Reza Borchardt, who goes by the mononymic stage nameReza, is an American magician from Brookings, South Dakota. Reza is a magician/illusionist that tours around world with his pre host and backup dancers. He got his passion for magic from a set of metal rings that linked together right in front of his eyes.
Early life
Borchardt claims to have had a "vision and dream to make magic for big audiences" from a very early age. His interest in magic began at the age of 6, when he first saw a magic show at Hillcrest Elementary School in Brookings. At 7 years old, Borchardt asked for a magic kit for his birthday and put on performances at his school.
Performances
At 15 years old, Borchardt left Brookings for Branson, Missouri, where he performed 18 shows per week for 6 weeks. He has performed more than 100 shows in the town, and was voted Branson's Magician of the Year in 2016. In 2013, Borchardt announced 45 shows at the Mundo Imperial Forum in Acapulco, Mexico, and has been described as "the nation's top touring illusionist" and "one of the fastest rising young stars in the country" by the Brookings Register. From April 2014 until August 2015, Borchardt was a member of The Revollusionists, a spinoff show from The Illusionists, and in 2015, the in Branson announced that Rez's show, Edge of Illusion, would be open from March until September 2016. According to the theater, who Borchardt performed for on his 100th show in Branson, "His stage props are the largest in town, and his act is engaging, enthralling and infused with humor and charm... Edge of Illusion highlights the new age of magic and misdirection with sleek, seamless fun and a fresh take on all things ordinary." In 2018, Borchardt performed on the show, but failed to fool the hosts. Borchardt tours the United States, redeveloping his show as he does so. Borchardt claims that a lot of what he performs is inspired by music, movies and pop culture.
Other work
Borchardt has done a number of fundraisers for charity. In 2010, Borchardt partnered with the Brookings Red Cross chapter in order to stage a benefit show for the organization, and August 2015 he teamed up with the charitable organization Star of Hope to make Hunger Vanish, in a campaign to provide 640,000 school lunches for Haitian children. In 2013, Borchardt appeared on MTV alongside Never Shout Never. More recently, in 2016 Reza appeared on a 1 hour episode of the popular Japanese TV Show, Sekai No Hatte Madde Itte Q, and in 2017, Borchardt appeared on Duck Dynasty.
