The Magic of Juliana Chen
Featured in this week’s History of Magic is Chinese magicienne Juliana Chen, who is possibly one of the finest proponents of sleight of hand magic and the winner of numerous awards. Juliana was born in the Chinese province of Hunan in 1986. At age 10, she was selected to train at the Hunan Performing Arts Academy and underwent study in ballet, gymnastics foot and hand juggling. After two leg injuries she was discouraged from continuing with foot juggling and while in hospital saw a television programme by the famous Japanese magician Shimada a brilliant magician in his own right. It was Shimada’s performance that influenced Juliana to become a magician. She started a daily study and practice session with playing cards and ping pong balls, as there was little other magic available. Within four years, the ambidextrous Juliana had developed such a will to be successful that she entered The “All China Best Magician Competition” and won first place. She seemed to have a natural flair and talent for sleight of hand magic.