Kay Dyson

Desert Island Tricks

What happens when a career-threatening injury forces a flying trapeze artist to reinvent herself? For Kay Dyson, it meant becoming "Miss Magic”, a transformation that has led to performances for celebrities like Victoria Beckham and The Rolling Stones, and appearances on shows from GMTV to Wizard Wars.

Kay's journey began in Gerry Cottle's Circus as part of the groundbreaking all-female Flying Bell Stars. After a harrowing accident that came within millimetres of breaking her neck, she found herself drawn to magic through a chance encounter with a close-up magician. Within six weeks, she was performing professionally, a meteoric rise powered by her natural performance skills honed in the circus.

Throughout her 20-year career performing at Manchester United and countless high-profile events, Kay has developed a distinctive approach to magic that plays to her strengths as a female performer. "A lot of tricks don’t work for a female... you've got to put your own spin on it," she explains, describing how she transforms traditional effects to suit her perspective and persona. Her vent mask routine, where she transforms male volunteers into "Chantel" before performing French Kiss, exemplifies this creative adaptation.

Kay's performances are carefully designed to create emotional variety, rom the belly laughs of her sponge ball routines (which once literally saved her life during an encounter with a tribe in Africa) to the tears induced by her yet-to-be-released sentimental closing effect. She likens her show to a roller coaster, taking audiences through surprise, wonder, tension, and release.

Whether she's developing new original effects like "Losing Your Marbles" or planning her next theatrical production, Kay continues to push boundaries and create magical memories that last, sometimes even being mentioned in funeral eulogies, as happened with her performance for a vicar's wife. Her story reminds us that magic isn't just about tricks, it’s about creating moments that connect us and sometimes outlive us.

Kay’s Desert Island Tricks:

1. Extractor (E2)

2. Vent Mask (French Kiss)

3. Hook

4. Last Rolo / Losing Your Marbles

5. Sponge Balls / Ding Dong

6. Cards Across

7. Psychic Touch / 7b. Magic Kettle

8. Yet to be released Rising Revelation

Banishment. Scruffiness

Book. The War Magician: The True Story

Item. Diary

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

Chapters

1. The Tribal Encounter Story (00:00:00)

2. Introduction to Kate "Miss Magic" Dyson (00:13:42)

3. From Trapeze Artist to Magician (00:48:09)

4. The Vent Mask and French Kiss Routine (01:00:33)

5. Hook: Magic that Scares the Performer (01:10:14)

6. Losing Your Marbles: Kate's New Creation (01:19:54)