Bangladeshi-British choreographer Akram Khan pulls dancers from an expansive array of backgrounds - China, Korea, India, Slovakia, South Africa and Spain - to perform quick yet thoughtful meditations on living in a global community. (That said, meditation is rarely this acrobatic.) Bahok, the work being performed at Yerba Buena Center tonight and Saturday, was originally a collaboration between the Akram Khan Company and the National Ballet of China, depicting an airport with a crew of stranded travelers from around the world, trying to communicate with each other as they await their fate. The title of the piece is the Bengali word for "carrier" and bahok investigates the ways in which the body carries cultural identity and a sense of inclusion. Finely-honed athleticism and international storytelling make for "a fine advertisement for contemporary dance." (I didn't see this one, so must rely on the UK's Telegraph.)

February 19-20. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Call (415) 978-2787 for tickets.