YEOVIL-based 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.
Created by Yeovil-born choreographer James Bamford, who founded Project Dance, Busk has a strong local story, having started with dancers from the dance company. What began as a youth production has now grown into a full-scale professional production. James and composer Charles Harrison, who also comes from Yeovil, are developing a professional creative partnership.
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. Alongside the performances, Busk will also be running 27 fully funded workshops for schools, with 15 taking place in and around Yeovil.
The project will provide opportunities for young local performers to take part in the professional production itself. At two venues, including Westlands, two young local performers will join the professional cast, allowing them to perform alongside professional dancers when the production reaches their hometown.
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.
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 and Westlands, 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.”
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 and Westlands, 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.
The Busk national tour dates so far confirmed in this region are: 2nd-3rd March 2027 – Westlands Entertainment Venue, Yeovil, 5th March – The Blakehay Theatre, Weston-super-Mare, 27th March – Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple, 3rd April – Exeter Northcott, and 4th April, Redgrave theatre, Bristol. Additional dates to be announced.