mixture of classical magic tricks, complete with scarves, flowers and candlesticks that disappear and reappear."My tricks succeed because my nimble fingers do almost all the work." Do you use any gimmicks? "No, well... very few!" Standing 1.80 metres (6 feet) tall, the blonde, blue-eyed Québecer draws a lot of attention, even when he walks down the street. Have you learned to speak Korean? "A bit. It is very difficult. The words are longer. To say hello takes four syllables! And people don’t speak a lot of English, and French not at all. I watch a lot of American television shows in English with Korean sub-titles on channel AFKN." Étienne should be coming home around mid-July, after having given 780 performances. But he is expecting his contract to be extended and that other doors will open for him in the Asia. "I am single; I appreciate the chance I have to live abroad. In 1992, I gave many magic shows at the Canada Pavilion during the World Fair in Seville, Spain." He was the opening act for several performers, including Mario Pelchat, Anthony Kavanagh, Jean-Michel Anctil, Luc De Larochellière and Rock et Belles Oreilles. He also won the Cégeps en spectacle contest in 1990.
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The giant poster advertizing Étienne’s show at the Lotte World Adventure
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