David and Dania Quick change artists

[Guest]

Hey guys,

I am a quick change artist from canada. I have been doing change for about 5 years now and I am looking into seeing other peoples work for inspirations.

I was wondering if anyone out there has and videos of David and Dania performing? (including the 30 Seconds to Fame show.) I would be greatly interested and am willing to trade. Let me know what you are looking for.

Also I currently custome make quick changes if anyone is interested.

I look forward to hearing a reply.

Magically yours,

Matt Kielbiski
Magic_Monkichi@hotmail.com

[mop krayz]

I suggest you take a look at the work of the italian master Arturo Bracchetti. He appeared on a Disney TV special years ago and also on his own "Bracchetti in Technicolor" show on Italian TV.

[Pete Biro]

Arturo Brachetti is a genius. He has a web site with videos... do a google search to find his url.

[Marco Pusterla]

Arturo Brachetti

[Pete Biro]

Didn't link

[Marco Pusterla]

everything works here... http://www.arturobrachetti.com

Try again..

[Pete Biro]

Stil didn't work, however a quick GOOGLE search found www.brachetti.com and that worked fine.

[Marco Pusterla]

yep, the latest one is the official site; the one I posted is about his latest show, in Paris, France.

All the best, ciao!

[Guest]

Originally posted by MagicMonkichi:

I was wondering if anyone out there has and videos of David and Dania performing? (including the 30 Seconds to Fame show.) I would be greatly interested and am willing to trade. Let me know what you are looking for.

The full Act was in japanease and german TV 1997 (FISM Dresden).

[Guest]

David and Dania ("America's got talent") are the copy of a very very good act: The Sudarchikovi. Very sad story...
Dania is russian and she stolen the tricks when she was still there.
The best quick change actor, comedian, shadow player etc. etc. in the world is always Arturo Brachetti who has the DVD of his show out (in France and Italy) His new web site: www.brachetti.com

[Guest]

this is handy, i just checked his website and he is in edinburgh for the next 2 weeks. anyone know where? he doesnt say.

[Guest]

Originally posted by brian ovens:
this is handy, i just checked his website and he is in edinburgh for the next 2 weeks. anyone know where? he doesnt say.

You can get the details on Brachetti's show - as well as book tickets - from this page on the Edinburgh Festival Website .

Best wishes

Peter
:)

[Guest]

Arturo was also a regular on the British TV show Best Of Magic.

You might be interested in the Steven's Greater Magic Volume 59. Yasuda performs and explains his act on The Art Of Costume Changing

[Andrew Martin Portala]

Did anyone see David and Dania last night. The british judge called David dumb and stupid for not changing their act . It was not nice.

[Guest]

Originally posted by andrew martin:
Did anyone see David and Dania last night. The british judge called David dumb and stupid for not changing their act . It was not nice.

I agree that he was not nice, but his comments were not wholly untrue.
They did do the same act three times, with only cosmetic changes. In a show like that you need to change things for each appearance. It is a variety show after all.
With that said I don't understand why they went on the show. They are already successful in their field and they tour the world. Maybe they went on for exposure sake, but they didn't have to be on the show.

Just my two cents.

Gord

[Guest]

thanks for the help chaps,i thinking of going next saturday, 13 a ticket seems fair. i've never seen the guy, is he that good?

[Andrew Martin Portala]

Brachetti is Unbelievable!!
He is really nice guy too!

[Guest]

Originally posted by Gord Gardiner:

Originally posted by andrew martin:
[b] Did anyone see David and Dania last night. The british judge called David dumb and stupid for not changing their act . It was not nice.

I agree that he was not nice, but his comments were not wholly untrue.
They did do the same act three times, with only cosmetic changes. In a show like that you need to change things for each appearance. It is a variety show after all.
With that said I don't understand why they went on the show. They are already successful in their field and they tour the world. Maybe they went on for exposure sake, but they didn't have to be on the show.

Just my two cents.

Gord [/b]

From Ford
I was fortunate enough to see Frank Sinatra perform live on three occasions He did the same thing each time Sing! Sure cosmetically he made some changes He changed the songs But basically still singing HOw dumb! Nott even one card trick

The Brit judge made the mistake of thinking this is a magic act It's not it's a quick change act It may loosely fall in to the magic category But like escapes and mentalism it's not a magic act
I thought they were phenomenal

[Jeff Eline]

The couple said that they had a 90 minute act and they've done the exact same 90 seconds each time. I don't think it's too much to ask to see an additional 90 seconds for a change.

[Guest]

David and Dania have a commercial act that works very well in certain venues. Brachetti is an artist that has created a complete and glorious SHOW.

Brachetti is indeed an artist, who is also an actor, mime, magician, and creator.

Just as there has been fine ACTS of magic, many of those fine performers did not and perhaps could not create a complete show.

Onward...

[Guest]

Please, excuse my english. In 1988 I was in Florence, waching the Moira Orfei Circus. Somebody told me there was a magic act in the show, so I went to see it. The magic, quick-change act was "The Sudarchikovi". A couple, about 50/60 years old arrived in the ring. He is dressed in black tail, she is in a long gown. She goes in a cylinder made of material, and she changes quickly in another costume much shorter. Than she changes many times costumes, each time the costume is a bit longer. They used a "sandwich" screen or a ring with ribbons around it or a flag of silk. Then they do a sobstitition trunk and the man is in white toxido. He trows silver confetti on his partner and she is instantaneusly in white costume. They leave the circus ring dancing arm in arm, gracefully under the applauses.
Many people, here in Europe has the video of their first TV appearance.
It was 1988, almost 20 years ago and it was the first time they were working out of the Soviet Union.
...This act sound you familiar?

[Guest]

Originally posted by Jeff Eline:
The couple said that they had a 90 minute act and they've done the exact same 90 seconds each time. I don't think it's too much to ask to see an additional 90 seconds for a change.

Well put Jeff. The first time seeing them was like sitting next to Vernon as he did Twisting The Aces .

The second time was like seeing Vernon do Twisting the Aces again, only on video tape.

The last time was like seeing Vernon do Twisting The Ace on video tape, with Red cards intead of blue.

[Guest]

Have never seen for years so many posts about "Quick Change Costume"...great!

I, Valerie, am a "quick change" artist, female professional magician, living in Paris France.
Almost 20 years of magic along with many competitions (won Siegfried & Roy Grand Prix, Silver wand in Monte Carlo, etc...).
Am also working for movies, singers, etc...

Have been performing & lecturing last year at IBM Convention in Reno & Magic Castle. What an experience ! Met so nice people all around, thanks to all of you who were there and welcomed me so well.
Am planning to tour next year in the US with my act and my 2 hours lecture, first lecture ever done on this very particular subject "All about quick change costumes".

At last Fism, in Stage magic, we have seen a quick change costume in about one third of the acts, more or less well done.....that's really in fashion.

Sorry for bad English.

[Rafael Benatar]

You can see several videos in their site at:
http://www.costumechange.com

[Guest]

There are several problems with this thread. David and Dania are accused of theft without the presentation of evidence other than people's opinion. Did she steal the act from people she worked with on the circus or did she buy it or license it? I don't know and absent the word of the originators of the act, no one else does, either.

Second, of the three judges on America's Got Talent, only Brandy is an experienced performer, and she is limited to singing and acting. The requisite snotty Brit - a Simon Cowell analog - knows nothing about variety show business and proves that each week.

A number of the acts on America's Got Talent are either amateurs or wannabe pros. Giving them "advice" sometimes works to their benefit because they lack the experience to produce and direct their own acts. For a singing and/or dancing act, changing, especially if their acts are not set, is easy enough....and they have a week to polish new material.

With a novelty act, that isn't possible. The act is set and functions in a certain way. I'm sure Piers would have criticism for Senor Wences or Norm Nielsen or Channing Pollack or Cardini or any of the other great novelty acts who had a finely-tuned few minutes.

Nathan Burton can change because he is not a novelty act. Nathan is a major act with a large repetoire of finished material...and the show only gives the performers 90 seconds or less in which to perform. (As an example, David Copperfield has 26 HOURS of finished and polished performance material.)

Because of the minimal time allowed, you don't see any comics or mentalists or talking magicians because they aren't allowed the necessary time to establish a personality and make contact with the audience. No small surprise that there are no vents in the final group, either, for exactly the same reason.

Why Penn and Teller were on the show is anyone's guess...like they need more time on TV.

[Guest]

P&T went on the show supporting their juggling friends, "Passing Zone." Penn admitted that he hasn't actually seen the show at all. They will be seen next week in some pre-shot coaching footage in the finale.

D&D promised to do something else in next week's finale. Now, they said they did the same quck-change act thrice because it was "their best." Now they will competing in the last, all-important show with something presumably less than their best.

It is like other variety entertainers and comedians who have to comeback and re-compete each time, after shooting their wad early on with their best material. Probably not as much trouble for seasoned pros with a big repetory (who wouldn't be as likely doing these kinds of shows).

American Idol-style singers have it easier, I think. They are not rated on original material, but style and interpetation (with a lot of practice and coaching week-to-week).

[Bob Klase]

Originally posted by andrew martin:
Did anyone see David and Dania last night. The british judge called David dumb and stupid for not changing their act . It was not nice.

Actually he didn't call them anything- he asked if they were "deaf, dumb, or arrogant". The word "stupid" was never used. David's only comment was "don't ever call me dumb". That left me wondering (seriously) if he accepts that he is dumb but doesn't want to be called dumb, and/or if he was admitting by ommision that he's deaf and/or arrogant.

[Guest]

Forgetting for a moment the arrogant response to a reasonable request from the judge, has anyone seen them do more than the three minutes they have done on America's Got Talent?

Do they actually have a full show, or just the three minutes? Because, like the "snotty brit", I'd like to see some more. Not just some "again".

[Guest]

Bill,

Re-read my post. David's response was not arrogant. It was a response from someone who'd just been called dumb on national television by a guy who knows nothing about variety show business.

As I said before, most novelty magic acts simply wouldn't have survived this long....Channing Pollack, Cardini, Marvyn Roy, and many others....all of them had very specific constructs to their acts. Give them 60 - 90 seconds and you wouldn't see anything remotely like their acts.

Frakson, who was one of the very best vaudeville and night club magicians who ever lived probably wouldn't have survived because he wouldn't have been given the time necessary to do one effect.

David & Dania may have other parts of their act, but they may not be a spectacular as the others AND, in presenting something that's part of a build up to a big finale AFTER they've performed their finale leaves them open to an idiot like Piers saying that they weren't as good as they were the week before. That wouldn't benefit them at all.

To be candid, given that they are a novelty act with a limited repetoire, they had no chance of winning the $1 million in the first place, but they've have several national commercials for their act - tens of thousands of dollars of publicity and exposure that they could not have afforded otherwise. They played this smart and used the program as much as the program has used them.

[Richard Kaufman]

I've never seen David and Dania do anything other than the one act. The quick change parts are excellent, but the magic isn't great--simple things that are only for laymen.
I haven't seen what they're doing on TV in this show, but they've probably taken out the magic parts (like producing feather botanias from a large foulard).

[Guest]

Originally posted by David Alexander:
Bill,
Re-read my post. David's response was not arrogant. It was a response from someone who'd just been called dumb on national television by a guy who knows nothing about variety show business.

First off, why do you need to know anything about the business to judge the entertainment value and talent of the act? I dont know squat about producing movies but I can certainly tell a good one from a bad one, and defend my opinions pretty well.

The arrogance wasnt in being angry with the words the judge chose, but in how they responded to a reasonable request to see more of what they had stated they had. The appearance of the Union Jack dress was arrogant.

On their first appearance the judge asked if there was more to the act.
David said there was.
The judge asked to see more next time.
They responded by adding a dress made to look like an American flag. At that point Morgan said he had wanted to see something different as they had promised and was disappointed in what they offered.

When they came back for their third time what they did different was to replace the American flag dress with a Union Jack dress. They had even taken out the bit where Davids costume changes so they were really giving less in terms of variety.

After the second performance my wife was asking why they didnt do something different and even suggested a couple of ideas, such as having a piece of one of Danias vanished costumes appear on David. They didn't have to change the entire act, must toss them a curve ball.

If you were the judge and had asked to see more of the act they claimed to have and then told them that simply changing the dress to an America flag wasnt what you had asked for, how you would respond to the Union Jack dress?

What message was the Union Jack intended to send?

We think you are shallow enough that pandering to your nationality will win you over.

Maybe thats what Mr. Morgan was going on about.

I started out loving their act and now have such a bad taste in my mouth that I dont really want to see more.

[Guest]

well i just bought my tickets for arturo brachetti for this saturday, i hope to take some friends along to what i hope is a good night.

cheers, brian.

[Guest]

Interestingly enough only one of the three judges thinks David and Dania needs to change their act. They've also received a standing ovation every time they've performed on the show (as well as every time I've seen them perform live). I don't think I'd change a thing.

[Guest]

I think most people are being too harsh discussing David and Dania (same also goes for Blaine, Angel, or anyone else getting attention). I watched D & D since they created the act in the early 90s. I have watched it evolve with many changes and improvements before they settled into their present act. I would hardly call them a novelty act. Would we call Gonzos Chop Cup routine a novelty act? That is his major act. He has made a comfortable living, been featured in several magic publications, and written a couple of books about Chop Cuts. The same is true for several other well-known magicians. As far as stealing the act. I doubt it! According to Magic Magazine, quick-change magic goes back at least 100 years and books revealing the secrets were published as early as 1912. I do agree D & D could have thrown some curve balls on the talent show. Flash pots, smoke, production boxes, metamorphous, etc, could have been used for the quick change. We should support anyone who receives a lot of TV and press. It is good publicity for all magicians. It prevents the public from getting bored. That is what keeps our business alive!

[Pete Biro]

I think these folks are so used to "singers" that can, by singing a different song, seeming CHANGE the act.

Oh well.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Tom Dobrowolski:
Interestingly enough only one of the three judges thinks David and Dania needs to change their act. They've also received a standing ovation every time they've performed on the show (as well as every time I've seen them perform live). I don't think I'd change a thing.

No one asked them to CHANGE their act. They were asked if they had MORE and when they said that did they were asked to show MORE.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Bill Duncan:

Originally posted by Tom Dobrowolski:
Interestingly enough only one of the three judges thinks David and Dania needs to change their act. They've also received a standing ovation every time they've performed on the show (as well as every time I've seen them perform live). I don't think I'd change a thing.

No one asked them to CHANGE their act. They were asked if they had MORE and when they said that did they were asked to show MORE.

O.k....Interestingly enough only one of the three judges thinks David and Dania need to do something MORE. They've also received a standing ovation every time they've performed on the show (as well as every time I've seen them perform live). I don't think I'd do anything MORE.

[Guest]

Ok Tom. By that standard more than 30 percent of the judges wanted more. And it should probably be noted that the one judge who did does't have to remain on the good side of American audiences and can be as honest as he wants to be...


I notice that no one seems to be defending the Union Jack dress.

I guess we'll see tonight just who has "talent". I remain convinced it will be the little girl with the BIG voice: Bianca Ryan.

She's got talent, takes risks and doesn't cry when she's given criticism by the judges.

[Guest]

I've been pushing for David and Dania the last few weeks. Tonight, they disappointed me. It was pandering when they used the Union Jack dress, and tonight they did it again with the NBC dress and shirt. They said they would do something really different. A Nielsen bottle that was never shown to be a real bottle vanished. I thought that sucked. The thing with Brandy was lame also. When acts do something like that, it gives the impression that with a week's (or even less) rehersal anyone can do what they do. Kind of like those old Circus of the Stars specials.

My favorite 3 acts tonight were:
Passing Zone
Realis
Bianca Ryan (I really don't want a singer to win, but that girl was fantastic.)
_________________

[Guest]

On a separate thread on this forum I predicted that the "competition" would be won by a cute kid singer.

Also, criticism of what is, essentially, an amateur, does not necessarily mean that criticism of an established act is valid.

Those who have been in show business understand what I'm saying.