Do you believe in hypnosis? Well, professional hypnotist — and Drake look-alike — Chris Jones acknowledges that many don’t believe in the practice and prefaces his act by saying, “I encourage you all to be skeptical!”
He visited the University of Connecticut’s Waterbury campus on Monday and became an instant sensation. Jones has been featured on numerous shows including America’s Got Talent, famously hypnotizing Howie Mandel in 2015.
“I sure as hell have a pocket watch, and someone is going night night,” announced an excited Jones.
After selecting nine volunteers from the student audience, Jones managed to make two fall asleep, and from then on, they were completely entranced. The hypnotized volunteers sang and danced, even being hypnotically suggested to believe that Jones was actually Drake. They were so excited that “Drake” was there in person that they pulled out their phones and even got teary. Nobody in the room could stop laughing.
But Jones did not solely perform for entertainment; he performed to highlight academic services as well. Holding a textbook on psychology loaned from the UConn Waterbury Library, Jones flipped through and read a brief section about hypnotism; he was sneaking in plugs for resources on campus.
Students were thrilled to see the show.
“It was very exciting and lively, I wasn’t there the whole time, but I enjoyed the moment!” said Suleymar Dominguez, an eighth-semester student at UConn Waterbury.
“I didn’t initially believe in hypnotism, but the event was fun and convinced me!” mentioned second-semester student Nick Ho.
The event was a tremendous success, and Jones brought an energy to the campus that has been much-needed before a stressful finals week. As Jones acknowledged in the conclusion of his act, the UConn Waterbury Associated Student Government (ASG) is responsible for bringing such exciting entertainment and events to the campus.
The event was put together by the ASG under the leadership of Nathan Emery and the student-led senate; those involved in organizing the event can be found on the club’s “Meet the Senate” page.
Don’t fret if you missed the hypnotist! The ASG is planning several more events before the end of the semester, including axe throwing and a food truck on Tuesday, as well as a Spring Festival on Thursday, April 27. All upcoming events can be found on the UConn ASG events calendar.
