KAYLA BROWN
Staff Writer
Considering his catch phrase, “I slept with Kevin Hurley,” many VWC students put under his spell can now claim that they too have “slept” with a hypnotist.
Sophomore Maurice Reed was one of the few who saw Hurley’s magic tricks before the show. “[Hurley’s tricks were] crazy, unpredictable and funny,” said Reed.
Reed could not wait to see the actual show, especially since it was his first time seeing Kevin Hurley perform. One of his favorite tricks was when Hurley made a card signed by a student appear in a little wooden box. Reed was blown away by Hurley’s tricks and wanted to see more.
Sophomore Mike Washington also witnessed Hurley’s entertaining pre-show performance.Unlike Reed, Washington had seen Hurley hypnotize some of our fellow Marlins previously. One of his favorite parts about the show is seeing people do crazy things that they normally would never do.
“I’m looking forward to it, and getting a good laugh from the things they do,” said Washington. Little did he know that he would later become one of the few who was hypnotized
during the show.
The lights began to dim, music started playing, and the crowd knew
it was show time. Hurley came out on the stage filled with excitement, and found ways to pump up the crowd.
Students were quickly raising their hands, jumping out of their seats and
rushing to the front to claim their seats to have the opportunity to get hypnotized by Hurley. He had about 15 students on the stage, and the only thing left for Hurley to do was to try to put them all under a hypnosis.
Hurley gave participants breathing exercises and said things to help them use their imagination. Even with Hurley’s preparation, there were a few students who could not undergo hypnosis.
Sophomore Courtney Gwin was one of the few who did not completely go through with the transition.
“I think it’s because I was trying too hard to use my imagination,” said Gwin.
She thought she felt it working at first, but then realized the hypnosis did not last much longer. Despite this, Gwin states she would definitely be willing to try it again.
For the rest of the participants, after the transition, they were finally under hypnosis. Viewers saw people sitting on the edge of their seats, laughing with their phones out, while they recorded their friends on stage. Hurley’s activities for hypnotized participants included pretending they were wild animals fighting, spotting their crush as they walk through the door at a club, being pilots and one
individual gave birth with the help of two other hypnotized students.
Junior Jules Whitehurst was hypnotized throughout the entire show.
“I remember almost all of it. I knew what was going on,” said Whitehurst.
Hurley described Whitehurst as the kind of participant who was fully hypnotized, yet could still remember huge parts of what happened throughout the show.
“This was my first time doing something like this, but I really enjoyed it,” said Whitehurst.
He remembers being able to pet his imaginary pet lizard, which he named Reximus. One of his favorite parts was breakdancing in the dance battle.
This show was an unforgettable experience, especially for those who have never seen anything like this. Freshman Vanessa Smith was left speechless by Hurley’s performance.
“I died laughing! I loved it,” said Smith. She had seen videos of people under hypnosis, but she had never seen it in person until Hurley’s show.
A dance competition, which featured both Whitehurst and Washington battling each other, was one of her favorite moments.
“I enjoyed seeing everyone’s real dance moves, as well as their true colors,” said Smith.
Other spectators agree with Smith’s response.
“The show went beyond my expectations,” said freshman Gabriella Ayala. “[And] there’s a possibility that I would do it next year.”
Even a few individuals who have previously been hypnotized by Hurley decided to come out to see his show. Sophomore Dionna Foxx was hypnotized by Hurley during his show last year.
“One of the things I liked about being hypnotized was that I knew what was going on, but I couldn’t control my actions. At the same time it was weird,” said Foxx.
Foxx enjoyed being a part of the show last year, but decided to sit back and watch some of her
fellow Marlins on stage this year. One of her favorite parts was when Washington gave birth to a baby boy and did not know what to name him. Even though Foxx was part of the show last year, she was intrigued to see what the students were going to do next.
Hurley definitely kept the audience on their toes, and the students kept him on his.
“I’ve never had a person who was hypnotized fall completely off the stage,” said Hurley.
This year he had just that. Hurley admits that this was the best show he has ever had at VWC and he would love to come back.
