A New Style of Wizardry
Kalin and Jinger

Mark Kalin wanted to be a puppeteer until one day, at age 9, when he looked on a shelf at the library and found a book on magic. “I enjoyed the puppets, but the idea of magic really intrigued me. I tried to do a few tricks and found out it was something that I could master. I was hooked. In particular, there was this sleight of hand trick with a billiard ball that endlessly fascinated me. It still does.”

By the time he was 12, Kalin was performing at birthday parties. Ten years later, as a young man, he was recognized as one of the top magicians in the world. Kalin performed around the world, bringing his innovative routines to theaters, casinos and clubs. That was when he met a performer named Jinger Leigh. Jinger had taken dance lessons when she was four, and by age fifteen she was working as a professional dancer. She worked for companies like Disney, Fuji Television and in Southern California dinner theaters. She also toured with artists like The Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, Cab Callaway, Nia Peeples, and Keenan Wayans. At a resort in Guam she met Mark Kalin, and was instantly impressed by his magic and his rapport with the audience. As they began working together, Jinger became an integral part of the show.

“I saw learning magic as a real challenge,” she says. “Magicians think about things very differently than dancers—it’s just a completely different focus. But I also knew that magic and dance could be combined to make the right blend for me. Working with Mark made a dramatic difference, and changed both our lives, on and offstage.”

“From the start, I realized that those standard ‘magician and assistant’ roles just didn’t fit us,” Mark explains. “We had to find a special combination that made the most of our performances and created our own sort of magic.”

There’s no question that their work together drew attention—Kalin’s skillful magic and his personal approach, and Jinger’s elegance and theatricality. They became known for their fast, dramatic performances, including a number of daring effects with wild animals. Quickly, their magic was in demand around the world—from Las Vegas to Europe. One of their popular illusions involved Jinger sliding inside of a tiny cage and instantly changing into a snarling black panther—the speed of the transformation drew gasps from the audience. Their signature illusions—the Fire Spiker, Circle of Fire, and their amazing Sawing in Half illusion—quickly earned them a reputation among professional magicians. In 1998 Kalin & Jinger were voted magic’s highest honor, Magicians of the Year, by the prestigious Academy of Magical Arts—Hollywood’s Magic Castle. Other recipients include David Copperfield, Doug Henning, David Blaine, Lance Burton and Penn & Teller. Because of their success, Kalin & Jinger have made numerous television appearances including NBC’s “Word’s Greatest Magicians”, “Hidden Secrets of Magic,” Fox Family’s “Magic on the Edge” as well as appearances on “Entertainment Tonight”, CBS and ABC.

In the 90s, they began creating their own shows. “Before Your Very Eyes,” “Carnival of Wonders,” and “Illusionarium,” garnered accolades throughout the entertainment industry and set records at showrooms across the United States. Working with comedy magicians Jeff Hobson and Mark Kornhhauser, these performances were more than critical successes, they were experiments in magic that allowed Kalin and Jinger to explore different presentations and utilize their combined skills. “Carnival of Wonders,” for example, packed all the fun of a traveling carnival into an evening of entertainment, hinting at dark mysteries and deeper wonders that surround us in our everyday life. It was a surprising vision for a magic show, incorporating dance and character to create an emotional bond with the audience. Kalin and Jinger were quickly recognized for their skills as producers as well as stars. When their show came to Reno, Nevada, it was voted the city’s best production, and audiences returned again and again.

On February 17th, 2001, Kalin and Jinger made magic history by presenting the largest stage illusion in the world—the disappearance of an American Airlines jumbo jet at the Reno Hilton. The illusion was presented nightly for over two years. It was the climax of their popular show and was witnessed by over a half-a-million people. The Vanishing Jet was a remarkable achievement in magic and the result of months of careful work and planning. It was only possible because of the enormous stage at the Reno Hilton, which could accommodate the plane, and the support of American Airlines, sponsors of the illusion. Magic consultants Don Wayne and Jim Steinmeyer, who had both created “larger-than-life” mysteries for David Copperfield’s television shows, developed the illusion with Kalin and Jinger. The scale and speed of the mystery required a number of innovative techniques. “Of course, the plane was too large to move away without anyone in the audience seeing it,” Kalin explains. “It was performed above a poured concrete stage, the only floor that would support the weight, so we couldn’t use trap doors.”

In October, 2003, they performed a unique show at the old Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City. “Ghosts” was a Halloween spectacular, and a real change of pace for this magical duo. It was a small show designed to haunt the landmark theater. For this production, to help with the ghosts, Kalin and Jinger developed their special séance illusion. As Kalin and Jinger fell in love with Reno, they also learned an important lesson from “Ghosts.” “We’d worked all of the big shows, where magic is always flashy and starts to turn into special effects,” Kalin explains. They’d made tigers disappear, produced dozens of people in the twinkling of an eye, and even made headlines with their jet plane illusion. “But we knew that there was a different approach, closer to our hearts. We’d seen that magic and theater, combined, could be very powerful—keeping the audience an important part of the formula. But for us, it meant starting from scratch. It meant that we’d need to reinvent our show, and that smaller was better.”

Magic Underground, opened in the spring of 2004, was a bold experiment in the art—one of only several venues in the world devoted entirely to magic and illusion. Magic Underground was carefully designed to showcase many astonishing examples of magic—including sleight-of-hand, which can be appreciated by a small audience sitting close to the action. It is a unique theatrical experience, continuing the long tradition of the “magic theater.” Since it opened, Magic Underground has established itself in Reno as a unique evening of theater and a special collection of wonders. “We’re proud to be a part of downtown Reno,” says Jinger, “and honored to have found support from our audience.”

It seems that Reno is proud, as well. Magic Underground has become an important element in the downtown arts district. On July 6, 2004, the Mayor of the city proclaimed “Kalin and Jinger Day,” in recognition of their achievements and their “wonderful addition to Reno.” In 2005, Kalin and Jinger brought some of their magic to the RTC and became spokesmen for the local bus lines.

Magic Underground also serves as a permanent home for Kalin and Jinger’s shows. They are continually called away for special appearances—for example, they introduced the new Ford NASCAR model and appeared at an exclusive convention for magicians, the Conference on Magic History. “We’re told that ancient magicians were always experimenting, always learning new spells and enchantments,” Jinger says. “I guess that modern, theatrical magicians are no different.” Kalin agrees. “Part of our work is illusion and psychology, but any performance is about connecting to the audience—the element of surprise. Magic Underground is our laboratory, and for us, it feels as if we’re rediscovering real magic every evening."

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