Some people turn a job into a career and despite their best efforts don’t really like what they do. The job pays the bills.
Not Leif David. He started his career when he was only eight when he went to his local library and took out a book about magic. After a little practice, he went to his little brother’s daycare and started his first performance.
“That is my authentic start up story and I love to tell it. It is so important to find an interest and follow it, to become engaged with it,” he said.
He feels that it is very important to have a passion outside the classroom and to learn on your own. For example, some youngsters have sports while others have art or music.
“There is a lot of opportunity to get into an activity and learn, even if you don’t do it forever,” he said.
David has a variety of show themes that he follows, depending on the audience. For example, the show last Monday at Walnut Park Elementary School was designed for younger school kids. “I also have a birthday party show that I do. I have a family show that I do. I have library shows and I’ve got corporate adult shows. It’s a full spectrum,” he said.
With he school year end fast approaching, in the near future will be dry grads and shows for grade 12 students.
In the summer, he does a lot of festivals and shows at libraries. Around the Christmas period, he says that he does a lot of corporate shows.
Originally, David is from Kelowna. On his recent tour of northern BC he has driven as far as Stewart. He says that he likes to be able to stop and visit schools in the areas that he would normally just drive through.
“You get a chance to meet people and hang out and see what the area is really like,” he said.
At Walnut Park Elementary, David had the audience laughing and squealing in delight for the entire show. “Todays kids were enthusiastic and participated well,” he said in what could only be an understatement.
David showed a particular interest in being able to select helpers from among the audience members who were unafraid to participate in his tricks and who demonstrated exceptional reactions to their completion.
We can only hope that he can stop here again get to know us a little better.
