Grupo Corpo, the Brazilian dance troupe led by brothers Paulo and Rodrigo Pederneiras, and choreographed by the latter, has such a distinctive movement style that two vastly different pieces feel connected by their tone. Gil Refazendo is a tribute to the legendary Brazilian musician, activist and later cultural minister, Gilberto Gil. His music melted together samba, bossa nova, electronica and protest songs, all of which are referenced in the score.

There’s a zesty vibrance to the piece, in character with its role as homage; the dancers bounce high, backbend deep and keep the energy flowing as they flit in and out of trios, pairings and formations. It’s joyous to see such balletic precision mixed with loose flair. The only darkness that creeps in is a brief but potent duet, perhaps alluding to Gil’s imprisonment in 1969, as one dancer is flung and pushed by another; her resistance is powerful, never passive. Paulo Pederneiras’ backdrop projections of sunflowers start out blurred and abstract, then zoom into curious insectile forms before revealing their full glory. It ends with the full company pulsing in a harmonious scrum.

The second piece, Gira, translates as ‘spin’ and dives into the world of Umbanda, an Afro-Brazilian religion that brings together elements of Spiritism and Christianity, and summons up Orixás, or divine spirits. Here, the group’s same loping, bouncing energy takes on an earthier quality, in flat-footed kicks and wild undulations of the chest. Pederneiras’ choreography conjures so many spellbinding, even discomfiting images: a clutch of dancers trotting across the stage, half of them pointing their toes and gazing to the sky, half bent-backed to the earth; a duet that is almost violent in its yanks and pendulum lifts; bodies thrusting and grasping each other. It speaks to a spirituality that feels deeply rooted in the body, and chimes with the English translation of the ensemble’s name: ‘body group’. 

Grupo Corpo: Gil Refazendo/Gira, Edinburgh Playhouse, until 7 August, 7.30pm; main picture of Grupo Corpo's Gira by Andrew Perry.