Grupo Corpo are a fantastically fit Brazilian dance troupe. The 20 athletic bodies put on a breathtakingly versatile and energetic display of classic balletic movements merged with Latino shimmies, which sometimes made it hard to tell where one limb ended and another began.

Part one of this South American double bill was the hypnotic O Corpo, the companys highly regarded tour de force.

First performed five years ago, it brought the dancers on to the stage en masse, clad in black ruched unitards reminiscent of Eighties urban warriors.

The hard-edged techno soundtrack, provided courtesy of Brazilian pop poet Arnaldo Antunes, was fanatically exploited by the robotic jerky movements of the dancers.

At times, it was akin to watching whiplash on strings, and with intermittent glowing red spotlights and a scarlet backdrop, there was something decidedly subterranean about the whole piece.

Choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras pitched it perfectly, with his eclectic avant-garde movements mapping out the street energy and narcissistic worship of the Brazilian body beautiful.

In contrast, part two, Lecuona, brought together a series of love-locked duets. The girls utilitarian costumes were replaced by rainbow-coloured draped chiffon and ruffles while the men remained in black, with tailored high-waisters.

The whole gambit of emotions which make up a coupling between a man and woman were played out through a Spanish Edith Piaf-sounding score: Love, passion, ecstasy, jealousy and abuse. All melded by beautiful and highly stylised choreography which would give Strictly Come Dancing a run for its money.