On April 1st, comic hypnotist Frank Santos Jr. will return to WA for another performance in the Performing Arts Center. He combines both comedy and hypnotism to entertain the masses and, by taking volunteers to be hypnotized, he allows the audience to become part of the show.

Several years ago, Rogers needed a spring fundraiser for DECA but, while hosting dances was a popular option, he wanted something different.

“We’ve tried comedians before, we’ve tried music things, but the hypnotist stuck. People had fun. It’s always a different show and it works out really well,” said Rogers.

The hypnotist show is held in order to assist in decreasing the cost of transportation and residency for the 30 to 40 students competing in Nashville this coming April. The students will rival against competitors from around the world.

For the price of seven dollars, Santos hypnotizes willing participants into a trance and engages them in comedic skits he has prepared beforehand.

“Not everyone can  get hypnotized, but people who [are more susceptible and] believe in that sort of thing are more easily swayed by the [hypnotism],” said DECA advisor, John Rogers.

According to Rogers, Santos’ shows are enjoyable for people of all ages.  Last year there was an influx of people from the elementary and middle schools who went to see the show. Rogers expects the tickets to be sold out this year as families have already contacted him to book tickets beforehand in order to guarantee their spots.

“[There were] a whole bunch of minivans [that] showed up [last year] with little ones pouring out. It’s real funny for everybody, all ages to see that you don’t do anything you wouldn’t [normally do or] that would harm you,” said Rogers. “Only [problem] with that is there are 850 seats in the PAC and last year we had 650 [of them] filled.”

The DECA students and advisors spent an entire week promoting the show. Rogers states that planning for the event itself is a three to four week process. They created videos for WABC, printed tickets, and passed out flyers, 3000 of which were sent down to the middle schools, for the function. Tickets will be sold during lunch in the cafeteria and also by individual DECA students.

“[My favorite part of the event] is when it’s all over, and everyone had a real good time and the thank you’s are coming at me when they’re walking out the door.  And [when] everything runs well,” said Rogers. “There’s so much planning involved that you want to make sure from the beginning to the end that everything works out well.”