SOCORRO, N.M.  – A dazzling blend of Bollywood film, dance and music unfolds on the N.M. Tech Macey Center stage at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, when Taj Express brings its sumptuous show to town in a Performing Arts Series (PAS) event.

Taj Express explodes with the sounds of India and Bollywood, capturing the vibrant, expressive spirit of the world of Bollywood movies that have been entertaining billions of people in India for generations. The production is a high energy celebration of new India’s pop music, Bollywood culture, and deep traditions, featuring colorful costumes, joyful dance, and thrilling live music.

Bollywood, also known as Hindi cinema and formerly as Bombay cinema, is the Indian Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai (formerly Bombay). The term, coined in the 1970s, blends the sounds and combines the meanings of two others – “Bombay” and “Hollywood.”

The performance follows the story of ones man’s passion and another man’s genius. In focusing on the aspirations of Shankar, a young composer-musician trying to make his way in the industry, it’s a behind-the-scenes look at Bollywood itself.

An unforgettable soundtrack featuring the songs of Oscar winner A.R. Rahman is part of an uplifting show full of color, high-energy music and sensational dance scenes choreographed by one of Bollywood’s top young choreographers, Vaibhavi Merchant, and directed by Shruti Merchant.

The blend of dance and the hits of India’s most iconic composers are performed by the stars of Bollywood cinema and its greatest musicians in a story that reveals the secrets of the world’s most prolific film industry and the people behind the screen who make the magic in India’s factory of dreams.

“This event is an absolute first for PAS and Socorro,” said PAS Director Ronna Kalish. “PAS strives to give audiences a peek into the world of global entertainment, touching on genres and cultures they might not otherwise experience. Taj Express certainly fits into this mission.”

Taj Express also kicks off the first of four Tech Club Macey (TCM) global hospitality events beginning at 6 p.m. in the upstairs lobby of Macey Center, featuring a variety of India-themed hors d’oeuvres and a beverage specialty; free for TCM members, $15 for non-members.

The Schmooze, Booze & Bites social hour for adults 21 and over includes Indian cultural demonstrations, a “pink elephant” drink special, and for the bites: skewered chicken tikka, cucumber raita, bhuta chutney, aloo ghobi and pita bread.

The two-hour show has a touring cast and crew of 31, including four principal cast, three musicians, 21 actor-dancers, and a backstage crew from India, Italy and Spain. Merchant calls them “a diverse mix of extremely talented people, a happy, energetic bunch filled with a lot of drama.”

The dancing is a hybrid of classical Indian dance forms and Western culture that showcases ancient Bharatanatyam dancing merged with hip-hop and break dancing, with the hero and heroine engaging in more than one classical pas de deux.

Shankar is a young music director working on his first Bollywood film. His ambition is to write the perfect music score for a film, with one smash hit song that will become known around the world. A.R. Rahman is his guru, his mentor and his idol. In his journey to find the music, the film starts to reveal sides of Shankar that he didn’t know existed.

Arjun is a prince in hiding, an undercover millionaire. He is teaching dance to street children in an old abandoned cinema in the streets of Mumbai. In the cinema, Arjun teaches classical dance to give people meaning and value through dance.

Kareena Kaboom is a Bollywood actress at the peak of her celebrity, a star of the movie scene as a beautiful heroine. But the star dancer feels imprisoned within her Bollywood world and longs to escape the pressures of celebrity, being constantly in the glare of the press.

Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, wisdom and nature. She is a part of the trinity of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati that help the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in the creation, maintenance and destruction of the Universe.

Sponsors for Taj Express are AUI-NRAO (National Radio Astronomy Observatory), Yo Mama’s Grill and El Defensor Chieftain.

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 at nmtpas.org, or at the following locations: the NMT Cashier, Sofia’s Kitchen, John Brooks or the PAS office (call 835-5688 for directions).

— NMT —