SOCORRO, N.M.  – Prepare to be totally amazed with a performance group from Japan linking the human body and contemporary technology in a N.M. Tech Performing Arts Series (PAS) event at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at Tech’s Macey Center.

The non-verbal dance performance troupe from Tokyo took as their name SIRO-A, as reflected by the word “siro” which means “white” in Japanese, and the members’ white-painted faces, and have been coined as “Japan’s answer to the Blue Man Group.”

Tech Club Macey will host its second “Schmooze, Booze and Bites” social hour from 6 to 7:30 p.m., featuring an origami workshop by Titia Barham (schmooze), orange margarita & oasis drink special (booze) and Nutso Noodle Bowls (bites). Admission is free to members, $10 for non-members.

The performance coincides with Tech’s annual 49ers celebration, an event that brings together Techies, both former and current, with community participants for a weekend of fun and entertainment.

SIRO-A garnered worldwide attention with their performance on America’s Got Talent’s (AGT’s) 10^th anniversary season after winning the “Golden Buzzer” designation from Piers Morgan and a standing ovation from all notable judges. Any act that receives the golden buzzer during the judges’ auditions is sent directly to the live shows.

Click here to watch a video of SIRO-A performing

“You have to see SIRO-A in person to appreciate their incredible talents,” said PAS Director Ronna Kalish. “These performance artists continue to astound audiences around the country, from America’s Got Talent to a live show at Radio City Music Hall.”

At their performance core is a sensational fusion of high-tech wizardry and human skill incorporating mesmerizing visual effects with synchronized dance and acrobatic movements against a techno soundtrack.

Result is a one-of-a-kind performance sure to generate a buzz of its own.

Their first AGT appearance ended with a standing ovation from Howie Mandell and praise from Howard Stern, two of the four judges, the latter saying he had never seen a mixed media performance done so well.

While missing out on the top prize later in the season, SIRO-A’s fool-the-eye fusion of music and movement earned them AGT guest judge Piers Morgan’s award as Golden Buzzer Winning Act.

It also brought them social media fame.

Exclaimed one online poster: “I’m blown away! I’ve seen a lot of dancers and a lot of people who try to bring together dance and technology, I’ve seen so many of them I’ve started to be bored sometimes, but to me these guys are the next level! They were so precise and in sync, every single move got me!”

“They should’ve won,” wrote another.

One poster described the group’s “retro moves,” referring to elements of break dancing, popping and iconic Michael Jackson moves so artfully rendered that an observer rhetorically asked, “Okay, I can’t be the only one who was confused as to how many people are actually in this video, right?”

“It’s true,” Kalish said. “These young men will dazzle audiences of all ages with their incredible skills, and PAS is delighted to bring them to Socorro and N.M. Tech.”

Sponsors for SIRO-A are the N.M. Tech Graduate Student Association, N.M. Tech Student Government Association, First State Bank, Positive Outcomes Inc., Bodega Burger Company, and N.M. Tech research institutions IRIS-PASSCAL and EMRTC.

Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for youth 17 and under. New Mexico Tech students will be admitted free with their student ID at the door, or can pick up one ticket each at the New Mexico Tech Bookstore.

Tickets also can be purchased online or at the following locations: PAS office, New Mexico Tech Cashier (Fidel Center) and Sofia’s Kitchen. 

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