David Maas, half of the husband-and-wife duo Quick Change, died Nov. 22 from Covid-19. He was 57. Halftimes across the NBA never will be the same.
David and his wife Dania started their act in 1996 and rose to prominence following their appearance on “America’s Got Talent” in 2006. They appeared at numerous New Orleans Pelicans games as part of their travels around the NBA and college basketball with their last performance at the Smoothie King Center on Nov. 17, 2019.
The act was simple, silly, and fun. For seven minutes the pair would sashay around the basketball court, making one grand gesture after another, using large pieces of fabric to conceal Dania’s outfit change, the swap happening in seconds. In their last performance in New Orleans Dania even changed her hair color from brunette to blonde. Their background in the circus and magic world was evident with their showmanship, the outsized movements and props used to distract from the secrets of their show.
In this Tik Tok era of instant entertainment being delivered to your phone in 15-second vertical bursts faster than you can scroll, Quick Change harkened to a simpler, slower, more horizontal time when we were willing to wait for the payoff, the big reveal, the climactic change usually being performed to the theme song from “Rocky.”
But even though everyone in attendance had seen their act, fans stayed in their seats, eyes up, to watch David and Dania perform. They were part of the upper echelon of halftime performers, on the Mount Rushmore with the majestic Red Panda, the ZOOperstars and the Simon Says dude.
In a way, these halftime acts represent what 2020 has been like. One dizzying change after another, with numerous bowls being tossed at our head as we try to catch and keep our balance on the unicycle, swaying back and forth.
No definitive announcement has been made on whether the NBA will allow performers to take to the basketball court at halftime this season, but it seems unlikely in this Covid world we’re living in. It’s fitting in a way that if David and Dania cannot take the court this season that no one will step in to take their spot in the traveling circus of halftime acts.
The final curtain has dropped, the last change has been made. Take a bow. We’ll miss you.
