This piece reviews several dance and circus works featured in this year's Edinburgh fringe programme, highlighting a range of styles from technically dazzling pole work to raw, expressive contemporary movement. The reviewer notes a common thread of ambition and togetherness across the shows, arguing this year's dance and circus offerings push physical boundaries while also exploring personal and social themes.

Highlighted productions include Dusk/Night/Dawn, featuring New York pole dancers Donna Carnow and Gina Alm performing feats of strength and fluidity on a single suspended pole; Bigger, a 35-minute piece by French dancer Sofiane Chalal that challenges assumptions about body size and dance ability, drawing on influences such as Charlie Chaplin; and Border Bodies, a slow-building contemporary piece for eight dancers by Brazilian choreographer Igor Gasparini's company TF Cia de Dança, part of this year's São Paulo showcase, which explores connection across diversity. The article also references a fourth show, Everybody's Got a Bomb, noted for its shift into scenes of unchecked anger and violence.