Published: November 10, 2008 11:03 pm      

Magic runs in Bontjes family's genes

DANVILLE — Danville magician Christopher Bontjes has a lot of trade secrets that he shares with his family, which they promise to keep under their hats.

That’s because his wife, Julie; daughter, Jill, 9; and son, John, 11, also are into performing magic.

Christopher has done magic for 35 years in front of audiences of all ages. He feels that once the secret behind a magic trick is revealed, then the wonder of the magic is lost.

Julie said she had to wait until she married Christopher, in 1995, before he would divulge any of the “secrets” behind his tricks. Today, Christopher shares these secrets with his children only if he’s teaching them how to do a trick.

“That’s the way it works,” he said. “Magicians are very proprietary.”

So far, Julie has served only as an assistant for the family’s magic shows. “I haven’t started planning my own stage show yet,” she said with a laugh.

“Our family does magic to entertain people, to keep them in suspense and to make them laugh,” Christopher said. “If it doesn’t accomplish that for people, then there’s no point in doing magic.”

Christopher tries to practice his magic every day. “I’m always working on new tricks and brushing up on old ones,” he said. “That’s the only way a magician keeps current with the profession.”

He does between three and five performances a month at places such as schools, the Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System, senior residences, churches, or at children’s events. His most recent performance was at St. Paul’s Catholic Church to benefit the local Women’s Care Clinic.

Christopher is a life member of the Society of American Magicians and serves as regional vice president for SAM Assemblies in nine Midwestern states.

You might say that magic runs through the veins of the Bontjes family. Both Christopher’s father, who is deceased, and his mother, who lives in Morton, were accomplished magicians. “And my grandfather on my mom’s side was also interested in magic,” Christopher said. “Mom still does magic today, and we love to get together and share our latest tricks.”

Christopher attended his first SAM convention when he was only 6 months old. And his whole family did the “square circle” trick together when he was only 4 and his sister was 6.

“My parents put my sister and me in their magic show because it was cheaper than hiring a babysitter,” Christopher said, smiling.

The square circle trick is the same trick that Christopher does with his own family today. “To do this family trick, we pull around six scarves out of the empty box and then we end up with me pulling out a bouquet of flowers,” 11-year-old John said with enthusiasm.

John and Jill also assist their dad in some of his magic performances.

“I was surrounded by magicians during my entire life, so I had no choice but to become one myself,” Christopher said.

Christopher learns his new magic tricks from books, videos, and from other magicians. “I love the challenge of learning a new trick,” he said, “and my props are like toys to me.”

Christopher has about 100 tricks that he feels comfortable with, and about that many more that he’s working on. “I use my family members as guinea pigs when I’m working on a new trick,” he said.

Christopher doesn’t do “dangerous” tricks where somebody can get hurt. “Many of my audiences consist of children, and I don’t want them trying a dangerous trick at home,” he said.

The whole family usually travels to the annual SAM convention, which is held in a different location each summer. “In 2005 our kids were the youngest children at the convention in St. Louis,” Christopher said, “so they had the opportunity to assist many of the magicians.”

John and Jill also sat in on the “magic for children” seminars.

When the Bontjes family is not doing magic, they are usually playing music. Both Christopher and Julie play a variety of instruments. Christopher is band director for Westville High School and Junior High. The family moved to Danville from the Peoria area in 1999 so he could take this position.

Julie works part-time with the Georgetown schools’ music and band programs.

Both Jill and John play the recorder and the piano. Jill plans to start clarinet lessons and hopes to graduate to the saxophone. John plays the clarinet in the band at Judith Giacoma Elementary School at Westville..

John plays on the school basketball team and is a Cub Scout. Jill loves to write. In fact, she started a school newspaper for her third-grade class last year.

The Bontjes family also enjoys taking their camper to Turkey Run State Park and other wooded sites during the summer months, where they can hike, fish and swim. Last summer they traveled around in their camper to places where they could meet up with other magicians.

Christopher said once in a while things don’t go perfectly with his magic acts.

“But that doesn’t matter as long as the audience is still having fun,” he said. “Everybody of every age still likes a sense of wonder. People want to believe that anything is possible, and that’s what magic is all about.”

FYI

Christopher Bontjes would like to start a society of young magicians for area children between ages 7 and 14. Anyone interested in this group or in scheduling him for a magic performance may contact him at 442-6244. His Web site is http://www.MagicalEntertainer.net.