Alexandra Duvivier is the daughter of beloved and respected French magician, Dominique Duvivier. Growing up in a magic household, Alexandra had “inside access” and full emersion to the elite in the magic community. However, that also came at a cost. Alexandra didn’t wish to fill her father’s shoes, but rather she wanted to design her own shoes. Choosing and leaning towards stylish stilettos and boots. She strove to create and perform magic that reflected her personally, to escape her father’s shadow and to establish herself as a professional magician with her own unique style, skills and performance.
She admits, “intensive exposure to all forms of magic from a young age gave me the opportunity to decide for myself what I personally enjoyed and what didn’t appeal to me. I did this unconsciously and it reflects my personal taste. I developed and built my own character, magic skills, preferences, artistic choices and knowledge to become a version of myself as an artist.”
In 2018 she performed a magic routine created by her father, for Penn & Teller’s Fool Us televised show, taped in Las Vegas for the CW network. Not only did she spellbind Penn & Teller, she fooled them becoming the first French female to win a Penn & Teller Fool Us award.
It was a game changer and over-night Alexandra gained global exposure and respect. Perhaps even more importantly that win gave her a giant boost of self-confidence. Penn Jillette comments after her performance sum it up beautifully, “Your style is just fabulous, so much charm and so much class.”
When I asked Alexandra what changed for her after the Penn & Teller win she explained,
“Everything changed, the Penn & Teller win was like a healing potion for me and it dramatically changed how I was viewed as a magician. Although I had been performing magic shows for decades thanks to the worldwide exposure I received from Penn and Teller opportunities and new possibilities immediately opened for me.”