The Malaga magicians who have triumphed on social media and perform shows for well-known celebrities

Magic is experiencing a rebirth in Malaga not in the face of a veteran illusionist but in two young locals who have managed to mix the classic talent of creating magic with cards with the dynamism of social media. Sebas Pelegrina and Dany Coins are the soul of DGEN Magic - a duo who have found their own niche in an ancient art.

Their portfolio is impressive: they have performed on all kinds of stages on the Costa del Sol, won prizes in competitions such as FreakCon and left people like Juan Magán, Roberto Carlos, Kidd Keo and Jason Sudeikis speechless. All this while accumulating thousands of followers on TikTok and editing their own videos with the same care with which they shuffle cards. "We want to show that magic is not an expense, it is an investment," they say.

The story of DGEN Magic is that of two paths that met by chance. Dany Coins discovered magic at the age of 17, after watching a Juan Tamariz video on YouTube. "I saw it and said: I want to do this," he explains. It started as a hobby, until simple curiosity turned into a vocation.

Sebas Pelegrina, on the other hand, took the leap in England. "I worked six days a week, from 5pm to 6am, and I couldn't sleep after work. So one day I bought a couple of decks of cards and a magic book," he says. The hobby soon opened the door to a cocktail bar in Liverpool that hired magicians to perform table by table. "They offered me a job there and I thought: I'm getting paid to do what I love. If I can do it in another country without speaking the language, why not in Spain?"

Fate brought them together in Estepona, at a barbecue organised by Dani DaOrtiz - their magic teacher and one of the most internationally renowned figures in the field. "I had already seen his videos from England, but that's where we met for the first time," Sebas says. The real connection came soon after, at the Feria de los Pueblos de Fuengirola. Between stalls and music, they realised they could improvise together. "A woman fell at a 'caseta' and cracked her head open. When the ambulance arrived, people formed a crowd and we started to do magic. That's when we discovered the synergy we had, because we got on very well even though we didn't know each other," they say.

The name of the duo was also born out of this relationship. "DGEN Magic is the translation of the DaOrtiz generation. If anyone represents that, it's us," Dany states. It was DaOrtiz himself who designed the poster for their first show. Since then, DGEN Magic have become a hit on TikTok and Instagram. They produce, edit and take care of every detail of their videos. "The only thing I don't do is hold the camera because I don't have any more hands," Dany jokes.

Beyond the numbers, their strategy is clear: turn magic into an attractive product for the 21st century. "We want to show that a magic show can be more powerful than many marketing campaigns. It gives identity to a venue and builds audience loyalty," they say.

Names that anyone would recognise appear in their anecdotal memories. In Liverpool, Sebas performed for Jason Sudeikis - the Hollywood actor who was in England to film the series Ted Lasso. He also improvised a routine for Roberto Carlos and the Real Madrid board in the middle of the Champions League semi-final. They surprised Juan Magán in Marbella. "I did a bit of a set for him, but the sound didn't get recorded. So I have a terrific trick, but without the sound," Dany says.

Most of these experiences have come about by chance, thanks to word of mouth and their presence on social media. "That's the beauty of magic: you never know who might be on the other side of the deck," they confess. Although they have already won prizes in local competitions, their big goal is Las Vegas. "We would like to participate in Penn & Teller: Fool Us. More than for winning, for the experience of trying to fool two legendary magicians," Sebas says.

In the meantime, they continue to perform on the Costa del Sol, preparing new shows and dreaming of side projects. Dany, who used to work in construction, says that magic saved him from a routine life. Sebas fantasises about opening a themed cocktail bar where the show is on every table. In the end, what distinguishes DGEN Magic is not just technical skill or the ability to go viral. It is the ease with which they perform and share their craft. "Trying to make a living out of what you like is the greatest privilege a person can have," Dany states.

Everything we need to know about them is in that sentence: the passion of two young people who have made Malaga their stage and who, deck in hand, show that magic is not a question of tricks, but of connection. The same connection that brought them together by chance and that today makes their names sound louder and louder, inside and outside theatres.