Juan Tamariz. RIP 1942–2026 — A magician who taught us that magic is not only about the trick… it’s about the people.
Everyone needs inspiration in life.
It doesn’t matter what your profession is, where you come from, or what your dreams are. Somewhere along the way, there is usually someone who makes you stop and think:
“Wow… I want to do that!”
For me, that person was Juan Tamariz. - Not just a magician. The magician.
And this is the story of how watching him on Colombian television as a kid eventually helped shape the performer I would become.
📺 A Boy, a Deck of Cards, and Saturday Night Magic
I grew up in Bogotá, Colombia, watching the legendary television program Sábados Felices.
Every June, I couldn't wait for the Festival del Humor, directed by Alfonso Lizarazo (RIP 1940 - 2026) and presented by Caracol Televisión.
At that time, I was just an 11-year-old boy.
It was 1984.
While other kids were doing… well, whatever kids were doing, I was reading books about magic, practicing card tricks, and spending as much of my free time as possible trying to make things disappear.
I was already falling in love with magic.
The Festival del Humor was much more than comedians. It was a fantastic mixture of entertainment: comedians, ventriloquists, magicians, dancers, national performers, and international acts.
And then one day… Juan Tamariz appeared.
And everything changed.
🃏 Juan Tamariz — Not Your Classic Magician
Juan Tamariz didn't look like the magician I thought a magician was supposed to look like.
No tuxedo - No serious expression - No standing there like he had just escaped from a 19th-century theater.
Instead, there were jeans, black moccasins, a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a vest…
…and that unforgettable colorful top hat! 🎩
But the clothes weren't what made him special.
Juan Tamariz had a completely different way of connecting with people.
His specialty was often card magic, although he also performed with ropes, coins, and many other objects.
But the real secret wasn't the cards.
It was Juan!
His personality - His energy His humor - His timing - His interaction with the audience!
He didn't simply perform for people.
He performed with them.
He could turn a simple card trick into a little adventure.
And his comedy never felt disconnected from the magic. Everything worked together.
I remember watching him finish an act with incredible energy, jumping around and shouting:
“Tarara-tarara-tarara!”
Then making a gesture as if he were playing an invisible violin... Of course, there was no violin.
But somehow, in Juan's world, there didn't need to be one! 😂
It was his way of telling the audience:
“That was the finale!”
And what a finale it was.
Soon, Juan Tamariz became widely recognized in Colombia through television, radio, newspapers, and the Festival del Humor.
People loved him - Magicians loved him - Comedians loved him...
And a young boy named Cesar Domico was watching very carefully.
🎭 The Beginning of “Cesar Domico, the Tamariz Colombiano”
As I became more inspired by comedy—and especially by Juan Tamariz—I started thinking about performing on television myself.
By the time I was around 17 or 18, I decided to audition for Los Cuentachistes, the comedy segment of Sábados Felices.
✔ I prepared what I thought were my best magic routines.
✔ I added some comedy.
✔ I practiced.
✔ I prepared again.
And then…
I got rejected!
Again - And again - And again.
Apparently, television had other plans for me. 😂
But I didn't give up.
I kept working on a comedy magic routine that I thought would work for television.
The problem?
It wasn't good enough yet for what the television program was looking for.
At the same time, I was going to school/university.
And that created another little problem.
I was spending so much time practicing magic, developing routines, and going to auditions that my school performance started going downhill.
My grades were dropping.
My sleep schedule was… let's just say not exactly recommended by doctors.
But I had an idea.
And sometimes one crazy idea is all a magician needs.
🏠 The Night Everything Clicked
One Saturday, after watching the Festival del Humor at my mom's house in the Pijaos neighborhood of Bogotá, some of my sister's friends came over to visit.
As usual…
I had a deck of cards in my hands.
At some point, I jumped in and asked if they wanted to see a magic trick.
They said yes, I performed.
They liked it, It was good.
But then I started talking like Juan Tamariz.
I began imitating his voice, his mannerisms, his style, and his way of interacting with the audience while performing the trick.
And suddenly…
They were laughing like crazy.
People were practically on the floor laughing.
And in that moment, something clicked.
I thought:
“Wait a minute… I have the audience!”
Then another thought came:
“What if I create a character based on my imitation of Juan Tamariz?”
And that was the beginning.
🎩 Creating the Character
I started developing the character.
Not just the voice, Everything!
The clothing, the gestures, the movements, the personality, the Spanish accent, the comedy, the timing, and, of course… the magic!
The following Monday, I went back to the casting.
The casting director, Gonzalo Acosta, liked the material.
But I still had work to do.
The character needed to go deeper.
So I went home and continued working.
And then I went back.
And worked some more.
And went back again.
Monday after Monday.
For perhaps six to eight months, I kept returning to the casting.
I was developing the character while simultaneously improving my skills as a card magician.
Little by little, the pieces started coming together.
Magic + comedy + character + audience interaction.
Finally… I had something.
🏆 From Second Place to First Place
The first time I presented the character imitating Juan Tamariz, the audience loved it.
I finished in second place.
Not bad.
But magicians are rarely satisfied with second place. 😉
A few months later, I came back.
And this time…
I won first place.
And then I did it again.
And again.
And again.
The character became recognized.
People started identifying me as:
“Cesar Domico, el Tamariz Colombiano.”
Cesar Domico, the Colombian Tamariz.
For a young magician, that was an incredible moment.
❤️ More Than an Imitation
Eventually, I left the character behind.
But I never left behind what I learned from Juan Tamariz.
Studying him taught me much more than how to imitate his voice or mannerisms.
I learned about:
- Energy
- Audience interaction
- Timing
- Comedy
- Card magic
- Stage presence
- Character development
- Misdirection
- The importance of personality
- And, most importantly, the connection between magician and audience
The character was only the beginning.
It gave me the opportunity to discover something much more important:
My own personality as a performer.
It helped me find my own way of combining comedy and magic.
My own way of performing card tricks.
My own relationship with the audience.
In a strange way, imitating Juan Tamariz helped me eventually become more Cesar Domico.
🌟 A Legacy That Will Never Disappear
Juan Tamariz left an enormous legacy.
Professional magicians - Amateur magicians - Card enthusiasts - Comedy lovers - And millions of people who simply enjoyed watching him perform.
He showed us that a magician doesn't have to be distant or serious.
- A magician can laugh.
- A magician can be silly.
- A magician can jump around.
- A magician can make the audience part of the miracle.
- And most importantly…
- A magician can make people feel something.
That is one of the greatest lessons Juan Tamariz gave to the world.
I was one of those people.
I was a young boy in Bogotá watching television with a deck of cards in my hands.
I didn't know where magic would take me.
I certainly didn't know that one day I would perform professionally for audiences across Colombia, USA and beyond.
But I knew one thing:
I wanted to make people laugh, wonder, and believe—if only for a few moments—that anything was possible.
Juan Tamariz helped show me the way.
🎩 Gracias, Maestro
Juan, thank you.
Thank you for the magic.
Thank you for the laughter.
Thank you for the energy.
Thank you for the cards.
Thank you for showing generations of magicians that the most powerful magic isn't always hidden in the secret of the trick.
Sometimes…
the real magic is the connection with the people watching.
Your body may have left the stage, but your magic will continue to travel from magician to magician, from generation to generation.
And somewhere, there will always be a young magician with a deck of cards in his hands…
watching you…
learning…
laughing…
and thinking:
“I want to do that!”
Rest in peace, Maestro Juan Tamariz.
1942–2026
🃏🎩❤️
Your magic will live forever.
Inspired by the Master.
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