Aaron Crow (danger act)

Aaron Crow
Born Ronny Verbeke
(1969-02-12) 12 February 1969
Brugge, Belgium Belgium
Other names The Silent Mentalist, The Warrior
Occupation Mentalist
Website www.aaroncrow.com

Ronny Verbeke[1] (born 12 February 1969), known professionally as Aaron Crow is a Belgian mentalist, magician and swordsman, perhaps best known for his appearances on talent shows including Britain's Got Talent and Le plus grand cabaret du monde.[2] Crow is a member of the internationally renowned magic septet The Illusionists, alongside fellow magicians Dan Sperry, Kevin James, Philip Escoffey, Mark Kalin and Jinger, Jeff Hobson and Andrew Basso. He generally remains silent during his stage performances, which has earned him the nickname "The Silent Mentalist."

Early life

Crow's official website states: "At the age of three, Aaron was rushed to hospital with a needle stuck in his throat. It was a frightening experience, although luckily he made a complete recovery. On his twelfth birthday, Aaron's parents gave him a book about the legendary Harry Houdini. From the book, Aaron learned that Houdini – the greatest showman of his era – used to perform a famous routine in which he swallowed many sharp needles."[3]

At the age of five, Aaron was startled when a mouse crawled on his back while he was in bed. "Aaron says it made him think about how people overcome their fears – and that the key is to confront them."[4]

Career

He won second place under Mental Magic at the "World Championships of Magic".[5]He has performed on numerous television shows around the world, but is mainly known for reaching the semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent, during which he performed a blind-folded swordsmanship act, in 2013.

Britain's Got Talent

Crow auditioned for the seventh series of Britain's Got Talent. His audition aired on 27 April 2013. Crow led two audience members and host Ant McPartlin onstage. He gave the woman a bag to hold, the man a board to hold upright, and McPartlin a pineapple to hold on top of his head. Next, Crow poured hot candle wax over his eyes and covered his face with bandages, black tape and foil. He then used a Knife to slice the bag, nunchucks to break the board, and a Katana to slice the pineapple in two – all without injuring any of his volunteers.

Simon Cowell told Crow, "That's a great act. I love the idea of watching something where there is a possibility that someone could actually die, and the fact that it was Ant made it more exciting."[6] The other judges also praised the performance. Alesha Dixon added, "I find you really intriguing. Just the way you commanded the stage and your presence alone was exciting. It was dangerous, I was like oh this is great and you were just fantastic. Loved it." Amanda Holden stated, "My heart was like pumping through my ribcage. The suspense and the intrigue and the mystery, it was absolutely terrifyingly brilliant." The Daily Mirror reported, "A BGT insider said: 'Aaron's performance went down a storm with the judges and viewers'."[4]

On 27 May 2013, Crow returned for the semi-finals, during which he shot an apple sitting on host Declan Donnelly's head.[7] He finished fourth, failing to advance to the finals.[8]

Personal life

Crow has earned a black belt in Taekwondo.[4]

Crow maintains a Facebook page and has a Twitter account.

References

  1. ↑ Castelein, Ingrid. "Goochelaar uit Ruislede waagt het internationaal". Nieuwsblad.be. Nieuwsblad. Retrieved 18 July 2003.
  2. ↑ "The Warrior, AKA Aaron Crow: Specialty Weapon Magic". The Illusionists: Witness the Impossible. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  3. ↑ Crow, Aaron. "Early Days". www.aaroncrow.com. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Watts, Halina; Hill, Patrick (Apr 28, 2013). "Britain's Got Talent 2013: Silent mentalist Aaron wants to throw knife at Simon Cowell". London: Daily Mirror. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  5. ↑ FISM – The Book, Ghiurmino, Aldo, W. Meister & Co. Editori, ISBN 9788890607424, page 268}
  6. ↑ "Britain's Got Talent 2013: Ant McPartlin fears for his life as 'mentalist' Aaron Crow takes to the stage". Metro (Kensington, London: DMG Media). 27 Apr 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  7. ↑ Dave (2013-05-27). "Aaron Crow Channels William Tell in Britain's Got Talent Semi-Final (Video)". Daily Picks and Flicks. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Revealed: How you voted". ITV. 9 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.

External links

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