Thursday, March 29, 2007 Older Editions

Under his spell: Youth Council's Cinco de Hypno show mesmerizes crowd

By April Guilmet

Some pirouetted across the Old Town Hall stage like prima ballerinas. Others rubbed their noses together like kissing Eskimos.

Fortunately for them, the stars of this show won't likely recall their performances any time soon. That's because all 15 or so Andover teens were under the spell of Connecticut-based hypnotist Jim Spinnato.

Last Friday night, local youths lined up along the sidewalk for a chance to watch their friends' hypnotic hijinks, though many seemed hesitant at first to go into a trance themselves.

"I don't think I'd be able to be hypnotized," said Andover High junior Hannah Hastings. "I have way too much control."

Meanwhile, freshmen Chiara Raponi and Amanda Wells said they wouldn't want to be hypnotized and didn't really know what to expect of the evening's performance.

Andover High senior Tommy Doucette said he might consider getting hypnotized. "But I don't know yet," he added.

Others had attended previous hypnotist shows that Andover Youth Services had sponsored in previous years.

"I've seen it before, people are running all over the place," said Andover High senior Sarah Hempstead. "It's crazy."

A comedian and magician for more than two decades, Spinnato said he hypnotizes people purely for entertainment purposes.

Following an impromptu charades performance by members of the Andover Youth Council and a comedy skit by Boston-based comedian Kristian Williams, Spinnato took to the stage, crystal ball in hand.

After assuring the crowd that it was "impossible" for someone to be hypnotized and not wake up afterwards, members of the sold-out crowd rose to their feet to see if they could determine who would fall into a trance first.

Spinnato asked the audience to raise their arms and close their eyes.

"Imagine a 100-pound bowling ball in your left hand, and a helium balloon in your right," he said, slowly counting down as the room remained silent.

In the end, 15 volunteers were invited to take a seat onstage. Spinnato instructed them to stare into his crystal ball, close their eyes and take deep breaths.

"Feel how heavy your eyes are he said, slowly counting down. "Feel the heaviness travel down your face, your fingertips, your stomach..." he said. "You are now in a deep, deep sleep."

Gradually, the handful of students fell under Spinnato's spell. But the fun was just beginning.

Participants were then submitted to a series of embarassing moments. Such as the word banana causing students to believe the person sitting next to them was goosing them. Or making their noses feel remarkably like Silly Putty.

"Now touch each other's noses," Spinnato said, prompting some of the students to "Eskimo kiss."

"It feels pretty good, doesn't it?" Spinnato asked, while Andover High students Corey Desjardins and Santi Costello butted noses with apparent delight.

He handed them balloons. "When I snap the knot, that balloon becomes like Super Glue in your hands," he said.

Soon, three teens were indeed "stuck" to the balloons, causing peals of laughter to ring from the audience.

Other cues caused the teens to answer their shoes like cellphones or to believe the person sitting next to them smelled especially appealing - or particularly flatulent - depending on the cue word.

The grand finale came when each student was given a song to dance to. Tristian Shannon performed his own rendition of Shania Twain's I Feel Like A Woman, frolicking out into the audience, while others were convinced they were ballet dancers, female bodybuilders, supermodels or cast members of Grease.

Only one volunteer failed to fall under Spinnato's spell and was asked to leave the stage.

Spinnato chalked it up to lack of concentration.

"As long as you concentrate, you can be hypnotized," he said.