Filter by
The Rocks

Dancing in Fetters

When

Every day, 10am to 5pm Wednesday 1 February 2023 to Friday 28 April 2023

Dancing in Fetters - the culture of convict dance is a national tour that draws on the doctoral research of historian Dr Heather Blasdale Clarke. It sheds a light on a largely unknown aspect of life in the early penal colony and the nature of dance as an expression of freedom, defiance and self-identity. 

When we think of convicts, we don’t tend to think of music and dance, but dance was an integral part of everyday life and one of the most popular forms of recreation in the early colony. Convicts danced to escape the drudgery and harshness of their existence. It provided social cohesion, a sense of belonging and cultural identity in a strange new land.

Free or by gold coin donation.

Wednesday 1 February - Friday 28 April 2023. Plus join us on Friday 3 February 2023 at Cadman's Cottage from 11am - 1pm for a special afternoon, filled with rich music, dance and history.

Contact event organiser

The Rocks

Advertisement

More events in Theatre, dance & film

MJ the Musical

MJ the Musical

Michael Jackson’s unparalleled artistry is thrilling audiences, in the multiple Tony Award®-winning musical MJ.
Today 1pm to 10pm
Tender Comrade

Tender Comrade

Chinese history wasn't always straight.
Today 10am to 5pm
Cats

Cats

Let the memory live again
Today 1pm to 9.20pm
The Twits

The Twits

Roald Dahl’s The Twits return to our stage these school holidays to delight and disgust in equal measure.
Today 11.30am to 2pm
Dance Protest, Project Banaba

Dance Protest, Project Banaba

Katerina Teaiwa reframes the Pacific island's dance
Today 10am to 5pm