David Blaine
By Joy Sanchez
Photography by Rob Gordon

Do you believe in magic? Watch David Blaine perform and you will. His intense eyes, soothing voice, and fast hands mesmerize and astonish, turning skeptics into devout fans as quickly as you can say "abracadabra." This month, he'll be sure to gain more disciples with his ABC-TV special David Blaine: Magic Man.
Everything about Blaine is a mystery, from how he does those amazing card tricks to what his last name is (Blaine is his middle name). We do know that he was born in Brooklyn to a Russian Jewish mother and a Puerto Rican father he never knew. He began doing magic at age four, when his mother took him to the library and librarians would pluck magic books from the stacks for him to read.
Magic was always in the cards for Blaine. After high school graduation, he waited tables at a New York City restaurant and started doing tricks there. Approaching strangers on the streets by day and surprising stars at clubs by night, Blaine worked his magic in an unassuming way-up close, no smoke and mirrors. Soon he was performing at private parties and hanging out with the celeb set.
His first TV special aired in May 1997, and David Blaine: Street Magic showcased what Blaine does best: wowing unsuspecting passers-by with his talent. In his new special, the 25-year-old takes it up a notch, doing magic for the people of Haiti and Venezuela, then returning to New York to show off his varied abilities-from reviving a dead fly to reading minds. He is also working on producing a movie with Robert De Niro. As for what else he has up his sleeve, Blaine is typically evasive: "You'll see."

Si no crees en la magia, deja que veas a David Blaine en acción. Su mirada intensa, su voz íntima y sus manos veloces te cautivarán instantáneamente. Este mes el mago ruso/puertorriqueño, nacido en Brooklyn, ganará más admiradores cuando salga al aire su especial de televisión David Blaine: Magic Man, en la cadena ABC. El programa incluye segmentos grabados en Haití y Venezuela.
Comenzó a practicar la prestidigitación a los cuatro años, cuando su madre lo llevaba a la biblioteca y le daba libros de magia para entretenerlo. Después de graduarse de la escuela superior, trabajó de mesero en un restaurante donde le hacia trucos de magia a los comensales. Su especialidad es acercarse a extraños en la calle y deslumbrarlos con sus juegos de prestidigitación.

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