Dynamo (magician)
Dynamo (born Steven Frayne; 17 December 1982) is an English magician,[2] best known for his documentary show Dynamo: Magician Impossible.
Early Life
Dynamo was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire. He grew up on Bradford's Delph Hill and Holme Wood estates.[3] He first learnt to perform illusions from his grandfather and developed the skill during trips to New Orleans, Louisiana. Wanting to innovate, Dynamo combined elements of dance andhip hop culture into his routines.[4]
[edit]Media appearances
Dynamo's first television appearances were on Richard & Judy, followed by a Channel 4 special entitled Dynamo's Estate Of Mind. He then released a DVD[5] and has since appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Fatherhood, and at the MTV EMAs (where he performed for the Foo Fighters,Nelly Furtado, and Joss Stone). He has fronted commercials for Adidas and Nokia, and appeared on the catwalk for Naomi Campbell's Fashion for Relief. In May 2009, Dynamo levitated Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas four feet off the ground in front of a crowd at the Emirates Stadium in London. On 25 December 2009, Dynamo appeared on the Soccer AM Christmas Special and performed magic for the show's presenters Max Rushden and Helen Chamberlain, as well as fellow guests David Haye and Neil Ruddock. On 19 March 2010, he appeared on BBC One in aid of Sport Relief, where he appeared to turn lottery tickets into cash in front of Robbie Williams and Davina McCall. Later in the show, he performed a levitation in front of James Corden and a live studio audience.
On 18 March 2011, Dynamo appeared on BBC One for Comic Relief to highlight the work that British Airways had done to raise money. On 25 June 2011, he was photographed and videotaped apparently walking on water, crossing the River Thames on foot in front of the Palace of Westminster, to publicise his forthcoming series Dynamo: Magician Impossible. This series featured appearances by Rio Ferdinand, Ian Brown, Noel Fielding, David Haye, Tinie Tempah, Mat Horne, Travis Barker, Natalie Imbruglia, and Robert Sheehan.[6]In September 2011, Dynamo appeared on sports television program ESPN were he performed card tricks. On 23 October 2011, Dynamo announced that he had joined the magicians' society theMagic Circle. The next day, he appeared as a guest panellist for Noel Fielding's team on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. In November 2011, he appeared on the BBC's Young Apprentice, giving a prize performance in the London Eye for the winning team. He also appeared on Children in Need, performing magic for Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. He has appeared in the second series ofDynamo: Magician Impossible, featuring appearances from Wretch 32, Labrinth, Will Smith, and others.
[edit]Awards and accolades
On 5 July 2012, Dynamo was promoted by the magicians' society, The Magic Circle, to Associate of the Inner Magic Circle with Silver Star for Performance.[7] In the same year, Dynamo: Magician Impossible won the Best Entertainment Programme award at the Broadcast Awards.[8]
