An act Howie calls the “best quick change artist we’ve seen” dazzled the Judges with her “unique” magic. 

Magic is very much alive on the America’s Got Talent stage! Quick-change artist Solange Kardinaly enchanted the audience with her incredible Act.

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Performing to the tune of Madonna’s “Material Girl,” Kardinaly went on the shopping spree of our dreams, magically changing into one strapless dress after the next with a quick nod or flick of the wrist. And perhaps the biggest trick of all: she made money appear out of thin air, something we’re sure everyone wishes they could do.

Quick change magician Solange Kardinaly’s AGT audition

Kardinaly was a ball of energy as she began her performance in a blue dress and baseball cap, with a bland blue purse propped on some nearby luggage. She flicked a bright red scarf toward the purse, and voila! It’s red. Then, a simple nod of her head turned her dress and hat scarlet before our eyes. Apparently not content with the color palette, Kardinaly waved shimmery gold cloth in front of her body, and her dress instantly changed to gold.

In another over-the-top trick that puzzled the audience, the magician grabbed a dress wrapped in clear plastic with a “for sale” sign on it. With a flick of her wrist, we saw Kardinaly suddenly wearing the dress, and in a clever detail, the sign had changed to “sold out.”

If only all shopping sprees were this easy.

“That was Magic,” Simon Cowell quipped.

After instantly transforming three rectangles of hot pink fabric into another fabulous outfit, she turned her attention to the finale. Fueled by her infectious enthusiasm, it was truly a show-stopper. A white dress placed in a gold frame hung above the stage seemingly as part of the décor. But when Kardinaly pointed to the dress, it burst into hundreds of feathers that floated down around the magician, revealing her new outfit: a lacey white gown.

Solange Kardinaly appears on America’s Got Talent Season 19 Episode 3 “Auditions 3”. Photo: Trae Patton/NBC

Who is Solange Kardinaly?

Solange comes from a family of magicians. She is a third-generation performer in a circus family hailing from Portugal, learning the tricks of the trade from her father and grandfather. It’s no surprise magic is practically second nature to Kardinaly, who made her debut on Portuguese television when she was seven. By the age of ten, she was winning magic tournaments, and by her teen years, she had reportedly perfected her dove routine.

But it was the art of the quick-change illusion that became her passion, and she went on to wow audiences around the globe in theatres, cabarets, and circuses. Her husband, Arkadio José Jiménez Rodríguez (known simply as Arkadio), is also an illusionist, naturally, and the two have dedicated years to creating their routines. All the hard work paid off in 2023 when the duo earned a Guinness World Record for most costume change illusions in one minute. On the set of ‘Lo Show Dei Record’ in Milan, Italy, she changed a dizzying 25 times.

What did the Judges say about Solange’s Act?

The Judges were astonished at every turn. Heidi Klum described her quick-change abilities as “beautiful.”

“It was really amazing,” Sophia Vergara agreed, “You look beautiful, professional. It was entertaining. I want to see more.”

“The mixture of magic and your performance made it so much more special,” said Howie Mandel. After complimenting her unique approach to magic, Howie admitted, “You’re the best quick-change artist we’ve seen.”

Cowell heaped praise on the magician. “Sometimes when we have these acts, you have the lady who does the quick change and then an annoying guy who does nothing. The fact that you’re on your own and did it for me made it just so much better. It was so slick, and you’ve got two minutes to cram that in. That was amazing,” he said.