By Terri Lynn, SouthFloridaReporter.com, Managing Editor, Oct. 23, 2015 – Magic is an art that can certainly be performed and appreciated by adults, but The South Florida Magic School is strictly for kids, according to Hollywood resident and school instructor, Alan Kratish.
The school has been granted the exclusive rights to present Discover Magic in the Greater Ft. Lauderdale area, a national educational program designed to teach key life skills to 8-12 year olds through the process of learning to perform magic. The course was created by internationally-known, award winning, magician and educator Michael Ammar, and his creative team, after nearly twenty years of research.
“We don’t have a physical location, so we can hold classes wherever there’s a demand for it,” says Kratish. “We bring the magic to you!”
Studies have shown that learning the art of magic helps build key life skills such as Respect, Creativity, Confidence and Preparedness. The Discover Magic course is specifically designed to teach these skills and more. Says Kratish, “it’s best described as a life skills course camouflaged to look like magic lessons.
Kids become so engrossed and entertained in learning the magic tricks that they don’t realize they’re acquiring skills whose benefits they’ll reap for a lifetime.”
Kratish, who once co-owned a local magic shop, is no stranger to teaching his craft. “Anyone who purchased a magic trick at the shop received a lesson in how to perform it. On Saturday mornings, I conducted group classes for kids, and I belonged to a Saturday morning magic club when I was a kid myself, so it seemed natural to hold the Discover Magic classes on Saturday mornings, too.”
“One afternoon in the late ‘70’s, after I demonstrated some magic for a customer, he told me that he worked for Muhammad Ali, and that he was going to bring him to the store to learn some magic from me. I was skeptical but, about a week later, he returned with The Champ & his entourage and he spent over an hour with me as I taught him several magic effects. He was certainly my most famous student ever!”
Kratish says he is excited to bring the Discover Magic program to South Florida for the first time and looks forward to teaching important life skills to his students while introducing them to the fun and mystery of prestidigitation.
To learn more about the South Florida Magic School:
Phone: (954) 290-4746
Email: GrapeWiz@aol.com or go to Magic
