Techno Circus

Japan’s SIRO-A brings Techno Circus to Adelaide for this year’s OzAsia Festival. It’s an hour of human agility and ability interacting with state-of-the-art technology, all choreographed to a thumping techno soundtrack. Techno Circus in many ways defies classification despite the show’s title. It has elements of dance, acrobatics, physical theatre, puppetry, clowning, mime, shadow play, sleight of hand and magic, all combined with mind-boggling visual effects.

Dressed in white vinyl jumpsuits the performers Kawashima, Daiki, Yu-ki and Yohei also become wearers of the projected imagery that is integral to Techno Circus. Using white placards and boxes to great effect, they dance, juggle and sometimes struggle with the images that are bombarded at them. The physical precision of the performers is impressive and without it the show would be far less breathtaking.

The show, directed by Cocoona and backed by a strong team of AV programmers and operators, is a series of vignettes. At one point a performer interacts with a ball which takes on a persona of its own, in another a hole becomes the focal point for the action. A favourite sketch involved the re-creation of a number of well-known corporate logos using nothing more than the performers’ colourfully lycra-clad bodies and some clever projections.

The dancers are often dancing with videos of themselves, which provides a fascinating phantasm. The timing required to be able to dance with other bodies, both those of flesh and blood, as well as the projected is to be admired. The visually stunning psychedelic rainbow dance sequences are reminiscent of the much lower tech Amii Stewart video “Knock on Wood” from 1979.

Some of the most beguiling pieces in the show involve the use of sleight of hand, where elements of the projected image become real three-dimensional objects and then morph back into the projection, leaving the audience in awe.

The finale incorporates photographs of audience members taken in the auditorium before commencement of the show and leaves us with a jubilant message of equality, peace and harmony.

This is a fun and fast-paced show suitable for everyone, from the very young to the very old.  A word of warning however, it is loud! If you have small children or sensitive ears pack the earplugs.

Jenny Fewster