I have never been given earplugs prior to a performance with the warning that “It’s best to have them”. But then, I had never been to a performance of Aisha and Abhaya before. The tale of two refugee sisters, fleeing from some unnamed hostile territory on a journey to a hopefully better life is both challenging and extraordinary.

Aisha and Abhaya is being performed at the Linbury Theatre, the cosy, modern space which is part of the Royal Opera House complex. The production features both film footage, directed by Kibwe Tavares, and live performance by the award-winning Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal with her longtime collaborator, Gai Behar. The music, a rhythmic percussive blast, is by another one of Eyal’s favourites, Ori Lichtik, who is described in the programme as one of the founders of the techno scene in Israel.

The story is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of The Little Match Girl, and there is a feeling of poignancy about the plight of the sisters as we see how they cope with memories of home, dealing with the past and facing the future. The film, rather than the live performance, moves the story along and it uses some clever special effects, but it is at times disjointed and unfocussed. The heart of the piece lies with the dancing, which uses a cast of seven talented dancers from Rambert.

The way they move their bodies is mesmerising; they seem, at some points, to have totally reconfigured their skeletons to enable them to manoeuvre into positions which defy all explanation. The men, in particular, with bare torsos shining with sweat, are impressive.

The piece is too long and it does not always work – the dance sections could have done with trimming. Those ear plugs did come in handy as there is a full on assault to the eardrums, but the ending is moving and brings home the realities of love and loss.

Aisha and Abhaya is at the Linbury Theatre until 9 February. Find out more here.