I asked Lawrence when and how he was introduced into magic and he replied, "There was a very simple man, a gospel magician by the name of Harry Tan who got me started in magic when I was 10 years old. I hung around his house every week with an insatiable hunger top learn more magic. Harry Tan is the person that really got me started… Jeff McBride in his "Masters Class" imparted the right values and understanding in doing magic. He keeps reminding me that magic is not in the illusion – the real magic is me. This gave me confidence in working on this show and tour."
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| Is this a cool image or what? |
Another interesting aspect that should be noted is that Lawrence has the pleasure of working with his talented daughter – Priscilla. Priscilla brings many important attributes to the show, as an equally talented choreographer, dancer and artist in her own right. The sum total is a family bond that few people in any art have the pleasure (and challenges), of experiencing – working as a "father and daughter" team.
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| Lawrence and Priscilla peforming the classic, AirBorne! |
From a magical standpoint, Lawrence has worked and consulted with some of the best in our business, including but not limited to: Johnny Thompson, Jeff McBride, Johnny Gaughn, and Bill Smith. He is also grateful to Don Wayne and Andre Kole for their help and collaboration on one of Lawrence’s signature illusions – The Death Trap.
This truly unique illusion required four years of preparation. It is the brainchild of Lawrence’s good friend and fellow performer Andre Kole – specifically for this tour.
Unlike the Houdini Water Tank, Death Trap consists of a revolving water tank with 200 gallons of water spinning continuously with Lawrence chained inside. Hello – As if the Houdini Water Tank wasn’t hard enough? Not only can you not breathe, but your body is spinning, loosing all sense of direction and orientation. Every sense in your body has been taxed to the max and time is ticking at a furious pace as your lungs struggle with oxygen depravation.
There is no way I could open the hatch with water gushing out. Yet, amazingly Lawrence has (so far) been able to make a successful escape. It is a never before attempted or performed illusion until Lawrence accepted the challenge.
While on the surface, Lawrence resonates a sense of tranquility – anyone with a good sixth-sense can pick up on the tremendous amount of energy that lies underneath.
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| Lawrence fuels his high-impact performances. |
His toughest critic is probably himself; as he is constantly moving forward, growing never content to rest on his accomplishments. Instead he channels and propels that momentum to further accomplishments and ministry.
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