29th New Zealand International Magicians Convention update

IBM Ring 160 is pleased to officially announce that International Entertainment has sponsored Ross Skiffington (Australia) and Jeton (Germany) as two more headliners to attend the convention. Both Ross and Jeton will appear on the public shows and will also present a lecture.

Ross Skiffington

Some background on Ross:

Ross Skiffington is the recipient of two Lifetime Achievement Awards

In 2000 at the 27th Australian Society of Magicians Convention for his: "Contribution to the Art of Magic. In 2005 from Magic New Zealand for: "A lifetime dedicated to the Magical Arts".

Ross was the winner of four major awards at the 17th Australian Society of Magicians Convention and is recognised as Australia's finest Illusionist.

He trained in New Zealand as an actor at the Mercury Theatre and graduated from Auckland University with a Diploma in Fine Arts. In 1975 he moved to Australia and over the past thirty years has worked with theatre companies, television, corporate and film production houses as an Actor, Illusionist, Director and Magic Consultant.

Some of the many major musicals and stage productions Ross has been magic consultant for include:
Disney's Beauty & The Beast, A Little Night Music, Into The Woods, The Hobbit, Cats, Blithe Spirit, The Cherry Orchard and The Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Ross has written and directed original works including:
Tricks, Electricks, Patrick's Hat Trick, The Fabulous Fontaines!, Chiller!, CHINOIS!, Silver's Grand Magic Circus and the Melbourne Festival of the Arts Opening Night Spectacular.

He is a regular guest artist on cruise ships and continues to perform throughout Australia and overseas with his cabaret show LOUNGE WIZARD.

In 2002, 2004 and 2006 Ross toured Australia and the UK with The Bell Shakespeare Company in THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. The play was the opening production at The Bath Shakespeare Festival.

Ross recently presented LOUNGE WIZARD at the Castlemaine State Festival and wrote and directed "IT'S MAGIC", the celebration of 100 years of magic in Australia for the Australian Society of Magicians.

JETON in the eyes of the critics

Everyone in the audience holds their breath when smartly attired JETON, the gentleman juggler, presents his acrobatic skills; in a fast and furious finale, he balances a cane and top hat on his foot, then flips them up high and catches them on the cigar in his mouth.
Frankfurter Neue Presse

Jeton is one of the world's leading exponents of his art.
He comes from Frankfurt, and he applies German precision to his art. With breathtaking speed, he manipulates coins, balls, billiard cues and even a large mirror. You may have seen lots of jugglers before, but you've never seen one like Jeton!
LA STAMPA (I)

JETON, just flown in from Monte Carlo, presented the near-extinct art of "gentleman juggling". Top hats, balls, picture frames and canes - there is nothing that JETON cannot juggle with graceful ease.
Rheinische Post

And the gentleman juggler, Monsieur Jeton, has more than a touch of class. No matter what he juggles, be it a bowler hat, cigar, balls or even a mirror - how in the world would anyone hit on the idea of juggling a huge mirror?
Politiken (DK)

Jeton from Germany is an artist in the classical style, a master of the art of balancing and also of juggling. His fine sense of balance is quite remarkable. He appears on stage wearing a dinner jacket, his trademark, and creates a scene of elegance and enchantment. A flawless performance with some big surprises. Well worth seeing!
Monthly Yoshimoto - Entertainment Magazine, Osaka (JP)

And yet: in this hunt for the sensational, this craving for "higher! faster! further!" it is perhaps above all the quieter acts that linger longest in our minds: the juggling artist Jeton, in his elegant black suit, who manipulates monocle, cigar and billiard cue with magical precision.
TZ München on the centenary programme "100 Years of Circus Krone"

Then it was the turn of a gentleman with nimble hands and flying objects, who had the audience jumping out of their seats. "Jeton" nonchalantly balanced a mirror on his head, and then did the same with two billiard cues. But what was especially impressive was his ball juggling. It was magnificent to see how the balls wound their way around him before landing in his hands again. His expressive face and numerous little intermezzos were an invaluable addition to the programme – juggling could hardly be more exciting.
Marburger Neue Zeitung

Accompanied by the sounds of classical jazz, and creating his own fluid rhythms, Jeton from Germany gave a polished demonstration of the art of the juggler. He juggled cane, handkerchief and hat, spun a mirror on his forehead, juggled balls behind his back and balanced billiard cues – with a consistently high level of skill. The audience was simply fascinated. A graceful, virtuoso performance by Jeton the juggler.
Monthly Yoshimoto - Entertainment Magazine, Osaka (JP)

Silver top hats spin through the air; the guest in the check jacket involuntarily holds his hand over his glass to protect his exquisite red wine. No need to worry, though – Jeton knows what he's doing. With sublime elegance, the man in the smart suit balances the accessories of high society: cigar, walking-cane, billiard cue, mirror. Jeton is a juggler. His extraordinary variations on his chosen theme soon have the audience whooping with delight.
Weser Kurier, Bremen

29th New Zealand International Magicians Convention will be held In Auckland New Zealand from the night of December 27th 2008 to January 1st 2009, 1.00am.

Registrations will open during the afternoon/evening of 27 December.

The official registration form for the convention can be downloaded from: http://www.ibmring160.com/registration.pdf

Convention registration can be paid by cheque or direct credit

Direct credit details
Account name: International Brotherhood of Magicians (Ring 160) or IBM Ring 160
Bank: BNZ
Account no: 020223 - 0080757 - 00

If you don't have internet web access contact Ross Harlick, Secretary, 91 Panapa Drive, Meadowbank, Auckland 1072, New Zealand

Or by: Phone: (09) 521 3327
Fax: (09) 521 3327
e-mail: rossco@quicksilver.net.nz

**Important notice**
Registrations are heading towards 40 and if you are planning to enter any of the competitions you will need to register early as places in competitions are limited and we will be allocating them in the order that competitors registered for the convention.

Alan Watson - Marketing & Publicity