In 1999 a show arrived on the Edinburgh Fringe which would have a profound effect on the fortunes of Brighton's Komedia, not to mention everyone who saw it.

A collaboration between a Russian company and Germany's Fabrik, Hopeless Games was a piece of dance theatre so uniquely moving that, by the end of its run, the whole of Edinburgh wanted to see it.

So the performers placed ads in search of a venue and Komedia's management, also responsible for Scotland's Southside venue, found there was room at the inn.

"So Aurora Nova actually sprang out of a superb piece of work," says Komedia's David Lavender. "What better basis for something so utterly driven by enthusiasm?"

Founded in 2001 with the aim of providing a showcase on the Edinburgh Fringe for the best international physical theatre and dance, Aurora Nova is the fruit of the relationship which developed between Komedia and Fabrik's director Wolfgang Hoffman.

It has already won an astonishing number of awards (including Best Venue 2004 from The Guardian), and now Komedia has launched Aurora Nova In The South, teaming up with Gardner Arts Centre to present three of their shows in Brighton, "cherry-picked from our programme and as good as anything you'll see anywhere in the world."

"Komedia has always had a strong connection with this type of work," says Lavender, the artistic director and co-founder. "Our very first show was with a physical theatre company from Malaysia - I remember them going around the building blessing the theatre with holy water!

"Our own tradition in Britain is textbased," he explains. "Physical theatre is very much born out of oppression, in places where theatre is not allowed to speak because it gets censored. So in countries such as Russia, Germany or South Africa theatre has devised ways of saying something powerful without words."

Although much of the work is "very, very unusual" Aurora Nova is, says Lavender, all about programming accessible work with a universal - that is to say emotional - base. Opener Ristorante Immortale (Komedia, until Sat, 8pm), for instance, is an all-ages show from Berlin's Familie Floz, whose work blends character masks, acrobatics, music and clowning.

"It's the story of a restaurant which doesn't have any customers," explains Lavender. "The masks are absolutely extraordinary - I can't see anybody not enjoying it."

Islands In The Stream (Gardner, Oct 18-19), meanwhile, is the work of Russian dance-theatre company Derevo.

Winner of six awards in Edinburgh, it is a piece about the sea and its stories, from the creatures in it to the people who work on it, and has been hailed as Derevo's most beautiful show to date.

"It's delicate and moving and funny and entrancing," says Lavender. "It's also got a thunderingly good soundtrack - not at all like whale noises, more like a ship's engine."

From Oct 26-29 at Komedia you can also see Chronicles - A Lamentation from Polish company Teatr Piesn Kozla, a mythically inspired journey into the grieving rituals of the ancient world which won the Guardian's award for best international show.

Lavender, however, is already looking to next year. "The idea is to extend Aurora Nova across the UK," he says.

"Because of the buzz about what we've been doing in Edinburgh there's a lot of interest from venues all across the country. People are saying, When is it coming here?'"

Call 01273 647100 and 01273 685861 for tickets.