Do you believe in magic?

I sure do, and I’m not talking about “witchcraft”, voodoo dolls, chicken bones and books of spells.

I’m talking about the magic that Walt Disney created with his timeless movie masterpieces; the kind where every message was, “When you wish upon a star, anything your heart desires will come to you.”

As I sat there with my nephew in the balcony of the J.A. Pickard Auditorium for last Saturday’s magic show, it took me back to when I was a child in both Joliet, Ill., and Shelbyville, Ky., taking school field trips to plays, ballets, orchestras and even operas like “The Magic Flute.”

I felt like a child again, mesmerized by the simple, yet mind-boggling tricks of the husband and wife team, Kevin and Cindy Spencer.

The duo performed tricks first performed by Harry Houdini in the mid 1800s and early 1900s. They read minds, sliced up bodies in a box (an illusion of course), escaped from a 500 gallon life-size basin filled with water after being handcuffed, performed hat tricks and ripped apart (and put back together) an STJ newspaper; I’m talking tricks on the same level as magicians David Copperfield or Criss Angel.

Saturday’s performance made me grateful for having been able to experience so many different forms of fine arts. I know that many students in Selma will never have that opportunity.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see a performing arts school or center in every major section of Selma that rivaled those in Mobile, Birmingham or even Juilliard?

My dream school would be a place where any child could attend, no matter the socioeconomic status, ethnicity or gift.

My school would have famous Hollywood actors, singers, dancers and musicians come to tutor students and encourage them to embrace the arts and not just aim high academically or pursue an athletic career.

Don’t get me wrong, high grades and athleticism is fine, but many tend to place them above art appreciation, which is just as important.

Maybe I’m too optimistic. I just believe in the “magic of believing”.