November 2015 Newsletter: Student Interview with David Blaine

On December 13, David Blaine visited Hallen School in Bridgeport, CT to celebrate the launch of Turnaround Arts: Bridgeport. After doing some magic, David Blaine sat down with three of Hallen’s most talented student journalists.

Alijah Walker: How did you get involved with Turnaround Arts?

David Blaine: I was doing a charity event and that’s where I was introduced to the woman who runs the entire program. That offered me a position to be part of this incredible program and I jumped on it. I also went to school in Brooklyn and I was fortunate to have a great mother who introduced me to the arts and took me to museums. But I understand the importance of it in schools.

Amaya Acevedo: What was your favorite subject in school? Did you have a favorite teacher?

DB: My favorite teacher was Mrs. Sarakoff. I think I was six years old. It was at P.S. 230. My favorite subject in school was always math.

Kahlice Bostick: When you were little, what did you like to do for fun?

DB: Magic, of course. And I’m still doing it for fun. I haven’t stopped.

AW: What is it like being in Turnaround Arts?

DB: It’s inspiring. It’s exciting. It’s emotional.

AA: How did you get started in the arts?

DB: When I was four years old, my mother gave me a deck of cards. She used to work multiple jobs so I would wait for her at the library every day until she was done with work. And one day a librarian showed me how to do a very simple, self-working, mathematical card trick. When my mother came and I did it to her she screamed and went crazy like she’d seen the most amazing thing in the world, which it wasn’t but because of her reaction I believed it was so I just kept learning more and more and started to become good at performing magic.

DB: How old are you?

AA: I’m 11.

DB: What’s your favorite thing to do?

AA: I like dancing and singing.

DB: Do you practice all the time?

AA: Yeah.

DB: When you get home, you just put music on and sing and dance?

AA: Yeah.

DB: That’s good. That’s how you get good. You just do it all the time. And then you become great. I bet you’re already great.

KB: Did anyone inspire you to start doing magic, or did you just know?

DB: My mother inspired me. She gave me the confidence to believe that I was good at something and she never squashed my dreams. She encouraged them. Took me to museums, took me to libraries. Walked me through the park. Simple things.

AW: How did it feel, coming to Hallen School this morning?

DB: It was great. I felt bad that there was a little traffic but then the reception was so overwhelming it blew my mind. It was great. And I loved all the art and posters and quotes they put all over the school. It made me feel very well-researched.

AA: What is it like to work for President Obama and the First Lady?

DB: It’s incredible to be a part of a program that has such an important role in inspiring kids to do and accomplish their dreams.

KB: Before you perform, do you ever get nervous?

DB: I usually take naps before I perform. I usually have to wake myself up. The answer’s no, but I think it’s better to get nervous. That feeling is good. I got nervous the first time I did a public talk. In school, they never had us get up in front of the school or even in front of the classroom and read out loud or speak out loud. I think those things are really important. It took me years to get over it. Once I did it the first time, I started to get addicted to it. It becomes really fun.

AW: What are some of the things that you did today?

DB: Went to the Hallen School. Took an entire tour. Did some magic. Watched some great performers. Listened to some great stories. Did some press. Did some interviews with some great young journalists. Drank a bottle of water. Ate pomegranate seeds. And fed the raven.

AA: What do you love about magic and illusions?

DB: I love that it defies logic because I think about everything in mathematical and logical terms, so magic is thinking about things from a completely different point of view. Which is fun for me.

KB: Do you have a pet?

DB: I have a pet raven. His name is Drew. And he’s really smart. And they learn really fast. He’s three months old and he learned how to get a card, roll it up, bring it to me, and put it in a cup.