Nguyen Anh Tu: To the end of passion

(Baonghean) - The pink scarf was thrown out and suddenly a pure white dove spread its wings and flew up, coins went through the glass table, or it disappeared behind long fingers, white paper suddenly became shiny new bills, a deck of cards fell and stuck together in the air... Do you think I'm talking about a strange dream? No, that's the reality that appeared before my eyes, when I watched "magician" Nguyen Anh Tu perform. But, not only that, that charming guy also captivated others with his skillful playing of the guitar and flute...

My younger brother looked surprised and called me a “backward old lady” when he didn’t know about Sky Nguyen and the cafes in Vinh that often displayed signs: “There’s a magic show by Sky Nguyen tonight.” He firmly stated: “There’s no young person in Vinh who doesn’t know about Sky Nguyen,” and told me that if I was curious and wanted to meet him, I should go to “Retro café” on Ho Tung Mau street, which he owns.

Magic show on the street.

It turns out, I have met this young man a few times. The first time was one afternoon about 2 years ago. That day, he performed for free on the street for anyone who stopped to watch and request. A few other times, I caught a glimpse of him participating in distributing free rice and milk to poor patients in hospitals, and then performing in the "Bringing music to the hospital" programs. Even during this meeting, I always felt a warm flame radiating from Nguyen Anh Tu (often called "Tu magic" or "Sky Nguyen"). Dynamic, enthusiastic? Not really, but more than that, it was the flame of a passion that never cooled down for... magic.

Nguyen Anh Tu

“Actually, my academic achievements are nothing to be proud of. I am just an ordinary student, if anything, I often participate in the school's art movement. When I was in 7th grade, a friend gave my family a guitar. My brother and I fumbled around and finally succeeded in discovering the charming melodies on those copper strings.” The moment he heard his hands glide over the strings, Tu was so happy he could hardly breathe. Tu felt like he had touched something miraculous. In his life, Tu feels lucky to have had that feeling many times: touching something miraculous!

The guitar has been with Tu throughout his childhood. The musical memory that left an impression on Tu was the time he accompanied a friend singing on stage at a school-level competition and both were selected to perform in the district. At that time, Tu was guided by his mother to pursue a career in pedagogy. So, he chose music pedagogy when he took the entrance exam to Nghe An College of Culture and Arts with the thought that he would become a music teacher. After finishing college, Tu enrolled in university at Hue Academy of Music and graduated not long ago.

But, there is a dream, a dream that has never left Tu, that is… magic. Tu said that, since he was very young, he was fascinated by magic shows on TV. Magicians, no, it should be called more correctly, people with magic, made his young mind always curious and admiring. The rare times when art troupes came to Tuong Duong to perform, including magic shows, for Tu, those were the happiest days of his life. The first time he saw magician Huynh Phuoc perform the “Linking ring” show, the transformation of the spiral rings into each other in the blink of an eye when they had previously been separated and had no breaks made Anh Tu fascinated and sought every way to understand more about magic. It was difficult when there were not many books teaching magic, in real life it was also rare to meet magicians, or people who could show off magic, but Tu was not discouraged. "The 6 rings of magician Huynh Phuoc have followed me forever" - Tu said, with sadness.

When he entered college in Vinh, Tu began to learn about magic on the internet after searching everywhere but not meeting anyone who knew about this art form. He went online and learned each move, at first with simple tricks: turning white paper into money. When he realized he had done it, the feeling of joy kept Tu from sleeping all night. Could it be that he had reached his dream? Tu wished for the morning to come soon, so he could go to class and perform for his friends... And, when he saw his first magic trick, his classmates were extremely excited. The excitement, admiration, and encouragement from his friends multiplied his passion, spurring his explorations. Every day, Tu explored to learn a new trick, bringing it to his classroom "stage". From white paper into money, coins disappearing or going through glass, sticky cards..., until Tu thought he had to buy a set of tools to satisfy his passion, to be able to do more tricks. Tu packed his bags and went to Hanoi alone to buy.

That day, Tu had about 3 million VND that his mother had saved for him, so he asked for directions to a magic props store. He only bought a few items and more than half of the money was already gone. Tu asked the store owner where he could buy doves to perform magic tricks. (The dove transformation from a scarf flower was the magic trick Tu loved the most). The store owner showed Tu the way to the magician Bao Linh's house. When Tu arrived at the address, he learned that the magician was not home. "So the boy from the countryside sat at the coffee shop in front of the door to... wait. He waited randomly, not knowing when he would come back," Tu recounted.

Fortunately, in the late afternoon, magician Bao Linh returned. Seeing the young magician who had traveled a long way to find him, Bao Linh was very grateful. He sold him two pigeons that he had raised himself, and at the same time, he imparted to him some experiences and secrets when performing on stage, showing him how performing on the street like he had always done was different from performing on stage. That was an extremely valuable lesson for Nguyen Anh Tu.

On the bus back to Vinh that day, Nguyen Anh Tu hugged tightly the 2 pigeons, the magic kit and kept those precious words in mind. When he got back to his rented room in Vinh at 4am, Tu could not sleep anymore. He took out all the magic props, turned on the computer and practiced. Tu discovered many more tricks. Magic, in itself is a miracle, but even more miracle is when you discover it - Tu shared - And perseverance, passion, will surely bring success.

Before that, Tu often "tested" himself on the streets, not simply wanting to hear praise and encouragement, but also hoping that many people would know and love this magical art form. In the afternoons wandering around parks, sidewalks, flower gardens..., Tu received many interested looks. Tu also accepted to perform for free in charity programs for children in SOS Children's Villages, patients in hospitals... "I feel really happy every time I bring joy and excitement to my friends, children, and bring to the poor, sick, and lonely people the idea that life still has many wonderful things, people should never give up hope" - Tu shared. That also explains why people often meet Tu in charity programs for the community and Tu has done and contributed with all his enthusiasm. Tu said, sharing is also a way for me to grow up. And Tu learned a lot from the lives of unfortunate people.

Now, many big and small stages have had the appearance of Tu. That talented 23-year-old boy, not only performs magic, but also sings, plays the guitar and plays the flute. Those powerful, versatile fingers not only know how to control birds, scarves, coins, iron rings... but also know how to play melodies. I listened to the song "Nomadic Love Song" coordinated by Tu's mouth and hands. There was nothing more to say, other than "very wonderful" when the last melodies ended. The applause for Tu, I know, was not only because of his talent. For me, the admiration for Tu is not only because of his ability, but also because of what Tu did while most of us could not, which is to dare to pursue our passion to the end.

I asked why Tu chose the name “Sky Nguyen”, Tu explained that he wanted to reach his own sky, where the dream of becoming a magician that he had cherished since childhood. It contained the desire to fly high, to fly far…

“After graduating from the Academy of Music, what do you expect?” “I want to join an art troupe to have the opportunity to reach many people, and first of all, I want to be a “Sky Nguyen” for charity programs, small programs in Vinh city”. Tu also called for the establishment of the Vinh Magic Club, became the leader of this club, and taught magic to those in need with the hope that many people will know about its magic.

Article and photos:Thuy Vinh