Wedding magic Spain | Interview with popular Magician on the Costa del Sol

Looking for a sprinkle of wedding magic on your special day?

For a magical wedding, the team at Sunshine weddings are always at hand to ensure that your wedding is a special occasion for everyone involved, and for an extra touch of magic to your wedding that will elevate it a whole new level, check out the following interview with acclaimed Costa del Sol Magician, Salvador Mota, better known as Magic Mota.

Magic Mota is a professional magician who has worked for many years taking his magic all over Andalucia, especially along the Costa del Sol and offers a show that can be adapted to any stage or celebration and provides the perfect wedding entertainment for your already magical day.

Most magicians became enamored with the magic at a young age, was this the case for you as well?

Yes, when I was very little, my brother showed me a couple of simple magic tricks, and I’ve been mesorised with magic ever since.

But it wasn’t until years later that I started to pursue my passion for magic, I had been working as a barman for some time when I started introducing some simple magic trick as a way to entertain the customers, tricks like ‘card on ceiling’ or the ‘signed card trick’ and soon I had customers coming to the bar just to see me perform.

They would always call out “Magic Mota, perform a trick!” and that’s how I got my stage name and my professional career as a magician took off.

Thanks to the years working as a barman, I’ve learnt how to approach guests and has helped my ability to read an audience.

Then, after the tricks my brother showed me, I continued to learn thanks to youtube tutorials, however now I don’t look on the internet for ideas or inspiration as I don’t want to fall into the trap of mimicking other magicians, I want my performances to reflect my own personal style and be unique to me. I use the internet more to connect with many people in this world of magic rather than copy them.

I also like to attend international magic festivals where some of the most important magicians in the world come together.

What would be your typical magic show at a wedding?

It really depends on what the bridal couple want. I’m often asked to perform magic as a way to keep children entertained. That said, the show is aimed at all attendees, children and adults, the main difference when I perform for a younger audience is the way I interact with them, but the magic, with apparitions, disappearances, levitations and much more keeps the adults entertained too.

A kids magic show at a wedding tends to be about 45 minutes to an hour, but again, it depends on the bridal couple.

I’m also frequently asked to do close-up magic at weddings, this is magic performed right in front of the audience. I usually go table-to-table whilst the guests are waiting for the wedding breakfast to start and spend about 15 minutes at each table and show a different trick to each group.

Close-up acts combine magic with comedy and can be interactive entertainment at its finest and probably one of the best ways to liven up the wait between plate and plate and make sure everyone has a good time.

Through my years performing magic at weddings and other private events, I find that the magic I do really helps break the ice with the guests. You see, some guests may have never met each other before, but after seeing some close-up magic, they suddenly have something in common and something to talk about.

The close-up magic can be performed during the wedding breakfast, or while the bride and groom are having their pictures taken and / or during the evening reception.

With this style of magic, I can entertain roughly 100 guests in a 2 hour period. What I usually do is an hour of mix and mingle during the drinks reception, and then an hour or so of table magic during the meal.

How long does it take to master a new magic trick and how many hours a day do you dedicate to practicing and performing tricks?

It depends on the trick. A new magic trick can take from a couple of days to learn to over a year, depending on the complexity. I’m currently working on a new trick that I have been practising for over a year and will continue to practise it until I’m confident enough to perform it before an audience.

With magic, what is important is to learn the basics properly, once the basics have been learnt, it’s actually then easier to learn new tricks and you learn them faster.

In my case, I don’t have a set number of hours that I dedicate to magic everyday, some days it might just be an hour, other times, if I’m caught by inspiration, I might be up till 5am going over the trick.

Do you always carry a pack of cards in your pockets, ready to impress?

I used to, but not anymore, simply because if I do, some people think the cards have been manipulated, so what I do now, if someone wants me to do a magic trick, is improvise, making the magic happen with any nearby object, it can be someone’s phone, watch etc.

Do you have a ritual you go through before starting a show?

I do, but , like my tricks, I can’t give it away. It’s something I do in the one minute introduction time before I go on stage.

Though, to be honest, my ritual actually starts about 24 hours before the performance, this is when I prepare my clothes, go over my material, I rest, eat well—without overeating, I’ll have an early night to make sure I’m in my best condition the moment I step on stage the following day.

Can you describe the most rewarding aspect of performing before an audience?

Creating illusion and making possible the impossible through magic and seeing the different ways people react to my magic.

Apart from learning new magic tricks, do you have any other new projects in the pipeline?

Yes, I’m working on a very fun, new project, a magic workshop for kids. In this workshop I will show simple tricks to children, tricks that they will be able to learn using day to day utencilities that they can find in their homes, and aren’t expensive. That way they also get to impress mum and dad with their magic.

Thank you, Magic Mota, for taking the time to talk with us and sharing an insight into your fascinating world. Sunshine Weddings Spain can’t wait to work with you at more Costa del Sol wedding celebrations and seeing you in action wowing the guests.