Sadler’s Wells, London
Abby Zbikowski’s choreography resembles the most gruelling and exacting CrossFit ever – with superhero dancers displaying mind-boggling virtuosity

I’ve never seen anything quite like this before. It’s like the most gruelling CrossFit session ever, these bodies, hurling out their energy in punchy lunges, jumps and kicks. I’ve also never heard anything like it. There’s no music. The soundtrack is harsh exhalations of breath, and voices shouted from the sidelines: “You got this!” “I see you!” “Uh-huh!”

This is what’s new from New York. Choreographer Abby Zbikowski, bringing together a riotous assemblage of movement influences, the messiness of 21st-century living and some extreme precision in a sure highlight of this year’s Dance Umbrella festival. It’s an exhilarating hour in the presence of six superhero dancers who couldn’t be more utterly human, made of flesh, sweat, muscle and endless striving.