Henderson-based magician taking tricks from stage to classroom for summer camp

Luna Shimada knows what you’re thinking.

After a teacher from Silver Sands Montessori Charter School pulls a card from Shimada’s deck, examines it and discreetly puts it back, Shimada puts her power to the test.

“I see a heart,” she said. “It’s either a two or a three. Is it the two of hearts?”

Trick after trick, the teachers are dumbfounded by Shimada, a Henderson-based magician and illusionist of 30 years.

Her lengthy career has led her to try her hand at teaching. She recently started the Las Vegas Magic School and plans to bring her skill set into various schools.

“I’m hoping to inspire the next great magician,” Shimada said.

Shimada experienced magic at a young age — she comes from a magic-filled household and a long line of magicians.

“My father was a famous magician from Japan,” she said. “He worked on the Strip at various shows.”

With her father a magician and her mother an assistant, at first, Shimada tried to steer clear of the job. In time, she realized she was intrigued by it.

“I think what drew me into it was my search for real magic,” she said.

But the trade was not immediately available to Shimada.

“It was strongly discouraged for women to enter,” she said. “Though there were a lot of women in the industry, it was still a male-dominated profession.”

Nonetheless, she decided to start learning the tricks of the trade.

“I started out as a magician’s apprentice,” she said. “Then I ran off and married a magician.”

After her relationship ended, she decided to start her solo career, challenging a lot of stereotypes that came along in the industry.

“At that point, you still had guys performing in traditional tuxedos to the soundtracks of old movies,” she said. “I didn’t want to be a traditionalist. I would do shows to music like Beck, Rush and The Police.”

After having a few flops, she walked away a little discouraged.

“I crawled into a corner and licked my wounds,” she said. “Then I came out and was ready to try again.”

She relaunched as a magician, doing shows in Europe. After a few years traveling, she decided to come back to Las Vegas. She and her husband, another magician, decided to start a family.

“So I spent the next few years focusing on that,” she said.

After they divorced, she decided to look into re-entering the field. This time, she was more selective on the types of shows she would take, as her family came first.

She takes gigs here and there but decided her interest was in training the next generation of magicians.

Earlier this year, she opened the Las Vegas Magic School.

Esra Vidal, who helps facilitate at the school, said she started working with Shimada because of how inspirational she was.

“Magic has been in her life for over 30 years,” Vidal said. “Now she wants to inspire all children to reach their fullest potential and to see the world in a different and unique perspective.”

Vidal said it’s not just about learning tricks.

“It is understanding that we are all capable of finding humility, being respectful, giving to others, embracing the creativity within us all and living each day of our lives with an abundance of enthusiasm,” Vidal said. “These are the core values of being a magician.”

Shimada teaches some classes at a private location but said she envisiond going beyond that. When she stumbled across Discover Magic, which provides curriculum to teach magic to children, she decided to look into offering an after-school program.

Even if the students don’t aspire to be magicians, she said going through the program can help with life skills. “They learn about confidence,” she added.

For her first course, she decided to partner with Silver Sands Montessori Charter School, 1841 Whitney Mesa Drive, where her children go.

The summer camp for Discover Magic is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. June 7-10 at the school. It costs $245.

Though Discover Magic was initially an eight-week course, Shimada plans to offer the program in one week. Students will be going over multiple tricks in daylong sessions.

It’s open to children 8 to 13.

Shimada said she wants to work with the Clark County School District to offer the course as an after-school program.

“I think once a couple of schools get on board, the rest will see how great this program is,” she said. “Kids have always done dance or karate. Why not let them try magic?”

Visit lvmagicschool.com or call 702-419-2300.

To reach Henderson View reporter Michael Lyle, email mlyle@viewnews.com or call 702-387-5201. Find him on Twitter: @mjlyle.