SIRO-A

Back in 2002 a group of friends in a Japanese High School had the bright idea to combine the best of Japanese game culture in a performing arts troupe.  Fifteen years later SIRO-A has an international following and the group is appearing in Australia for the first time.

It’s best described as a high energy dance video projection act. Techno music performed live is co-ordinated with flashy coloured lights, video mapping and cheesy dance moves. SIRO is (I am told) the Japanese word for white. It is the blank canvass for the production, which resembles a kaleidoscope.

The act is brilliantly co-ordinated with the music, giving it a sense of fun and spontaneity. Audience participation is taken to a new level with a member of the troupe videoing patrons and projecting their image onto the big screen.

At the beginning of the show 32 members of the audience are asked to volunteer to have their photo taken on an I-Phone. Each is asked to pose with a different outlook.  During the finale these poses were choreographed into their own unique dance ovation. 

The small troupe of five performers and two musicians display genuine warmth. We could forgive their tremulous attempts at English – which might have better been trimmed to squeeze in some more music.

If you have a child who spends too much time playing  computer games this could be the perfect inspiration to get them up and moving. At just over an hour it will not stretch those even with short attention spans.

David Spicer

Photographer: James O'Connor