By B.C. Manion
Walk into Dallas Smith’s home in Wesley Chapel and you’ll see a small shrine to magicians and escape artists of the past.
Posters, photographs, handcuffs and other devices and photographs are on display to proclaim his affinity for the craft. One of those photographs is of Bob Hutchins, a former Vaudeville performer who was Smith’s early teacher.
The allure of making magic attracted Smith when he was about 8.
He’d gone with his dad to the bowling alley and a man there showed him a card trick.
The man wouldn’t reveal how the trick worked, so Smith spent the better part of the next three days trying to figure it out.
He did, and his obsession with magic began.
Smith took weekly lessons for years from Hutchins and by the time he was 13, Smith was hiring himself out to work birthday parties.
“When Bob passed away, he left his old powder blue tuxedos to me,” Smith said.
For the most part, Smith did magic as a hobby.
“I dabbled in it. I was an amateur, but that was my passion.”
While doing magic on the side, he followed his father’s footsteps into the construction industry.
For a while, he put aside his hard hat and got back into magic — working all over the country performing at adult gatherings and trade shows. But he returned to construction and had a management job in recent years, before getting laid off last year.
Now, Smith specializes in magic for two types of audience: He does an anti-bullying campaign for schools and an outreach program for churches.
He also performs at birthday parties, special occasions and at various venues.
He began doing the anti-bullying program because his daughter, Loryn, was bullied verbally a few times. Loryn was born in China and was adopted by Smith and his wife, Patti.
He said some people made fun of Loryn because she is from China.
He uses a nationally approved curriculum for his anti-bullying magic show and hands out comic books that reinforce the lessons. He uses a variety of magic tricks to help bring home the points. During the act, he tells children: “Words do hurt.”
But he adds: “You’re not by yourself. You have support, whether it be a friend or a teacher or an adult.”
He reminds children they are not powerless.
“They’re not alone. They can go and get help.
“Telling on someone who is bullying is not the same as tattling. It’s actually helping,” he said.
He also tells the children: “We’re all different. Some of us are short, some of us are tall. Some of us are skinny, some of us are heavy.
“Some of us are from a different country, some of us speak different languages.
He demonstrates that by showing children three pieces of rope, which are of different lengths. He then does a bit of magic and makes them all the same.
“On the inside, we’re all the same,” he concludes.
“If we have glasses, if we have braces, it doesn’t matter. We all want to be happy.”
“It’s not like a lecture, so they remember it,” Smith said.
In his Christian illusion show, he uses magic to illustrate points being made in the parables.
“Some people have different talents. They can sing. They can dance. It doesn’t matter how many talents you have … What matters in Jesus’ eyes is if we use those talents to glorify him.”
Having a new business has its challenges, Smith said. But he believes he is on the right path.
For him, there is magic in magic.
“For a few minutes, you can cast all of your cares away and live in a magical moment and be a kid, and not worry about anything.”
About Dallas Smith
Dallas Smith offers anti-bullying programs and Christian illusion programs. He also will perform at birthday parties and special events.
For more information call (813-494-1484) or visit www.DallasSmithMagic.com
