If you're after technical prowess that makes you question your own physical limitations, might we suggest a trip to see Donna Carnow and Gina Alm, two New York pole dancers whose Edinburgh fringe show Dusk/Night/Dawn is basically a masterclass in defying both gravity and expectations.

The pair perform on a single hanging pole suspended above the stage, where they climb, spin, and balance as if the air itself is a solid surface. They fold their limbs into shapes that would make a pretzel jealous, swimming and spiraling through shadows in a way that's equal parts mesmerizing and mildly intimidating.

What they demonstrate is absolute mastery of their craft - Carnow, a former dancer and US Pole Art champion, is especially jaw-dropping. The movement is fluid despite the brute strength required; the physics is so finely tuned you forget it's happening because you're lost in the flow. That's what great performers do, and Dusk/Night/Dawn is partly about performance itself.

At one point, the two bodies writhe under flashing red light, smeared in black paint, and then the lights snap on like a rude awakening: they're wiping themselves down, the act is over. The show raises slippery questions about the dissolving line between person and performer, the nature of fantasy, and the pleasure of discovering your own body's power. Plus, there's just the awesome talent.

This year's dance and circus programme at the fringe has ambition and a spirit of togetherness, mixing brute strength with beauty, party tricks with personal revelations. But honestly, if you only see one show about people hanging from a pole and making it look easy, make it this one.