“Illusionists number 1 in Russia” according to Forbes magazine, winners of the Wizard Trophy prize “For contribution to the genre of world illusion”, winners in the nominations World Best big illusion and “Best illusion show 2017” according to Fashion TV... This is all about them, about illusionists brothers Safronov, who today are known not only in Russia, but also abroad.
Our article will tell you about this unusual creative team, which includes three talented and charismatic siblings.
Ilya Safronov
The eldest of the Safronov brothers was born on April 12, 1977. There was no question about choosing a future profession for Ilya. Since childhood, his mother, who dreamed of becoming an actress in her youth, took her son to a theater club, contributed to the development of creative inclinations, and always encouraged his initiatives. After school, the guy applied to the circus school (to specialize as a juggler), and then entered the Shchepkinsky Theater School, which he successfully graduated from. His course leader was the prominent theater figure Vladimir Safronov, who is the namesake and not a relative of the illusionist brothers.
At the age of 22, Ilya was fascinated by the David Copperfield show to the core. According to him, it was this TV show that predetermined his entire future fate. It was he who came up with the idea of founding a team, which was supported by his younger brothers. Currently, he is not only an artist, but also a producer and director of his own show.
Ilya was never married. Recently, journalists are increasingly discovering him in the company of a girl, but the couple is trying to keep the details of his personal life secret. It is unlikely that it is difficult for one of the best magicians in the country to keep secret what he does not plan to disclose, so there is really little information about Ilya’s plans.
Andrey Safronov
Not all fans of the talent of magicians know that the Safronov brothers Andrei and Sergei were born on the same day (September 30, 1982). They are twins, but they don't look much alike.
Like their older brother, the boys spent a lot of time in all sorts of clubs as children. But while Sergei and Ilya really enjoyed being on stage, Andrei was openly afraid of her. According to him, his mother always helped him cope with complexes and fears. It was thanks to her that he was able to realize his talents and devote his life to his favorite business.
Andrey also graduated from circus school. Afterwards he served in the children's theater of Natalia Bondarchuk. At one time I tried my hand at the advertising business, but still decided to devote my life to magic tricks.
The magician is currently single.
Safronov Andrey Vladimirovich
Illusionist. Together with his brothers he created the famous show “The Safronov Brothers”.
Andrey Safronov was born on September 30, 1982 in Moscow. The boy grew up in a family of military engineers. Andrey has a twin brother, Sergei, and an older brother, Ilya. The brothers' mother once dreamed of becoming an actress in her youth, but the dream remained a dream, so she tried to realize the creative potential of her children, took them to clubs, to castings, the Safronov brothers learned to play the piano.
For several years, twins Sergei and Andrey participated in dubbing stories for the children's film magazine "Yeralash". Behind the scenes, according to Sergei Safronov, the brothers met all the actors who played in Yeralash, and later with the director, Boris Grachevsky. Like Sergei, Andrei participated in school theater productions during his school years.
Andrei Safronov took part in the “Your Own Director” program with a story he shot himself, and at the age of 14 he won the main prize of the year - a car. After graduating from school, Andrei Safronov, like his brothers, entered the school of circus and variety arts. Andrei and his brothers worked in the advertising business, and after graduating from circus school, he worked for seven years as an actor in Natalia Bondarchuk’s children’s theater.
After watching the David Copperfield show, Ilya Safronov became interested in staging stunts at a professional level. Andrey joined him. Their first most difficult trick was staging a fire-show, in particular, the brothers learned “fire breathing.” The brothers learned to “spit fire” in their own entrance.
At first, the Safronov brothers divided duties and areas of responsibility in creativity and staging, but gradually abandoned this approach, Andrei recalls. Previously, we did this: everyone performs stunts, but I was specifically responsible for the music, Sergey was responsible for the script, for emotions during the show, and Ilya was responsible for staging the stunts themselves. Then we decided that everything is easier together. We are helped by a large team of stuntmen and technicians. They suggest the safest way to throw me off the bridge and hang Seryoga upside down in a straitjacket.
Boris Kryuk opened the brothers to the general public, inviting him to the live broadcast of the program “What? Where? When?". The Safronovs demonstrated the number “Burning Alive.” According to Sergei Safronov, they returned home with the feeling that tomorrow they would wake up famous. But sudden fame did not immediately overtake the illusionists; calls with offers did not pour in. The Safronov brothers started by performing stunts at rock concerts. Then the joint development with A. Tsekalo of stunts for the musical “12 Chairs”. Since the same, 2002, the Safronovs have been members of the International Magicians Club in New York.
In 2003, illusionists for Swiss television developed and demonstrated the trick “Teleportation of a person from Geneva to Montreux.” The television career of the Safronov brothers began in 2003 with participation in the program “You are an Eyewitness” with Ivan Usachev: in it, the brothers demonstrated tricks to passers-by on the streets of Moscow.
On the M1 channel, illusionists hosted the “School of Magic” program, where they taught viewers in the studio and at the screens simple tricks and tricks. The Safronovs worked on staging exclusive stunts for various award ceremonies: “Silver Galosh”, “Gameland Award 2005”, the anniversary award of the Russian Radio “Golden Gramophone”.
In 2006, the Safronovs' tricks could be seen at concerts of Russian rock performers: "Surganova and the Orchestra", Alexander Pushnoy, Sergei Shnurov and the Leningrad group.
In 2007, Ilya, Sergei and Andrei Safronov were invited to the show “Battle of Psychics” as observers and skeptics, able to recognize any trick or trick. The Safronovs became permanent co-hosts of the show, participated in the preparation of the tests, offering their own exclusive tasks. So one of the casting tests in each season was conducted by the Safronovs: most often Andrei Safronov hid in one of thirty cars, but he also had to sit in a trash can, in a closet, or in an illusion apparatus.
In 2008, the Euronews channel made a documentary about the illusionist brothers. In January 2009, the Safronov brothers’ original program “Miracle People” was released, in which the brothers not only took part in the stunts themselves, but also attracted stars and random passers-by. In 2011, together with the Zapashny brothers, they performed on the stage of the MCA Luzhniki with the show “Legend”.
In 2012, filming of the Safronovs’ show “Ukraine of Miracles” began, which takes place in different cities of Ukraine. That same year, on Russian television, the Safronov brothers revealed the secrets of many tricks, following in the footsteps of David Copperfield.
At the beginning of 2020, the show “Empire of Illusions: The Safronov Brothers” started on STS, in which the brothers not only competed with each other in the art of illusions, but also recruited students - TV, film and business stars. Each episode of the show consisted of two rounds, each of which featured three unique performances from the brothers and their star charges.
In 2020, the Safronov brothers released their own show, “The Investigation is Conducted by a Wizard.” It was a huge success. On the eve of the premiere, all tickets were sold out. The performance was attended by 60 thousand spectators. At the end of 2020, Andrey and his brothers prepared a fantastic New Year's show, “The Secret of the Three Planets.”
29.09.2018
Sergey Safronov
When talking about his childhood, Sergei always mentions that he dreamed of becoming a wizard. But it was not magic that helped him become famous, but determination, hard work and imagination.
Together with his brother Andrey, he took his first steps on television as a child, voicing Yeralash and starring in the TV magazine Fitil. After graduating from the same circus school, Sergei served at the Sovremennik Theater.
Perhaps he is the most recognizable of all the Safronov brothers. Sergei’s biography is connected with television: he often takes part in the filming of various shows, acts as a presenter, and acts in films. In 2012, he took part in the show “Island”, won and received a prize of 12 million rubles.
On the set of the series “Miracle People,” Sergei met a woman with whom he decided to tie his fate. The wedding took place in 2011, and Maria subsequently gave birth to a son and daughter. But the lovers’ happiness did not last long; in 2020, Maria announced a divorce.
Currently, Sergei is in a relationship with Katya Guseva, whom he also met on the next set. His girlfriend works in the same field, she is a producer. So far the couple has not made loud statements about plans for the future.
Biography of Sergei Safronov
One of the twin brothers, Sergei, was born in 1982. Serezha says that as a child he dreamed of becoming a wizard. Not all dreams come true. However, this is not about the Safronov brothers. Whether it’s magic or determination is unknown. Sergei became almost a real wizard. How he managed this, read below.
Sergei Safronov: photo
The appearance of Sergei on the big screen is not at all connected with magic. The guy voiced Yeralash together with his brother. At first, the brothers voiced the issues for five years. After that, they starred there together in several episodes.
In addition, Sergei starred in the film magazine “Fitil”. After graduating from school, the young man entered a circus school. Then he worked at the Sovremennik Theater for more than 7 years.
Fans of Sergei Vladimirovich Safronov are interested in how the star is doing with his personal life. Unfortunately, the young man’s heart has been occupied for a long time. Thanks to the opportunity to act in various television programs, Sergei was able to find his soulmate. On the set of the “Wonder People” program, the guy met a charming girl, Marina. They began an affair. Sergei has never been a flighty person. Relationships are a very serious thing for him.
Sergei Safronov on the set of the program “Battle of Psychics”
Maria and Sergei tied the knot in 2011. The year before, their daughter was born. However, this is not the only child in the Safronov family. He also has a son. He was born at the end of 2011.
Sergei was the last to join his brother illusionists. The young man says that at first he and his brothers created almost all the props themselves right at home.
No one helped the guys except their parents. Naturally, working in such conditions was quite difficult. Nevertheless, they coped with this, thanks to which the Safronov brothers are now known not only in Russia, but also abroad.
Sergei Safronov with his wife and daughter
The brothers managed to gain fame thanks to the program “What? Where? When?". This was back in 2002. The illusionists, who were just beginning at that time, presented the number “Burn Alive” to the audience. The day after the program aired, the brothers expected job offers to pour in. But this did not happen.
Not many people know that the Safronov brothers were involved in working on stunts for the musical “12 Chairs.”
First steps
As we already know, Ilya became the initiator. And, oddly enough, Andrei supported him, but Sergei also did not doubt for long and joined the brothers. The first spectators who had the opportunity to admire the tricks were the parents. The brothers said more than once that they saw only support and approval from their mother and father, and therefore they grew up as self-confident, balanced people, inspired by faith in their own strengths.
Soon the experiments went beyond the boundaries of their home... into the entrance. It was on the staircase that the first experiments with fire took place.
The guys, who by that time had a specialized education, were not afraid to experiment, invented new tricks, and trained for a long time.
Creative path
The “discovery” was made by the host of the “What? Where? When?" Boris Kryuk. It was at his invitation that the brothers first showed their work to the audience.
Success was not long in coming. The Safronov brothers began to receive invitations to various shows, worked as directors, and did stunts and special effects.
In 2007, already quite famous, they were invited to the show “Battle of Psychics” as experts. 2011 was marked by an enchanting performance at Luzhniki together with the Zapashny brothers. The following year they created their own grandiose program “Wonderarium”, with which they traveled not only to Russia, but also to neighboring countries. The show “Empire of Illusions” by the Safronov brothers, according to experts, attracted about 25 million viewers. Its main feature was a kind of battle in which the brothers competed with each other for the first time.
These days the guys aren't even going to stop. Their performances attract full houses, and those who do not have the opportunity to attend concerts follow the Safronovs’ work at the screens.
The history of the show[ | ]
The Safronov brothers have acting and directing education. How illusionists have been working since 2002. For the first time, their work was revealed to the whole country by the host of the “What? Where? When?" Boris Kryuk. Then a series of programs with their participation was broadcast on Channel One[2].
On October 19, 2002, the Safronovs took part in the concert of UDO (Accept) and DORO (Warlock) at the international rock festival in Luzhniki.
Together with Alexander Tsekalo they developed stunts for the musical “12 Chairs”.
In 2003, the Safronov brothers developed and demonstrated an exclusive trick “Teleportation of a man from Geneva to Montreux” for Swiss television, produced by Boris Krasnov.
At the Moscow Youth Palace, illusionists organized the unexpected appearance of Svetlana Surganova at her concert dedicated to the new album “Ships”.
In the same year, a permanent column was launched in the weekly program “Eyewitness” with Ivan Usachev, in which the Safronov brothers demonstrated their tricks to ordinary passers-by on the streets of Moscow throughout the year.
On the TV channel, the Safronov brothers had a section “School of Magic,” where they taught viewers the simplest and most effective tricks.
Together with Alexander Tsekalo, they developed illusionary tricks for the annual Silver Galosh music awards ceremony.
In the same year, the Safronovs were invited to present an award at the annual Gameland Award 2005 ceremony (MTV Channel).
In 2005, Russian Radio turned to the Safronov brothers for help in preparing and performing illusionary tricks for the 10th anniversary Golden Gramophone award, which was held in the Moscow Kremlin.
In 2006, the Safronov brothers accompanied with their numbers a number of musical concerts: the St. Petersburg concert “Surganova and the Orchestra”, the first solo rock concert of Alexander Pushny, the concert of Sergei Shnurov, the group “Leningrad”, and others.
In 2007, the Safronov brothers were invited to co-host Mikhail Porechenkov in the new reality show “Battle of Psychics” on the TNT channel.
In January 2009, a television project by the Safronov brothers was launched - a 17-episode film about magic and illusion “Miracle People”, where they demonstrate their abilities to people on the streets of different Russian cities.
In 2011, together with the Zapashny brothers, they performed on the stage of the Luzhniki MCA with the show “Legend”, which combined the strength and resources of the Zapashny Brothers Circus with the capabilities of illusionists.
Since 2012, Channel One has been running a column in Ivan Okhlobystin’s program “First Class,” where they reveal the secrets of some tricks[2].
They created a new illusion show “Miraclesarium”, with which they gave 24 concerts in Moscow in 10 days, after which they visited various cities in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus.
In 2012, the Ukrainian channel (New Channel) broadcast the original illusion TV show “Ukraine of Miracles” lasting 10 episodes, and soon began filming 2 seasons lasting 14 episodes.
In 2013, they also presented their new show “Teleport”, with which they gave 38 concerts in Moscow from December 26 to January 8, 2014.
In 2014, the best illusionists in Russia, the Safronov brothers, were invited to take part in the show “The Snow King” by Evgeni Plushenko, produced by Yana Rudkovskaya and Evgeniy Filkinshtein. The show was watched by more than 165,000 people.
In 2020, the Safronov brothers released the television show “Empire of Illusions,” which they developed together with Nautilius Media specifically for the STS TV channel. For the first time, the Safronov brothers “fought” against each other! The program was watched by more than 25 million people.
In 2020, they took part in the show “Park” on Channel One, where they showed Harry Houdini’s most famous tricks.
In the summer of 2020, the Safronovs’ work was appreciated by their foreign colleagues. At the international festival “Wizard Trophy” the Safronov brothers won in the “World Best big illusion 2015” category and also received the award “For their contribution to the genre of world illusion”. Consultant of the world association of magicians FISM Domenico Dante, who was part of the jury, noted that the production of the Safronov brothers amazed him and it was truly worthy of the international level.
In September 2020, they presented the show “Empire of Illusions” at the Crocus City Hall concert hall. The main magic show in the country, which successfully launched on the STS TV channel. “Empire of Illusions” is the classic and completely new tricks of the Safronov Brothers in a grandiose production by the best directors, choreographers, artists and costume designers of our country.
And in December 2020, the New Year's family fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland" was released to the audience, in which not only brothers took part, but also guest stars - the winner of the children's show "The Voice" Alisa Kozhikina, and the role of the Jack of Hearts was played by the famous singer Vlad Topalov , who also acted as the musical producer of the performance. More than 12,000 spectators came to watch the show.
Needless to say [ is worth
], that 2016-2017 were devoted to touring and preparation for the first serious step in the work of the Safronov Brothers, which happened the following year on New Year’s Eve.
In 2017-2018, the Safronov Brothers released their first independent illusion show, a fairy tale. Without the help of sponsors, producers and directors, the brothers took risks in creating the show. But the risks were not in vain. Already a week before the premiere of the show, all tickets were sold out. And two more concerts were added, which were also sold out. As a result, the show “The Investigation is Conducted by a Wizard” was seen by over 60 thousand viewers, which completely paid for the show. 32 shows, 4 shows per day “The investigation is led by a wizard. Safronov Brothers" became the best-selling show of 2017-2018.
In January 2020, the Safronov brothers set a world record for levitating seven people.
Scandals, intrigues, investigations
In Ivan Okhlobystin’s program “First Class,” the brothers talked about behind the scenes, shared with the viewer some secrets of their craft, and revealed the secrets of famous tricks. They said that miracles do not exist, everything depends on dexterity and preparation, and the world of magic tricks is full of illusions. The Safronov brothers were never afraid to speak openly about their work, speaking not only from the position of creators and high-class professionals, but partly also from the position of researchers who are interested in discovering new and unknown things, and then sharing their discoveries with others.
But this approach was sharply criticized by “colleagues.” Magicians and illusionists condemned such frankness, reproached the brothers for cheap PR, and even called on viewers to boycott the Safronovs’ show.
But, as we see, nothing like that happened. The brothers do not position themselves as sorcerers or magicians, and do not try to deceive anyone. They continue to put on a great show that arouses constant interest among fans of their talent.
