OGDEN -- James Dayley can take an ordinary fork or spoon, place it in the palm of your hand and make it bend and twist before your very eyes.
Richard Hatch can put four coins in your hand and make them disappear from your clutching fist.
Julian Montoya can put a ball under a cup and make it vanish, appear again and even change colors.
Elias Caress can rip a phone book in half with his bare hands.
The four magicians spent a recent Saturday afternoon showing off their tricks to other magicians during a monthly meeting of the Northern Utah Magic Association.
"The purpose of NUMA is to bring magicians and those who want to become a magician together on a monthly basis to share ideas, practice, learn, get advice and give back to our community," said Steve Bauter, president of the group.
NUMA started informally in the early 1980s with Ogden magician Bruce Bunnell, who wanted to share magic ideas and have fun with other magicians, Bauter said.
The group has grown immensely and now meets once a month at the Two-Bit Street Cafe, owned by Dayley, on Historic 25th Street.
Anyone is welcome to attend the meetings, which are free, Bauter said.
In fact, the youngest magician, Simon Nelson, is all of 6 years old. Gavin Dowdy is 13.
"I mostly like doing card magic," Gavin said. "I really love magic. It's fun, and I especially like to see people's reactions after I've done a magic trick."
Nearly all of the magicians, including a few hypnotists as well, perform at parties, social gatherings, school and church events and even on street corners.
Dayley, who is also a licensed clinical hypnotist, performs magic at the Two-Bit Street Cafe while customers wait for their food to be served.
Before becoming a magician and hypnotist, he spent most of his life in the entertainment industry and got a job at the age of 19 with Robert Stigwood at RSO Records.
He also became the personal manager to recording star Andy Gibb, brother of the musical group The Bee Gees.
"I grew up in Hawaii. Hawaii is a really magical place, and I always sought out magic whenever I could. Sometimes the easiest tricks have the strongest impact, and some of the most difficult to perform come off with a lack of luster," Dayley said.
"To truly master the art of magic is a lifetime pursuit."
Hatch and his wife, Rosemary, recently opened the Hatch Academy of Magic and Music in Logan, where he will provide both violin lessons and classical theatrical magic lessons, as well as music and magic performances.
There are many types of magic, Bauter said. Some magic is called self-working, and it needs no special skills.
"You just need to have the ability to tell the story, so for that type of magic, it is almost instantaneous," he said.
"More difficult magic may sometimes take months of practice to perform. To master magic, you have to be a student and practice and perform. It's also about the ability to entertain and make it fun."
That's one reason Brandon Chapman got into the business.
His father, Chris, said his son was hooked when, as a child, he got to go up on the stage with David Copperfield. Today, the 15-year-old has been on the stage with Criss Angel and other famous magicians in Las Vegas.
Other types of magic include up-close and personal magic, mind bending, levitation, mind reading, predictions and stage hypnosis, which both Daniel Geddes and Dayley enjoy doing.
"Just about anyone can be hypnotized if you are willing and can stay focused," Dayley said. "In fact, we all pass through the natural state of hypnosis every day when we wake in the morning and go to sleep at night."
This month, Dayley received an award and certificate of achievement from Serenity House in Ogden for his volunteer work as a clinical hypnotist, working with resident recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.
He also hypnotized Caress before he had surgery on his leg to repair an aneurysm. Caress was able to go through the three-hour surgical procedure without any anesthesia.
"The mind and subconscious are very powerful," Dayley said.
"When I hypnotize people on stage, I do it with complete and utter respect. I don't have people falling off of chairs onto dirty floors and have them do embarrassing things. It's all about having fun and allowing the volunteers to become the stars of the show."
For more information, visit www.numamagic.com or call 801-529-5057.
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