Commissariat Store Museum
26 November 2021 – 8 March 2022
William Street, Brisbane
The first venue in the national tour of Dancing in Fetters: the culture of convict dance was the Commissariat Store Museum in the heart of Brisbane. The Commissariat was built by convict labour in the 1820s and is Queensland’s oldest habitable building, making it the most significant heritage building. The museum is owned by the Royal Historical Society of Queensland and was the perfect venue for the launch of our tour.
We included local content about the convict dancing master, John Bushel, and accounts of convict women dancing – in 1853 one woman (Hannah Rigby) even died from an excess of dancing! The public programming featured a launch with music and dance, the curator’s talk, and the premiere of the Dancing in Fetters musical.
Launch at the Commissariat Store
26 November, 2021
Wonderful full capacity gathering last night at The Queensland Commissariat Store Museum for the launch of @dancinginfetterstour by @rhs_qld President Denver Beanland, a speech by curator Dr Heather Clarke and entertainment from Phillip’s Dog (Australia’s only early colonial period dance band who have performed at the National Folk Festival in Canberra and regularly hold dances and balls in the Brisbane area, one of which they headed off to after the event). Pictured (bottom right, left to right) are Edith Cuffe OAM Director @abbeymuseum which is auspicing the @ausgov funded tour; Dr Heather Clarke (Curator), Joan Kelly (Tour Manager)
At the Commissariat launch
Based on research from QUT
Professor Moyle was a supervisor of Dr Clarke’s doctorate ‘Social dance and early Australian settlement: An historical examination of the role of social dance for convicts and the ‘lower orders’ in the period between 1788 and 1849’ which can be found at
https:///sprints.Qut.edu.au/121495
Curator’s Talk at the Commissariat
9 February, 2022
12:30 – 1:30pm
Convict Concert at the Commissariat
18 February, 2022
5:30 – 7:00pm
Dancing in Fetters – the musical
The first concert of the tour was held in the Commissariat Store Museum in the heart of Brisbane – one of only two convict-built structures in Queensland. A perfect venue for a lively presentation of the music, songs, and dances that formed the basis of convict culture.
The feedback to last week’s @dancinginfetterstour booked out Concert at @rhs_qld was overwhelming. A premiere event launched at this first leg of the national tour, exhibition curator, Dr Heather Blasdale Clarke said “I feel we have created something quite unique and the audience realised this.” Audience comments received included ~
“Lovely to see a different side of convict life”
“Inspiring and uplifting”
“The first event of its kind in the Commissariat”
“A perfect setting – the stone walls, and ambience of the convict building”
“A wonderful combination of singing, dancing and music – it had it all”
“Where else are you staging it? We’d love to see it again”
The next venue >> Museum at the TasWool Centre
The Museum at the Tasmanian Wool Centre
48 Church Street, Ross, Tasmania
8 April – 28 June 2022
