Close-Up Magic at Orlando’s Runway to Hope Spring Soirée

Every spring, See Magic Live has the honor of performing close-up magic at the Runway to Hope Spring Soirée in Orlando. It is one of the bookings our team looks forward to most all year, and this year we were glad to be back at Rosen Shingle Creek.

Runway to Hope is a Central Florida charity that supports children and families facing pediatric cancer. Its 14th Annual Spring Soirée, held May 16 at Rosen Shingle Creek, gathered more than a hundred young models for a walk down the runway, a live and silent auction, dinner, and a ballroom full of supporters. The young models walked with celebrity escorts as the heart of the program, and close-up magic ran throughout the cocktail reception beforehand. As guests arrived and mingled, See Magic Live magicians performed Interactive Close-Up Magic from group to group, guest by guest.

A Roomful of Shared Moments

Kostya Kimlat, Terry Ward, John Kinney, and Noah Fay worked the cocktail reception, moving from one cluster of guests to the next. Close-up magic happens inches from a guest’s hands, often with a borrowed card, a ring, or a dollar bill from someone’s own pocket. There is no stage and no spotlight. The people standing closest can watch every move and still not catch how it happened.

The format fits a reception because it feels personal. Effects built around everyday objects give guests something to hold, so a small group shares the same surprise at the same time, just a few feet apart. That immediacy is the heart of close-up magic.

At a gala, those small moments of wonder add up. Close-up magic gives guests who may not know each other an easy reason to gather, react, and start talking. It suits a mixed crowd just as well, from families and longtime donors to guests attending for the first time. For an evening built around community and generosity, that kind of shared experience fits the room.

Why Close-Up Magic Fits an Event Like This

A fundraiser has a natural rhythm. Cocktail hour, dinner service, the auction, the program, and all the pauses in between. Close-up magic fills those in-between stretches without ever competing with the main event. Because it travels light and needs no stage or setup, it slots into the parts of the night that would otherwise be downtime. The right performer reads that rhythm and works inside it, never asking guests to stop what they are doing.

It does something useful for the host, too. Magic gives donors a reason to linger, gather, and stay present with the evening rather than drifting toward their phones. Every magician on the Orlando roster is vetted to read a room and match its energy. Kostya Kimlat personally approves every performer on the roster, so a host knows the magician arriving will be punctual, professional, and presentable. Backup performers are arranged whenever possible, one less thing to worry about on a night with a hundred moving parts.

An Honor We Look Forward To

Performing at the Spring Soirée is one of the bookings our team values most. Runway to Hope has granted millions in direct support to Central Florida families facing pediatric cancer, and being a small part of a night that funds that work means a great deal to us. The families are remarkable, the celebration is a joyful one, and we are grateful that Runway to Hope welcomes See Magic Live back year after year.

If you are planning a gala, fundraiser, or social event anywhere in the Orlando area and want that same current of energy moving through your room, See Magic Live has close-up magicians ready. Take a look at the performers and tell us about your event, and we will help you find the right match.