On one level Sonia Sabri’s work is a protest against putting people into boxes, ethnically or otherwise. Its inspiration is the poem Tick Box by Shan Bansil, in which the writer muses on whether or not he should tick the boxes on the form he’s filling in: “They just wanna know whether I’m black, white, Indian or Chinese. Whether I’m 18–34, got a degree and a handful of GCSEs.” He bemoans the fact that there are not enough boxes to encapsulate his character and thoughts.

The work begins with each cast-member standing in a separate square marked on the stage, and ironically giving us the clichés that cling to racial stereotypes — naan bread, steak and kidney pie and so on.

They are indeed a mixed ensemble, but although their dance-styles and training are varied, Sabri has placed their movement against a fascinating background of Kathak-style percussive vocalizing . . . “diggedy-da, daga-da . . .” like a kettle-drum, performed on stage by two musicians.

The dance has an improvised feel, though clearly it is not, and the two vocalists — one perpetually surprised, the other mainly angry- looking — seem at times to be dictating the movement, at others, responding to the movement they see. There’s a lot of humour in all this.

Highlights for me were a long female solo, with the rest sitting in a circle, chanting a repetitive refrain; and, most of all, some dazzling break-dancing from the tall and infinitely flexible Nathan Geering. At the end the audience is brought in to clap, and to join in with phrases they are quickly taught by the dancers.

This is not a fusion of styles. What Sabri has done is create a kind of urban Kathak, in which the rhythms and rhymes of Hip Hop culture fit effectively into the complex metrical sequences of the original style. It’s not easy to convey what this show is like; the best thing is to go and see it when there is another chance — it’s well worth catching.