Henri Kemppainen reveals to Iltalehti the special way he practices his magic shows.
– Magic is my way of life and a lifelong journey, magician Henri Kemppainen sums up his career in one sentence.
Kemppainen, who was born in Hyrynsalmi, says that his first memories related to magic are already 34 years ago. At the time, a magician who reaped enormous popularity appeared on television Paul Danielsand upon seeing this, Kemppainen’s spark into the world of magic ignited immediately.
– I went to the Hyrynsalmi library and found a few magician books there. I learned tricks, and my first performance was at the school Christmas party when I was 12 years old, says Kemppainen, who is now well-known around the world.
Henri Kemppainen says that when he was young he also ordered magic literature from abroad: – I didn’t know English then, so I learned magic with a dictionary, Kemppainen laughs. Mia Siren
At a young age, there were other interests in life, such as snowboarding, but Kemppainen never gave up on his deepest dream. Kemppainen says that he trained all his free time, because he had a clear goal: to make magic a profession for himself. After years of training, at the age of 24, the wish came true.
Kemppainen is happy that he does not hear criticism about his profession these days. He says people are excited about how someone can live their dream and do exactly what they want.
“A magician is an actor”
When talking about studying magic, Kemppainen himself jokes about Harry Potter and Hogwarts, but there are also real educational institutions in the field. According to him, however, the most important thing is to work independently at a young age.
– In the same way as sports, this requires a shocking number of repetitions. Like pole vaulter Wilma Murto, she has jumped thousands of times. It’s a long and even rocky road, but you have to do the groundwork and know the basics.
Kemppainen reveals that he even ate sewing needles during his performances. Mia Siren
Kemppainen has sought to learn from his colleagues as well. According to him, there is a good team spirit among the magicians, and he has learned a lot from his colleagues. Today, Kemppainen knows that performance and the psychological side, which he learned in Las Vegas, are just as important as technical skills.
– Here it must be emphasized that magic is performance. A magician is an actor who plays the role of a magician, he summarizes.
There is also another thing that Kemppainen wants to draw attention to. He wishes people would talk about magic and not tricks.
– The trick is that you jump the back flip. When we talk about magic, it is a much bigger and deeper thing. I even find it boring to show a single “trick”, although of course it can look very nice, Kemppainen continues.
Kemppainen hopes that one day he could also teach magic to his children: – I had to learn everything myself, so it would be wonderful to teach this to my own children, he says with a smile. Mia Siren
The magicians share their most interesting tricks with each other, but Kemppainen also wants to take them forward with his own thinking.
– If a trick is done for the first time with, for example, a string, I start to think about whether I could use, for example, a person’s thoughts or dreams in it, he opens.
Training buddies from the neighborhood
Kemppainen, who lives in Nummela with his family, has been together with his wife for almost 20 years, so the family is used to magic. The couple also has two children: a four-year-old son and a daughter born last summer.
Sometimes Kemppainen shows magic at home, but the real training takes place elsewhere.
– A really nice retired couple lives next door. I call them and ask if there is a rush. I take my camera and tripod and go to the village. All of us know what I go there to do. I perform magic for them and film it. I watch the videos afterwards so I know what it looks like, he reveals with a laugh.
Magician Henri Kemppainen wants to emphasize that he does magic specifically for adults. – Children’s magic is a world of its own! Mia Siren
Kemppainen, who will soon turn 40, says that he has practiced each performance several times so that there are as few mistakes as possible. He lists the scene seen in the Magic in Lapland television show, where Kemppainen was raised in an exploding wooden box to hang over a waterfall, as the most brutal in Tempus. He has also eaten sewing needles during his performances, which makes the audience gasp.
– I have especially been praised for being a versatile performer. First I can read the minds of the audience and then do card magic. That is surely the secret of success, he reflects.
There has also been success. Kemppainen has been chosen as magician of the year this year and the Magic in Lapland program has been sold abroad as far as Asia and America. There are also enough fans around the world.
– People here in Finland start to recognize after they see a live performance, for example on television or at events. In the future, there will be even more public appearances and we have already thought about a new TV series, Kemppainen sums up.