While many UW-Madison students think they could not be convinced that they are Michael Jackson or that they are in a kissing contest with the Olsen twins or Oprah Winfrey, Master Hypnotist Jim Wand did just that Friday night at the Wisconsin Union Theater as part of Wisconsin Welcome.
Some of Wand's former hypnosis recipients include Sylvester Stallone, Michael Jordan, George Strait and Jeff Probst, host of Survivor.
Friday, approximately 22 UW-Madison students were chosen at random from the audience to go on stage and be hypnotized. As they stared at a flashing light in the middle of the stage while listening to Wand's voice, they slowly underwent the process of hypnosis. With Wand's touch of the hand, the students fell into a deep hypnotic sleep. Some remained upright in their chairs while others fell to the ground or toppled onto the person beside them.
Audience members said they remained captivated throughout the entire show, especially when Wand had four students convinced they were judges on \American Idol."" The remaining students believed they were famous singers, such as Shania Twain, N'Sync, Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles.
Shania's routine of ""Man, I Feel Like A Woman,"" performed by UW-Madison freshman Matthew Braun, received a tremendous uproar from the crowd as he sauntered down stage swinging his hips and dancing to the rhythm.
At one point, Wand had the students win the car of their dreams at a Las Vegas casino. As they simulated driving at 160 mph, they were told a cop had pulled them over and wanted a reason for their speeding. Some of the students' responses included, ""I had Subway for lunch"" and ""I got my period.""
Additionally, the hypnotized students believed they were watching a pornographic film starring their parents and one girl believed a balloon man was her celebrity crush,Enrique Iglesias.
After the show, many of the hypnosis volunteers said they did not recall anything they did while on stage.
UW-Madison freshman Korin Saal said she remembered being frightened and experiencing many emotions. When she was shown a Polaroid picture taken of her dancing on stage, she was shocked.
""I don't remember it,"" she laughed.
Braun, the Shania Twain starlet, was hypnotized once before and described it as a dreamlike experience.
""It feels like you're sleepwalking,"" he said. ""The more you're doing stuff, the happier you feel.""
According to Wand, it is possible for anyone to be hypnotized. He said the craziest parts of the shows are when ""something happens unexpectedly.""
He commented on how most volunteers were freshmen and how much their personalities came to life throughout the performance.
""A lot of people on stage tonight had confidence,"" Wand said. ""That didn't really surprise m;, it impressed me.\
