5 December 2011, 5:16 pm
It's hard to take your eyes off Juliana Chen when she is on stage. You watch entranced as she moves, practically floats, in sync wi th the powerful music that accompanies her. Her face has a hint of a smile. She makes you sit up straight, straining to see her next move and with a flick of a hand she makes you gasp. Julianna is a world famous magician, and perhaps the best known female magician today. Her onstage presence is confident, her costumes elaborate, and her star power undeniable. During a phone interview, Julianna speaks softly about days long past as a child performer in China. I was a ballerina, she starts. I trained hard for five years in ballet school. I'd wake up at 5:30 am and get up and warm up. From 9 am to 12 pm, I'd do balletand then I'd get a little break in the afternoon. 2:30 to 5:30 I'd attend a class. After dinner she then had to attend regular school from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. The training was focused and intense. Julianna was actually happy to have been chosen at 12 years of age to join the Hunan Academy for the performing Arts. She was luckier than most, since the art school was in her hometown, which meant she could visit her family, a luxury most didn't have. At the Hunan academy, Julianna originally tried as a ballet dancer. Then the Chinese government decided that the circuses needed more talent and Julianna was transferred to the Hunan acrobatic troupe. I had long legs so they trained me to be a foot juggler. But Julianna soon had to give up foot juggling after severalacrobatic training accidents severely damaged her legs. While she was recovering she saw a television broadcast of the famous Japanese magician Shamida. She couldn't get the performance out of her mind and started paying attention to the magician that she had been working with in the circus. I started to develop my own style, she says. I then had a chance to perform and show my boss. He liked what he saw. Four years later, in 1986, Julianna won first place in China's best... Read More »
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