THE new season of dance at Monkton Heathfield's Tacchi Morris Arts Centre begins on Wednesday, January 31, with a world premier performance from a London company.

The Darkin Ensemble, who specialise in dance and the body, will be presenting Augustine'.

They stretch the boundary between theatre and dance to find hidden, repressed or secret stories.

With an emphasis on rhythm and story, Darkin Ensemble create strong, passionate productions that are accessible to dancers and non-dancers alike.

Steve Elliott, the Centre Director said: "This is the first piece in our new season of dance.

"The performance follows five days of intense rehearsals at the centre and is the World Premier, which is obviously quite a coup for Taunton.

"We then have four more dance events in March, starting with Fanclub Dance's Lighter'; the fantastic Tavaziva Dance return with Bophelo'; Taunton's own dance company Influx perform their latest new work and the season ends with the return of Ricochet Dance performing two pieces from top choreographers Wally Cardona and Jan Pusch."

Tickets for Augustine are available from the box office by calling 01823-414141 and from the Tourist Information Centre next to the library.

Tickets are £7.50 and £5 concessions, or you can book for all five shows for just £18.