Fun magic workshop a blessing to children

Newspaper report involving Anslem Roy :-) It was an encouragement for me to read this story.


Taken from Thestar Online.

A fun and fruitful break for kids

By OH ING YEEN

ABOUT 30 children from Compassion Home in Subang and Rumah Kids in Klang made good use of the recent school mid-semester break to build their confidence and discover their talents through fun activities.

The youngsters took part in a three-day Young Ambassador programme that was organised by PJ Live Arts and held at its studio in Jaya One, Petaling Jaya. For the programme, the foundation collaborated with master illusionist Anslem Roy, actress Ida Mariana, volunteers from Palmspring Educentre and Elken Foundation, which was the sponsor.

In his speech during the graduation ceremony at the end of the three-day programme, PJ Live Arts artistic director Datuk Zahim Albakri said the aim was to build confidence and instil positive self-esteem in the children through creative activities such as acting, singing, social etiquette, as well as magic and illusion workshops.

“As an art practitioner, I understand the power of the arts on character development, especially in children. In fact, recent studies have shown that children exposed to drama, music and dance do a better job at mastering academics,” he said.

Actor-performer-jazz singer Ida Mariana felt that the children had given her so much and that, instead of her teaching them, it was the other way around.

“It’s not just about acting and opening up, but also teaching them things like how to receive a hug,” she added.

Anslem Roy, who has been in the industry for 30 years, said that magic was one of the best hobbies for children.

“It forces you to be confident, think with your head, and learn about other things (related to performing magic), such as music, lights, and craftsmanship,” he explained.

He was impressed that the kids were confident enough to present the magic and illusion tricks that they had learnt in the two-hour workshop, which he himself had taken more than two months to master.

The children roared with laughter as they watched a video presentation that featured interesting footages of the programme.

Nine-year-old David Danaraj’s favourite session was the magic workshop and his favourite trick was the one linking two paper clips using a banknote as a prop.

On the other hand, 13-year-old Veronica loved the acting classes. “I love dancing,” she said.

Both are from Rumah Kids.