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Potsdam ‘magic man’ and mentalist passionate about his job

Posted 4/24/11

By MAUREEN PICHÉ POTSDAM – For more than a year, Richard Tenace has been making a living in the North Country doing what he’s loved his whole life—performing and teaching the art of magic and …

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Potsdam ‘magic man’ and mentalist passionate about his job

Posted

By MAUREEN PICHÉ

POTSDAM – For more than a year, Richard Tenace has been making a living in the North Country doing what he’s loved his whole life—performing and teaching the art of magic and mentalism.

Tenace, a professional magician since he was 8 years old, offers several classes through the St. Lawrence County Arts Council on everything from interpreting tarot cards, to harnessing your intuition, to standard sleight of hand instruction for kids.

He can also be found performing close-up magic tableside at the 1844 House the last Thursday of the month. And he’s busy writing books on magic and mentalism for those who want to turn pro.

He doesn’t claim to be a psychic with special connections to the occult. His philosophy is that good magic is all about good showmanship and rapport with the audience.

“Robert-Houdin, the famous French magician, once said ‘A magician is an actor playing the part of a magician,’” Tenace said. “I believe it’s a show, and people have to make up their own mind about what’s real and what isn’t. I’m not trying to mislead them—I’m asking for suspension of disbelief. Most are just happy to enjoy the experience.”

Tenace first fell in love with magic as a 5-year-old when he was called up on stage as a volunteer at his very first magic show. The magician used an old routine called “The Miser’s Dream” and proceeded to pull coins from behind his ears, his elbow, “he had coins coming out of everywhere,” Tenace recalls.

“I remember a feeling of astonishment, and I’ve been searching for that ever since—to bring that feeling to audiences,” he said.

Tenace began teaching himself tricks, and was soon good enough to give a paid performance at the Saratoga County Fair. He continued on through his teens, “and that’s what got me hooked. I knew I was doing my life’s passion.”

But sleight of hand was just the start of this passion. Tenace began exploring all the magic world had to offer, including symbols, palmistry, reading tea leaves, and tarot cards.

He’s also studied mentalism, a form of magic that relies more on the ability to read body language or to manipulate the subject subliminally through psychological suggestion. Tenace uses mind reading as one form of mentalism, but he insists he’s really a “people reader.”

He has read a lot about psychology and how the mind works, and what he finds is that people are ready and willing to invest their own meaning into what he does. For instance, when he tells fortunes with tarot cards, he doesn’t tell people what to do with their lives. He gives them the symbols and lets them put their own meaning to them.

“I’ve learned techniques like how to listen to my intuition and instincts,” he said. “I shy away from the term ‘psychic’ because I don’t know what that is. I certainly don’t believe I can help solve crimes or anything like that. My desire is to entertain and make people happy.”

The showmanship of magic and mentalism is one of the most important aspects, he said. He has long admired the performances of magicians such as Doug Henning and David Copperfield who use theater to lure in the audience.

To work on those skills, Tenace attended Second City’s Players Workshop in Chicago. His experiences there led him to write the instructional book “Acting for Magicians.” Since that title, he’s written a number of how-to books and pamphlets, and he’s a staff writer for Visions Magazine, a trade journal for magicians.

He also has several websites where he gives advice and sells self-created performance kits and other items.

All of these ventures, along with fundraising, college, and private party performances enable Tenace to make a living doing what he loves, even in a rural area like Potsdam.

He moved from Rochester to Potsdam more than a year ago to be closer to family. The smaller market meant he would have to step up his game.

“I had to change my business model and do a little more than I usually do,” he said.

And now, he’s working on a new book about Potsdam’s spiritual history called “Magical Potsdam.” He’s researching a small group of women who lived here in the 1920s-30s during the spiritualism craze and who reportedly contacted the dead in secret séances.

And he’s happy to introduce a new generation to his great passion at every opportunity.

In his children’s Magic Club at the arts council, he said he has already met an aspiring magician: an 11-year-old girl. Her willingness to practice the hand skills necessary to perform basic magic tricks has impressed him enough to invite her to take an adult level class.

“When I see a student who practices an hour or more a day, I know she’s serious and going to go somewhere,” he said. “I want to inspire people, especially students, to explore this art.”

To find out more about Tenace, visit tenacemagic.com or theintuitionmagician.com.