The roster of Harlem Magic Masters players is a testament to the rich basketball talent that has emerged from the Harlem community. These players showcase their skills and provide entertainment to fans through their mesmerizing basketball tricks and moves. They have mastered the art of ball handling, combining it with acrobatics and entertainment to create a captivating game for spectators. One of the prominent players in the roster is Andre "The Magician" Johnson. Known for his lightning-fast dribbling skills and ability to deceive opponents with his sleight of hand, Johnson has become one of the most exciting players to watch. His agility and creativity on the court leave audiences in awe.

A Puff Of Prestidigitation: Magic dragon, and his tiny sidekick, fly in to WAC

Courtesy photo "America's Got Talent" alum and Las Vegas Best Comedian, Best Magician and Best Headliner of 2019, Piff the Magic Dragon, performs at the Walton Arts Center on Sunday.

Three days into 2020, Piff the Magic Dragon -- the stage name for UK comedian/magician John van der Put -- is preparing for his fourth show of the new year. Most days, Piff performs twice a day for his Las Vegas residency and, at the moment, he is also helping out his friend Penn Jillette while Penn's other half, Teller, recovers from back surgery.

You could say he's the busiest dragon in show business.

Piff the Magic Dragon

WHEN — 7 p.m. Sunday

WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville

"We did 400 shows last year -- roughly 27,500 minutes on stage," Piff says of his packed schedule. "But I like getting out and performing. It lets us develop the show and be able to keep trying new stuff. The show is the best it's ever been.

"And Mr. Piffles is as lethargic as ever," he adds.

Mr. Piffles is Piff's sidekick of sorts and "The World's Only Magic Performing Chihuahua." The tiny chihuahua joins Piff on stage during his act, dressed in a matching shiny green, red and yellow dragon costume, "assisting" in the magic. But really, he's just a diva, Piff reveals.

"I've trained him really well, but I decided it would be much easier if he's not required to do anything crucial," Piff shares. "He sleeps 25 hours a day. He's barely awake."

And yet, just a couple days after the start of the new year, Piff admits that Mr. Piffles' New Year's resolution is to try and sleep more.

"He wants to get rid of that 15-minute window where he's awake."

Piff gained a large following in the UK, was a stand-out star at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and toured with folk rock band Mumford and Sons as the opening act on their "Tour of Two Halves," all before the break that landed him international recognition.

Though he performed on the first season of the magic competition show "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" in 2011 and was already working in Las Vegas, Piff became a bonafide international star when he won over the judges with his audition on the 10th season of NBC's "America's Got Talent" in 2015. He made it to the Top 10 but didn't win the competition.

Piff made appearances during the show's 2016 Holiday Spectacular, as well as during the 12th season, before returning to compete in the spinoff, "AGT: The Champions." Following his week-two elimination, Piff leaned into the slogan "Loser of 'America's Got Talent.'"

Piff is a loser who's doing just fine, though. When he returned to his Las Vegas residency, the Flamingo Casino re-named the space where he performs the "Piff the Magic Dragon Theatre," and the casino has extended his residency annually. Last year, he was named Best Comedian, Best Magician and Best Headliner in the 2019 Best of Las Vegas Awards, and he is the only performer to sell out two shows a night at his current theater. He continues touring on top of his already packed residency schedule and makes his first visit to Arkansas with a show Sunday at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville.

"I thought it would be funny to be a magic dragon because I'm so grumpy. I needed something to soften the grump," Piff says of the stage persona.

"If you like grumpy dragons, come to the show. If you don't, come for the dog and stay for the dragon. I'll win you over -- it's like Stockholm syndrome."

NAN What's Up on 01/10/2020

Piff the Magic Dragon

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Artist Information

Since breaking out on America’s Got Talent in 2015, Piff the Magic Dragon has won the heart of America through his Vegas residency, network television appearances and non-stop touring.

For the past five years, Piff has headlined the iconic Flamingo Hotel and Casino in the heart of the Las Vegas strip, with over 250 shows a year in the Piff the Magic Dragon Theatre.

In 2020, Piff was crowned the winner of TBS’ tournament of Laughs, triumphing over his heroes Jeff Ross, Natasha Leggero and Judah Friedlander. In 2019, he was voted one of Variety’s Top Ten Comics to Watch and scooped up Best Comedian, Best Magician and Best Headliner at the Best of Las Vegas Awards.

For an act that bills himself as the Loser of America’s Got Talent, this is getting awkward.

Before arriving in Las Vegas, Piff became a viral sensation on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, had eight sell-out seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe, two in the West End and opened for Mumford & Sons, playing to 150,000 people on tour.

“A stunningly good magician” - Penn & Teller

“Piff is the best. A true original.” - David Copperfield

“A phenomenal talent” – Howard Stern

“I loved all of it.” - Neil Patrick Harris

“How are you going to top a guy in a dragon suit?” - The New York Times

“The right amount of wrong” - Las Vegas Review Journal (A-Rated)

“His dry wit had the audience roaring” - The San Francisco Globe

“Hilariously funny…Piff is quite simply delightful” - ☆☆☆☆☆ Broadway Baby

“Heroic…A hugely entertaining hour of grumpy magic” - ☆☆☆☆ Time Out

“Sidesplittingly and outrageously funny… a nonstop hour of pure, delirious fun, mixing comedy with magic and scoring 10 out of 10 for both” - Robin Leach, Las Vegas Sun

“A complete mastery of his craft” - The Scotsman

• Date Wed, February 7, 2024
• Time 8:00 PM Doors 7:00 PM
• Ages All Ages
• Buy Tickets

Mr. Piff Is a Funny Bloke Dressed as a Dragon

His agility and creativity on the court leave audiences in awe. Another standout player is Angela "The Illusionist" Davis. As the only female on the team, Davis has not only broken barriers but also showcased her exceptional basketball talents.

Piff the Magic Dragon is not only a brilliant illusionist, he’s also hilariously funny. Always interested in both comedy and magic, he worked a day job in IT for many years.

By P.F. Wilson on Wed, May 18, 2016 at 11:01 am

Piff the Magic Dragon is not only a brilliant illusionist, he’s also hilariously funny. Always interested in both comedy and magic, he worked a day job in IT for many years.

“Magic was the first thing, but I never did that seriously,” says the London native, whose real name is John van der Put.

Speaking from Las Vegas, where he now lives, he continues: “I mean, I took it seriously, but I never performed it seriously. The comedy was always there, really, but then it got stronger and stronger over the years.”

He gradually started booking small paying gigs while still working his day job.

“I sort of started working in restaurants and performing at weddings and things,” van der Put says. “I did that for a few years before realizing I didn’t really enjoy it. And then one day I came up with the idea of the magic dragon thing and I was able to start doing that in comedy clubs.”

The dragon costume wasn’t totally random — his sister had a dragon outfit that he decided to wear to a costume party.

Unfortunately, no one else was in “fancy dress,” as the Brits say. Van der Put stayed at the party anyway. “One of my friends said, ‘You should do that in your act.’ He knew what I did for a living. He said, ‘You could be Puff the Magic Dragon,’ and I said, ‘Or I could be Piff the Magic Dragon.’ ”

His next big break came when he appeared on Penn & Teller Fool Us, which taped its first season in London. The premise of that show involves magicians performing a trick or illusion that the famous duo can’t figure out.

Those who are successful get to open for Penn & Teller at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas. Piff almost pulled it off, duping Teller but not Penn, who at the last second figured it out.

“After I did that show, someone saw a clip and asked if I could do a show in Las Vegas,” van der Put says. “They flew out to see my full show in Australia and offered me a gig in Vegas at The Cosmopolitan, originally. I came over and did that, and also became friends with Penn and Teller.”

Shortly after starting his residency at the Cosmopolitan, van der Put was booked on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, where he had quite a successful run. Knowing that he was mates with Penn and Teller, the producers of America’s Got Talent asked the duo to appear on the show and assist Piff.

Van der Put didn’t make the show’s top five, but he is doing quite well. Thanks to America’s Got Talent and Fool Us, the London native is becoming well known in America.

Between his appearances on those two programs, he has become a popular headliner in Las Vegas and has gotten quite comfortable in The Meadows. He currently performs at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino on the Vegas strip.

“I do the show in Vegas half the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and the other half of the week we tour all over,” van der Put says.

Being based in Vegas is ideal. “I love it — nice hot weather, and living out here in the Mecca of magic is great because we get to hang out with the world’s greatest magicians. It’s great to be a part of that.”

He does miss London, though. “I try and go back at least once or twice a year and do shows there,” he says.

Van der Put performs with his assistant, Mr. Piffles — a chihuahua who functions as his sidekick, who joined the act a few years back.

“The first time I did the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I thought the act was missing something,” van der Put says. “I needed a gimmick, so I found a chihuahua and put him in the act. It was really funny, so the next day I went out and bought Mr. Piffles and he’s been in the act ever since.”

Mr. Piffles being described as a gimmick seems odd coming from a bloke dressed as a dragon. That whole bit came about quite serendipitously.

“It was pretty funny immediately,” he recalls before correcting himself. “Well, no, it was promising immediately, and then over the course of one or two years it started developing, and then I stared getting a lot of work form it.”

PIFF THE MAGIC DRAGON performs at Funny Bone Liberty Friday-Sunday. More info: liberty.funnybone.com.

Her ability to manipulate the ball with precision and finesse is mesmerizing, leaving spectators wondering how she does it. The roster also includes Steve "The Trickster" Thompson, who dazzles the crowd with his unbelievable dunks and acrobatic moves. Thompson's leaping ability and showmanship make him a fan favorite, and his tricks on the court always leave spectators cheering for more. These players, along with their teammates, have become iconic figures in the world of street basketball. Their skills, combined with their entertaining performances, have made the Harlem Magic Masters a must-see team for basketball enthusiasts and casual fans alike. Their ability to intertwine magic tricks with basketball brings a unique and exciting element to the sport. Overall, the roster of Harlem Magic Masters players is a showcase of phenomenal basketball talent, combined with the art of illusion and entertainment. With their electrifying skills and awe-inspiring performances, these players continue to captivate audiences and demonstrate why they are considered masters of their craft..

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