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The melding of mystic mainstays was celebrated when Cartamundi, the world’s leading manufacturer of playing cards, acquired the manufacturer of brands including Bicycle and Bee, The United States Playing Card Company, for a one-night-only installation of “Cartamundi’s House of Cardistry & Magic” event. The very special evening was hosted by Stefaan Merckx (CEO of Cartamundi) and Michael Slaughter (President of USPC) in the magically rebranded “As Is NYC” (located at 734 10th Avenue in NYC). World-renowned cardists and magicians were in attendance to showcase their skills with their favorite close-up magic, of course using their favorite playing card brand.
We had a chance to speak with some of the performers, including the incredible Devonte Rosero (devontemagic.com) and TJ Tana (tjtana.com), two world-renowned entertainers who have competed in cities around the globe. While these two professionals amazed us with acts of cardistry, we asked what exactly that specialty was… According to Bicyclecards.com, it is defined as “the non-magical manipulation of playing cards with intent to display creativity, performance art, and skill.”
Within the last decade, cardistry has evolved from a visual card demonstration used solely by magicians to a social media phenomenon that’s taking the world by storm. So much so that those videos featuring cardistry tricks have…
