David and Dania Maas, Glenview
R
ussian born Dania Kaseeva Maas was not destined to marry the boy next door. A secondgeneration circus performer, Dania had made her way to the U.S. and was performing her award-winning hulahoop act with The Big Apple Circus in 1991 when a singing ringmaster, David Maas, captured her attention. In her strong Russian accent she confides that the first time she saw him she felt, “there is nothing this man can’t do.” Her head lilts as she smiles from the corner of her eyes, like a shy school girl caught passing love notes. The now world-famous quick-change act they created was born of their desire for permanence between them.
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february 2012
makeitbetter.net
“We knew that if we didn’t work as a team, we’d always be traveling away from one another,” David explains. So they wove their talents into a show like no other. “A Magical Transformation” is the trademarked name for the quickchange act that has brought them fame as “America’s Got Talent” contestants; NBA, NFL and NHL halftime performers; and most recently as trainers for Katy Perry, who they taught to change costumes mid-song, without leaving the stage. Their home is a monument to all that they have created together; every room is flanked with photos of the couple with powerful leaders and celebrities from around the world. In Dubai,