Seven beautiful humans stand motionless in the studio. Their clothes are a mix of lycra and baggy combat pants, a palette of reds and green; they look the same but different. The light is dim but occasional shafts of bright filter across their faces. Infinitesimally slowly, they turn to confront us and rotate away from us. The silence stretches.

An industrial soundtrack kicks in. A grungy bass, the sound effect of machines, pistons winding and grinding, occasional piano carving out a melody. The group start to move. At first, they’re emphatically individuals, finding their own way through the movement. They are fluid, almost liquid and yet pin sharp precise as they snap turn, pivot, stretch, carving distinct angles across the room. They start to move together, perfectly synchronised, perfectly in harmony, feeding off the music, feeding off each other, the energy and momentum thrumming like a heartbeat.

T. F. Cia de Dança offer the only dance production in the São Paulo Showcase and Border Bodies is an unusual piece of dance. Choreographer Igor Gasparini’s movement is a captivating mix of contemporary and street, breakdancing and hip hop. There are no soloists and yet each dancer is perfectly unique – in costume, choreography and their individual style. But when the group are moving together, it is impossible to tell where one dancer starts and another ends.

A Brazilian drum finds its way into the soundscape, a rhythmic insistent thrum. The dancers start to beam, radiant. They form a line in front of us and they revel in their bodies, in their strength, in their individual self-expression. And this final joyful euphoria is surely the point of the piece. We’re all individuals. We all have our own dreams and desires. But we’re better together. When we look past differences, when we see what we have in common, it all adds up to infinitely more than the sum of the parts.

Border Bodies has finished its run