Saturday, August 28, 2010

Project 365 (239/365): David Elefant

.:239/365: David Elefant:.



David Elefant is often considered one of the three best mentalists in the Philippines, alongside Rannie Raymundo and Leodini. However, if we had to give awards based on cornering the mentalist market based on looks alone, David Elefant would be the runaway winner, hands down.

Having built a name for himself over three decades of magic and mentalism, David Elefant’s reputations precedes itself. Of Jewish-American descent, David’s intense eyes and striking looks never fail to get the attention of anyone who finds him in their line of sight.

Specializing in a variety of different mentalist phenomenon, but overall placing emphasis on the bizarre and the occult as his visage certainly lends to the effect very well, David Elefant has practically been a household name in the realm of mentalism for so long, it’s pretty hard to imagine this man doing children’s parties. Yet you’d be surprised, because in a rare magazine issue, the man himself has actually been photographed dressed as a clown, complete with makeup. Word has it that he is actually fairly qualified to be one, as shocking as the idea might seem.

Now that you’ve picked your jaw up off the ground over the sheer implausibility of it all, let me tell you that if I ever do find a copy of that picture somewhere, I’ll add it to the Project 365 at some point. I think it’s actually a compliment to say this, but that picture is pure grade nightmare fuel, to say the least.

All the affection for the man’s imposing presence aside, David Elefant’s storied career truly is marked by his devotion to the art form, as well as his unmistakable passion to the image he portrays. His character carries him through, but there is no doubt that his technical skill is remarkable and is often found to be impressive, especially given his wide knowledge base, using various effects and principles that are virtually unused by any of his other contemporaries in the Philippines. The combination of his stage presence, skill, and arsenal make up what is undoubtedly the backbone of one of the most spellbinding mentalism performances anyone can ever watch.

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