How music and dance made convict life more bearable

New research from Queensland University of Technology reveals the impact music and dance had on convict life – it wasn't all floggings and deprivation.

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Although much has been written about convicts and the hardships they endured during their journey to Australia, little has been revealed about the creative pursuits that made their nautical journeys more enjoyable.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researcher Heather Clarke is set to change this as she undertakes her Doctorate on social dance and early Australian settlement, An historical examination of the role of social dance for convicts and common people in the period between 1788 and 1840.

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