Their influence can
be seen in Steve�s comedic style and his ability to effortlessly
make people laugh. By the age of 8, Steve was performing magic
at family gatherings, at Boy Scout banquets, school assemblies,
church functions and birthday parties. At 15, he added night
clubs, state fairs and company parties to the mix.
Steve has enjoyed a remarkably diverse career both in front
of and behind the camera. Today he is considered one of the
world�s foremost sleight-of-hand artists after an illustrious
career spanning over 30 years as a multitalented performer on
TV, in top clubs and resorts, cruise ships and such prestigious
venues as Radio City Music Hall. Known professionally as "The
Fastest Hands in the World," Steve befriended some of the legendary
greats in the world of sleight-of-hand magic at an early age
and spent years studying with many of them. Steve comments,
�My instruction came from the truly great sleight-of-hand artists
in the world, such as my friends Tony Slydini, �the Professor"
Dai Vernon, and Frank Garcia. They trained me to make close-up
magic the focus of my work. Everything I do is influenced by
them, but none more than Dai Vernon.�
Formerly the National
Business Manager of the Society of American Magicians, Steve
has won numerous awards from the International Brotherhood of
Magicians, the Society of American Magicians, and the National
College Association of America. He was nominated for a magic
academy award for his performance in 1974 at the world famous
Magic Castle in Hollywood, California where he has been a favorite
performer since 1973.
Steve's career as
a magic performer and television personality includes hundreds
of national TV appearances, many of which still live on, with
frequent repeats of his many episodes on cable all around the
globe. Beginning with appearances on local (Boston) television
shows, �Bob Hilton Show,� �Paul Benzaquin Show,� and �The Sonya
Hamlin Show," Steve became a series regular on popular children�s
shows, �Rex Trailer�s Boomtown,� �Major Mudd,� and a series
regular on "Bozo�s Circus� which led to countless appearances
on shows such as such as �Candid Camera,� �Merv Griffin Show,"
�Mike Douglas Show," �That�s Incredible,� �Dick Cavett Show,�
�Tonight Show,� �Good Morning America,� �Evening at the Improv,�
�thirtysomething,� and others. He also produced and starred
in �Magic Notebook,� and 26 episodes of the syndicated television
variety series �Magical Mystery Tour.�
Steve has shared
the stage with stars such as Bob Hope, Tom Jones, Tony Orlando,
Steve Martin, Rodney Dangerfield, Barbara Mandrell, and Don
Rickles. He has been a regular performer since 1973 in the top
resorts and casinos in Las Vegas, (Las Vegas Hilton, Riviera,
Desert Inn, MGM Grand, Bally�s, and Caesars Palace, as well
as Harrah�s in Lake Tahoe and Caesars in Atlantic City). �I
remember playing at the Thunderbird Hotel and the Sands Hotel,
but those hotels are gone now. Vegas has really changed. Just
3 years ago, I stood on the roof of Caesars Palace and watched
as the Sands got blown away. Made me feel old!� Currently, Steve
has a multi-year contract with Caesars Palace, where he headlines
in the Secret Pagoda Showroom several times a year.
After studying acting
in Hollywood with Lee Strasberg and Larry Parke for seven years,
Steve enjoyed a brief acting career, with dramatic appearances
on �Quincy,� �The Fall Guy,� �Cover Up,� and some best forgotten
plays. In the Troma Studios film, �Monster in the Closet,� Steve
plays the nervous and nosy reporter (Clark Kent) alongside Claude
Atkins, Howard Duff and Henry Gibson.
In addition to his
performing career, Steve is a prolific writer, director, and
instructor. He is considered one of the foremost teachers in
the world of magic, having taught thousands of students in public
and private settings. He has lectured on magic for many years
in public schools and on college campuses nationwide, including
Ohio State, WPI, Johns Hopkins and others. He has also conducted
lectures at the Magic Castle (where he just recently completed
teaching a course in advanced sleight-of-hand) and at magic
conventions throughout the US. Steve takes great pride in the
fact that several of his students are now full-time performing
magicians. He has also taught magic courses and workshops at
seminars and sales meetings for many Fortune 500 corporations.
On the Hollywood
front, Steve has taught magic to many celebrities including
Bonnie Pointer, Dick Cavett, Joey Bishop, Tim Conway, Didi Conn
and Tony Orlando, whom Steve taught how to perform magic and
juggle for his Broadway show, �Barnum.� Steve has created many
original tricks and routines and written instructional manuals
for nearly 200 tricks. In 1972 he opened �Imperial Magic,� a
mail order supplier of magic tricks and books. The following
year, Steve opened two magic shops in his home town of Worcester,
Massachusetts and nearby Shrewsbury. Steve closed the shops
in 1977 and moved to California. (Soon the complete line of
Imperial Magic will once again be available; this time on the
Internet at MagicWebChannel.com)
In 1985 Steve produced
�Magic Secrets,� the first instructional magic video for the
general public. This was followed by �Magic Party Show.� Together
these two titles have sold over 150,000 copies to date and their
re-release this year has been met with wild enthusiasm. (Sequels
are in production right now.) Steve is currently completing
an entire line of Magic Instructional Programs for the world�s
first global online magic school, which can be found on the
Internet channel, MagicWebChannel.com.
Steve�s first major
stage show engagement was as the opening act for Chuck Berry,
followed by Jose Feliciano, Jimmy Buffet and The Beach Boys.
�I have a very fond memory of opening for the Beach Boys. I�ve
played drums all of my life, and the drummer, Denny Wilson,
let me play his drums for one song during the sound check. I�ll
never forget that.� These shows led to several college tours
and performances during which he entertained audiences of all
sizes, including various heads of state, such as Presidents
Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.
Since 1975, Steve
has focused on the corporate world, designing customized magic
presentations for sales meetings and conventions. His first
performance in a trade show booth, for Speidel, was so successful
that Speidel hired Steve for seven more years of performances.
Over the years, Steve has created and built six different shows
for Speidel, one which included the startling appearance of
the President in a rocket ship at their National Sales Meeting.
Steve is often called upon in his role as a magic consultant
on television shows, which in the past have included �TV�s Bloopers
and Practical Jokes,� �The New Candid Camera,� and �That�s Incredible.�
Over the years, he has devised special props and customized
sleight-of-hand routines for various sales meetings and television
commercials. As a writer and director, he has created many memorable
TV commercials, including spots for Diet Coke, Ford, and Mountain
Dew. He�s directed numerous television programs such as �Bounty
Hunters,� �Emergency Call,� and �Magic Notebook,� among others.
�I love writing and creating films and shows as much as I enjoy
performing magic,� says Steve. He is currently directing and
producing a film on the life of his very dear friend, magician
Harry Blackstone, Jr., and completing a documentary on the world�s
greatest clowns, a labor of love he has been developing for
over ten years.
Steve wrote and produced
the hit theatre production, �Mario & Mary�s Italian Wedding
Comedy," an interactive dinner show that has been playing for
over 5 years to rave reviews in Boston and Florida. The show
was an unprecedented hit, generating over $5 million in ticket
sales in the first year alone! Hundreds of rave reviews, television
and radio interviews, and feature articles contributed to the
popularity of the show, paving the way for the follow-up dinner
show, �Nathan & Nina�s Jewish Italian Wedding�, an equally funny
interactive show that played for over two years in New England
hotel ballrooms. Loved by critics and audiences alike, they
have already been optioned by a Hollywood film producer for
a comedy movie.
Yet magic will always
be Steve's first love and he will always be remembered for his
trademark hands, called �the fastest in the world� by none other
than Regis Philbin. His world famous �Martians� (sponge balls)
have appeared in the hands of thousands of people, from celebrities
and sports figures, to movie stars and presidents. Steve relates,
�People always ask me how the �Martians� routine came about.
I was performing on a children�s TV show (�Romper Room�) and
during rehearsal I performed my sponge balls routine. After
the run-through, the director said he loved the trick, but felt
that I shouldn�t say �balls� during the show. When we went on
the air moments later, I just spontaneously called them �Martians,�
and that was that. Now I am known in the magic community for
my Martians routine.�
Currently, Steve
is the Web Host (for 6 straight years) of this magic web portal
MagicWebChannel.com.
He certainly has come a long way since Milton Berle praised
him on television (�The best I�ve ever seen�) and Bob Hope called
him �my favorite magician.� Steve Dacri is one magician who
keeps inventing new ways of entertaining audiences . . . just
like magic.
