Dan Sylvester - Sylvester The Jester

Sylvester the Jester

The Surreally Creative Sylvester

It's said, there's a fine line between genius and insanity. Well, Dan Sylvester (AKA Sylvester the Jester) has definitely crossed that line.
In the late 80's, inspired by the cartoons that had thrilled him as a boy, Dan began to use his skills as an artist, magician and inventor to design and build some of the wildest, cartoonyest, magic effects anyone has ever seen. But then in the 90's Dan took it quite literally to a whole new dimension when he created his madcap, stage persona "Sylvester the Jester a Real Live Cartoon". When Sylvester performs, all the laws that govern a 3 dimensional reality, go right out the window, like steam out of his ears! So now, whether its through the eyes of the cameras of NBC's "World's Wildest Magic" or ABC's "Champions of Magic", the Royal family of Monaco or through the eyes and ears of ordinary people in theaters all over the world, what they've all seen and experienced is something totally new and original! A living breathing cartoon! A hilarious, animated character with the unique knack for transporting himself and his audience into a surreal space and time where the absurd becomes wonderfully common place.

Product Details
Extras	Autographed

Personal Details
Read It	No
Location	Magic Library (Home)
Condition	Mint
Owner	Bryan-Keith Taylor

Sylvester the Jester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sylvester the Jester, 2006
Daniel Sylvester Battagline, also known as Sylvester The Jester (born 1961), is an American magician, best known for playing a cartoon character who comes to life. He has had hundreds of stage and television appearances, including NBC’s "World's Wildest Magic," ABC’s "Champions of Magic III", Jerry Lewis's Muscular Dystrophy Telethon and The Discovery Channel’s "More Science of Magic." He has performed in multiple Las Vegas shows including opening for The Amazing Johnathan, and appearing at Caesar’s Magical Empire. He also produces a series of magic products, and has been credited with creating the illustrations for various magic publications, such as the cover for The Amazing Johnathan's Every Trick in the Book, and the poster for John Carney's "Mr. Mysto" act. In 1996, he also created a prop for the television show, "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch." He has been featured on the cover of several magic and culture-related magazines, such as the September 1998 issue of Magic.[1]

Contents
1 Biography
2 Awards
2.1 Notable nominations
3 List of works
4 DVDs/Videos
5 Lecture Notes
6 Inventions
7 Criticism and controversy
8 References
9 External links
Biography

1985, "Reverse Gravity" trick
Battagline was born in Youngstown, Ohio, one of three children to Pat Battagline, a plumber, and Merrie Lou Clark, a homemaker. He grew up in the small town of Berlin Center, Ohio, attending Western Reserve High School, where he began experimenting with magic at the age of 15, after seeing a televised performance by Doug Henning. He later went on to Youngstown State University, where he studied Fine Art and Theater Arts, before relocating to Los Angeles, where he joined the prestigious Magic Castle community, and performed for the next seven years. He was best known during this time for a unique sleight of hand move known as "The Sylvester Pitch." During the 1990s, he created the "Ten Foot Pole" effect which remains popular, most recently as the topic of a 2008 TED Conference presentation about unique inventions. He was also mentored by Larry Jennings and Dai Vernon, who referred to Battagline as "a genius".[2]

Sylvester's portrait of Larry Jennings and Dai Vernon, 1989
Battagline's "Sylvester the Jester" character began to emerge in the early 1990s, and over the next several years, he began to tour internationally in over 30 countries. He was also a key performer and creative consultant in the year-long production of "Las Vegas Magic Express" in Seoul, Korea, which was produced by Kevin James.

Currently, he lives in Bellflower, California and continues to perform close-up, parlor and stage magic. He also functions as a consultant for other magicians and participates regularly in Magic Castle activities.

Awards

"Steam from the Ears" effect, 2002
Baguette d’Or (Golden Wand), 1998, Monte Carlo Magic Stars, awarded by Princess Stéphanie of Monaco [1]
Kid's Choice, 1998, Junior Jury's Grand Prix, Monte Carlo Magic Stars
Festival Favorite, 1998, International del Humor, Bogotá, Colombia
Gold Medal Champion, 1995, Pacific Coast Association of Magicians (PCAM), Santa Clara, California
Appreciation Award (50th Anniversary Special), 1996, International Brotherhood of Magicians
The S.C.A.M. Annual Comedy Magic Award, 2007, South Carolina Association of Magicians
Notable nominations
The Magic Castle’s Academy of Magical Arts, Los Angeles, California:

Lecturer of the Year: 2002, 2009
Parlour Performer of the Year: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Comedy Magician of the Year: 2003
Stage Magician of the Year: 1998, 1999
List of works
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This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010)
DVDs/Videos
Sylvester Pitch ‘98, 2007, Creative Enterprise/Hotrix, DVD
Sylvester The Jester Performance, 2006, DVD
Suspended Dimension (The Jacketless Topit), 2001, Kevin James’ Imagination Unlimited, DVD
Sylvester Pitch ‘98, 1998, Creative Enterprise/Hotrix, VHS
Lecture Notes
Sylvester The Jester's Creativity Lecture Notes, 2008
Sylvester Pitch Lecture Notes, 1993
Hurtling the Moon, Creative Strategy Lecture Notes, 1995
Inventions
Sylvester the Jester has created numerous magic effects and gags, for his own act as well as for other performers. Effects performed in his act are self-fabricated, original designs intended to imitate classic American cartoons. His inventions include:

• Insto-Mallet (production effect) 2012
• Giant-Mallet (Production effect) 2013
• Slysville Slugger (Baseball bat production) 2014
• Branding Iron (so realistic it'l scare ya!
• Sound Vest, 1989
• Ten Foot Pole, 1989
• Smoke From The Ears, 1994
• Steam From The Ears, 1993
• Suspended Dimension,(suspender topit) 1992
• Bottomless Hat, 1995
• Bug Eyes, 1995
• Binocular Face, 1996
• Filed Away, 1993
• Sly Swivel Shift, 1989
• Hole Through The Body Effect, 1995
• Fly Paper Effect, 1995
• Makin’ Sparks, 1994
• Barefoot Lean, 1997
• Coin Through The Face, 1978
• Sylvester pitch, 1978
• Nine Coin Vanish, 1977
• Exploding Head Effect, 1994
• Porta-Sledge, 1980
• Pulsing Pinky, 1994
• Hideous Grin, 1991
• 3 foot Stretching Tongue, 1991
• Anvil From Hat, 1989

Criticism and controversy
Battagline has been criticized for his style, including his exaggerated cartoon-like movements, and provocative humor.[3]

References

1994
Pictures of magazine covers
Genii magazine, October 1988
Magic magazine, September 1998 cover story
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sylvester the Jester.
Official website
Performance video at youtube.com
"Creating Success", podcast interview by Mitchell Anthony
Drake, Simon. "Visit #2: Sylvester the Jester," Bizarre Magazine, 2009
Imodei, Ivan. "The Plant" story, Magic's Most Amazing Stories; A Collection of Incredible Stories from World Famous Magicians, 2009.
Wolf, Michael. "Not Just a Weirdo", Magicana magazine, 2003
Booth, John. Chapter 4: "Sylvester: The Self-Mayhem Principle" [2]Extending Magic Beyond Credibility, (Linking Ring reprint, August 1999)
Booth, John. "Sylvester The Surreal Jester", Linking Ring magazine, August 1999
Levy, Mark. "The Jester is Sylvester!", Magic Magazine, September 1998
Pogue, David. Magic For Dummies, 1998
Booth, John. "Memoirs of a Magician’s Ghost", Linking Ring, August 1999
Giorgio, Tony. Genii magazine, October 1993
Brown, Judy. L.A. Weekly, April 13, 1995
Weber, Ken. "A Personal Entertainment Highlight: Sylvester the Jester," Maximum Entertainment[3], 2002