Yeovil-born dance production BUSK secures Arts Council funding for major national tour

Project Dance, in partnership with the Octagon Theatre and Westlands Entertainment Venue, has secured almost £50,000 of public funding from The National Lottery through Arts Council England to take a new full-scale dance production, BUSK, on tour across England in spring 2027.

The funding represents a major vote of confidence in the creative talent emerging from Yeovil and the surrounding area, while providing a platform for young dancers and artists to take their work to audiences across the country. The ambitious new partnership will see BUSK presented at venues across the country between March and April 2027.

The project has been awarded £49,768 from Arts Council England, alongside additional financial support from Yeovil Town Council, Yeovil Without Parish Council, Yeovil Community Arts Association, the Sarah and William Newsom Charitable Trust, Project Dance Charity Foundation, Bamfords Yeovil, Sophie Caruth and David Bernstein, Mia and Peter Zickerman, and Fiona and Keith Pringle, alongside in-kind and partnership support from the Royal Academy of Dance, London Children’s Ballet and Jlee Productions.

From a youth production to a professional touring show

BUSK has a strong local story, having started with dancers from Project Dance Company. What began as a youth production has now grown into a full-scale professional production. The creative team behind BUSK also have strong links to Yeovil, with both Choreographer James Bamford and Composer Charles Harrison coming from the town and developing a professional creative partnership.

For Project Dance, BUSK is an important step from grassroots dance into professional production, giving local young dancers and creatives the opportunity to be part of something on a much bigger scale. It is also an important milestone for the Octagon Theatre and Westlands Entertainment Venue, as they continue to support local talent and help bring new work from its grassroots beginnings through to professional stages.

Bringing professional dance opportunities to young people

Alongside the performances, BUSK will deliver 27 fully funded workshops for schools, with 15 taking place in and around Yeovil.

The project will also provide opportunities for young local performers to take part in the professional production itself. At two venues, including Westlands Entertainment Venue, two young local performers will join the professional cast, allowing them to perform alongside professional dancers when the production reaches their hometown.

The project is designed to create opportunities for young people to experience dance at different levels – from taking part in workshops, to watching a professional production, to performing on stage alongside professional artists.

This approach reflects Arts Council England's focus on Priority Places, helping to increase access to high-quality cultural experiences and ensuring that ambitious artistic opportunities are available outside the UK's major cultural centres.

A partnership built around local talent

The collaboration also reflects the ambitions of the Octagon Theatre as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, with a focus on nurturing local talent, developing new work and creating opportunities for artists and communities in Yeovil and Somerset.

By bringing together Project Dance, the Octagon Theatre, Westlands Entertainment Venue, schools, funders and national arts organisations, BUSK demonstrates what can be achieved when local organisations work together to create ambitious cultural opportunities.

Rather than simply bringing a finished production to Yeovil, the partnership has enabled a piece of work with local roots, local creative talent and local young people at its heart to develop into a professional touring production.

The Octagon Theatre’s Arts Engagement & Outreach programme, as subsidised by Arts Council England and Somerset Council, seeks to support people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to unleash their creativity, unlock new interests and skills and be entertained across the region. With projects and activities that benefit health and wellbeing, enrich learning and education in and outside school that inspires and celebrates young talent. Choreographer James Bamford throughout his youth and career has received support from the team at the Octagon and Westlands, and proudly support Project Dance in the company’s next steps.

James Bamford, founder and Executive Director of Project Dance, said: “BUSK is incredibly special because it has grown from our work with young dancers into a professional production that we can now take to audiences across the country. To have the support of Arts Council England and our other funders and partners is a huge endorsement of the ambition behind the project.

“What makes it even more meaningful is that so much of the creative story comes back to Yeovil. The relationships, ideas and talent behind BUSK have grown here, and we’re incredibly proud to be taking that work beyond Somerset and onto stages across the country.”

Adam Burgan, Director of Culture at Yeovil Town Council and Venues Manager at the Octagon Theatre and Westlands Entertainment Venue, said: “Supporting ambitious new work and creating opportunities for local artists and young people is an important part of our vision for the future of the Octagon Theatre and Westlands Entertainment Venue.

“BUSK is a fantastic example of what can happen when local creative talent, venues, artists and partners come together. We’re delighted that audiences in Yeovil will be among the first to experience the production, while also seeing young local performers given the opportunity to take part in a professional touring show.”

Project Dance is entering an exciting new chapter, demonstrating how grassroots creativity can develop into high-quality professional productions while continuing to create opportunities for local people. Through strengthening its partnership with the Octagon Theatre and Westlands Entertainment Venue, forging new partnerships, investment, and a commitment to nurturing emerging talent, Project Dance is strengthening the cultural landscape of Somerset and providing clear pathways from participation to professional careers in the arts.