Pina Bausch and the cream of African contemporary dance come together in a holy alchemy of brilliance in this double-bill. The first piece, common ground[s] is a beguiling and cryptic duet, created by renowned Senegalese dancer Germaine Acogny and Bausch collaborator Malou Airaudo. In Bausch-esque black maxi dresses, with a lighting palette that scorches through shades of sunrise to bleached blue skies, the two women dance through rituals of womanhood, mirroring, supporting and complementing one another. Their touches are maternal, sisterly, sometimes almost erotically tender. There’s play and gravitas in equal measure. 

The Rite Of Spring, which comes after an interval, is a reminder as to why Bausch is still the one choreographer even non-dance fans can name. It is an absolute powerhouse of a work, danced by a cast drawn from 14 countries to bone-shaking, flesh-trembling exhaustion. The raw sensual imagery comes fearsome and fast. A young woman wakes up bewildered, lying on a scarlet dress; her friends and companions lift their skirts above their heads or stomp, squatting in formation. They seem to understand the pain and suffering destined for their bodies, as they drive their elbows into their bellies repeatedly. The women of the group clump in knots and circles, the men arrange themselves in angular lines. Sometimes the feverish frenzy of this community is reminiscent of The Crucible with its menace and palpable drive towards violence. 

When the sacrificial girl is chosen and dressed in red, dancer Dovi Afi Anique Ayiboe creates a moment so rarely experienced in dance, of pure, genuine terror. Her solo goes from thrashing resistance to a death dance of wild abandon, as she throws herself up to the mercy of the sacrifice so hard her dress tears and her breasts are exposed. By its finale, Bausch’s famous earth-covered dance floor has smeared itself into the dancers’ sweat to stain the women’s creamy dresses a rusty crimson. It’s a primal vision of humanity, alive with terror, discomfiting in its beauty. 

The Rite Of Spring/common ground[s], Edinburgh Playhouse, until 19 August, 7.30pm.