You are getting de-stressed; very, very de-stressed...

Mike Alberti Assistant Life Editor

On May 8, the last day of classes, Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE) will give Vassar students a unique way to blow off some steam. Sailesh, an R-rated hypnotist, will perform on the second floor of the Students’ Building at 9 p.m. Sailesh will take willing volunteers from the audience, put them in a hypnotic trance and then do anything from giving them an orgasm by shaking their hands to making them speak Chinese.

ViCE special events executive Liz Gardner ’09 said that each of Sailesh’s performances is tailored to a specific audience. “He can do anything from a PG-rated show to an X-rated show,” said Gardner. “For the Vassar crowd, we thought that R-rated would be best.”

“I think it’s perfect for Vassar,” said ViCE publicity executive Rudy Martinez ’09. “It’s better than a cheesy hypnotist who just makes people talk to a broom or something.”

According to his Web site, www.sailesh.ca, Sailesh is the “busiest hypnotist on the planet,” performing between five and six shows a week. He comes equipped with his own DJ and begins with an evolving standup routine that “get[s] the crowd in the right frame of mind for the evening.”

Though there will be no nudity at the show, Sailesh may make the volunteers from the audience believe that they are having passionate sex while they are in the hypnotic trance. He may make them relive their most memorable sexual experience, or believe that they are kissing a celebrity of their choice. “He won’t go farther than the audience wants him to, but then again, this is Vassar, right?” said Gardner.

Opening for Sailesh will be Roderick Russell, a performer who is part mentalist, part hypnotist and part sword-swallower.

Both Sailesh and Russell will be giving teaser performances on campus the day of the show, performing magic tricks or hypnotism on students they meet in the College Center or All College Dining Center.

“It’s a lot different than something we generally see, and it’s just totally silly and fun,” said Martinez. “A couple years ago, they brought in a sideshow act with another sword-swallower, balloon animals, and glass eating and stuff like that,” said Gardner. “It was really popular on campus, so we wanted to do another magic-hypnotist show on campus, but with a twist.”

“We’re trying to make people aware that it is an R-rated hypnotist,” said Martinez. “Everyone should come aware that there will be a certain amount of shock-value.”