Who: Sailesh the Hypnotist
Where: The Boot Pub
When: Saturday, Jan. 18
Look deep into this page, very deeply. You’re getting sleepy aren’t you. Listen to yourself breathe, block out everything around you and relax. Now repeat after me: It’s time to cast off the shackles of social acceptance and enter an uninhibited atmosphere where carefree comedy reigns supreme.
You have just entered the world according to Sailesh, The Uncensored Hypnotist. The big man of mind control calls his show "the most fun you’ll ever have with your clothes on," and promises to take us all "on a journey into the exotic, erotic and sometimes psychotic."
That’s a big call for Whistler party people, not known for their shyness, but these types around us could make this gig an interesting night not to miss.
"The best people to hypnotise are the very creative, the very open, people who want to have a good time," said Sailesh.
Volunteering victims or guests, depending on how you view hypnotism, will be led through a series of adult scenarios for the audience’s enjoyment.
"I change it all the time to suit the crowd, but expect to witness or experience what it would be like if you were ever caught cheating, what you would do if you were a sex therapist and if your chair was your lover," he laughed.
This illusionary artist obviously still enjoys what he does – seven years and hundreds of shows around the world later.
"Oh very much so. I am still amazed at what the mind holds. I still get surprised by what people can do. Some reactions are incredible," he said.
The Calgary-raised Sailesh was once himself a non-believer in the power of hypnotism but a night out with the boys from his football team turned the shy but burley nightclub bouncer into a ballerina. In nothing but a tutu, Sailesh gracefully danced for the crowd.
"I was totally under a spell and was hooked from that day on. I spent the next three years researching the craft and learning from the best of the best," he said.
The secret to success for Sailesh is in his mantra of controlled mayhem.
"I am very aware of each person’s weaknesses and know where to draw the line. I am especially careful with what I do with women. They’re not going to get naked or anything," he said.
Good to know Sailesh, but that still leaves a lot of room for experimentation if you dare.
Whether you want to partake in the parade onstage or watch from the floorboards below, catch Sailesh’s extreme hypnotika at the Boot Pub for $8 in advance or $10 at the door from 8 p.m.
