USAO produces scholars, athletes, and… magicians? Such is the case with Daniel Buster, a recent graduate of the Communication department.

Buster recently participated in Pandemonium 2023 in Oklahoma City. Taking place June 17 at the New Beginning Fellowship Church, the event was a fundraiser for the OKC Magic Club.

“The OKC Magic Club is an important community for me,” Buster said. “The friendships I have built there over the last seven years mean a lot, and performing at Pandemonium is simply the best way to give back to the club.”

Each performer who participated in the event had approximately ten minutes to showcase three to four performances per act. The goal is for the audience to see a wide array of skills and acts that encompass a variety of genres of magic.

For his time allotted, Buster gave the audience a taste of the Wild West.

“I performed a bit of an ‘Old West’ set, with some card demonstrations that were less magical and more skillful, and a trick roping set to close Act I,” Buster said.

Cold cutting a deck of cards was the start of Buster’s act. This demonstration saw Buster shuffling the four aces into the deck and then cutting right to those cards. This is a classic trick in the magician’s hand but is never dull to see.

“The Fundamentals of Trick Roping” were also performed by Buster as means to entertain. He showcased each of the basic rope tricks (these being the flat loop, vertical loop, and the butterfly) with different ropes, and more tricks that one can do with a rope. In his words, the purpose of entertainment was clearly accomplished.

Buster said that the greatest thing about participating in Pandemonium was getting to showcase skills that he already knew, rather than having to learn new ones. Showing his strong suits and spending time scripting and timing was something that Buster appreciated.

He spent time deciding on when to switch between card tricks and rope tricks, and where to use lines and jokes for the audience to hear. Not only did the audience get a visual show, but they also got entertainment from hearing Buster’s jokes that went along with his show. He has dedicated many hours to learning and perfecting rope tricks, and these hours paid off in his performance.

If you ever see Buster, be sure to shake his hand. But be careful; there may be tricks and jokes up his sleeve.

Paul Tointigh is a fourth-year Communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.