Suzy Wandas

Suzy Wandas
Born	Jeanne Van Dyke March 5, 1896 Brussels, Belgium
Died	July 12, 1986 (age 90) Detroit, Michigan
Resting place	Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit
Nationality	Belgian

Suzy Wandas (b.1896-d.1986) was born Jeanne Van Dyke in Belgium to magicians Charles and Elizabeth. She became part of the act as a child, walking the slack rope and playing the violin while dancing as "Miss White Flower". She was inspired after seeing Talma doing manipulation magic to take up magic and was doing a cards and coins manipulation act by the age of 14. She became one of the best at manipulation magic.

Biography

After her farther passed away, her brother Louis was added to the act and they started performing as The Three Wandas. She chose a stage name "Suzy" from the popular song of the day "If You Knew Suzy".

After her brother Louis was injured in World War I, Susy and her mom kept performing as the Wanda Sisters. When her mom retired in 1936, Suzy continued to perform throughout Europe and later the United States. Susy was able to speak five languages. Her cabaret show included ropes, thimbles, cigarettes, canes, silks, coins, the Miser's Dream, card fans, and a routine with eight linking rings. She was billed as "Suzy Wandas, the Lady with the Fairy Fingers".

She won the British Ring contest in 1952. In 1953, she made her first American appearance at the Abbott Get-together.

In 1959, she retired from performing and married Dr. Zina Bennett, settling in Detroit.

Wandas performed card manipulations at Abbott’s 1961 magic convention.

In 1981, she received the Performing Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts.

References

• Cover, The New Tops, Vol. 1, No. 5, May 1961, Cover Portrait, Suzy Wandas, by Zina B. Bennett, page 2
• Cover, M-U-M, Vol. 65, No. 11, April 1976, Suzi Wandas Bennett, magician-of-the-month, by John U. Zweers, page 7
• Cover, Goodliffe's Abracadabra, Vol. 86, No. 1754, September 1979, Our Cover: Suzy Wandas Bennett, page 266
• M-U-M, Vol. 70, No. 7, December 1980, The Lady with the Fairy Fingers – Suzy Wandas Bennett, page 11
• Genii Magazine, Vol. 49, No. 8, February 1986, Magic In Their Blood, by Todd Karr, page 545
• The Linking Ring, Vol. 66, No. 9, September 1986, Suzy Wandas, Succumbs, by Frances Marshall, page 110
• M-U-M, Vol. 76, No. 5, October 1986, Broken Wands, Suzy Wandas Bennett, by Frances Marshall, page 43
• M-U-M, Vol. 99, No. 10, March 2010, The Nielsen Gallery, Suzy Wandas – Goddness of Mystery, by Tom Ewing, page 40
• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=91986460 Mrs Jeanne Van Dyk Bennett