Where does Gus the illusionist’s passion for magic come from? First and foremost, his travels. Born in Wambrechies, near Lille, Augustin Petit left the north of France to study business in Lyon. What’s his connection with magic? No connection at all. And yet.., Gus says: “Without school, I wouldn’t be doing magic. Indeed, while on exchange at university in Hong Kong, during a (slightly) drunken evening, he was offered a DVD by the famous Bernard Bilis (who inspired many). “I was like a kid discovering the whole Disney collection in one evening – it was crazy!” he confides to Nathalie Dartois in 20Minutes TV’s “Café sur scène” program).
On his return from his stay, he began to work on his tricks, but above all his ease with the public. “The hardest part is learning to interest people, to make them want to see magic.” And for a trick to be successful, “you have to capture the audience, make them look in the right place at the right time.” For him, magic is both “instinctive and mechanical”. His technical ease allows him to concentrate on his audience.
Incroyable talent, the show that will change everything
Gus’s career has been made up of encounters which, while not magical, are still happy and beautiful coincidences. Starting with his participation in La France a un incroyable talent I lost to a dog… who won 100,000 euros worth of kibble”. While the M6 show was a huge boost to his career, he also owes his on-air success to his audacity. Digital magic was all the rage at the time, and production wanted an act like that. Okay… I was a bit of a liar when I said I had one,” laughs Gus. I had to create the number for the semi-final”.
Another important event in his young career was his “decisive” meeting with Arthur. In a hotel, he bumped into the host, who asked for his card. Arthur would later offer Gus a spotlight on his shows.
From this journey, Gus drew lessons and experiences that led him to write his new show Givré that he plays Ice Palaceand soon on tour throughout France.
Want to see Gus perform magic? Watch the show video Café on stage at the top of the page. For discover other artistsgo to 20MinutesTV.