A typical night at a dance hall of 1950s Meanjin (Brisbane) would start with a three-piece band playing songs for the Elders. Hosted in The Boathouse by the river, they were multi-generational events populated by Indigenous people in their spiffiest clothes, whether that meant a home-sewn dress or a lime green suit and hat.
As the night wore on the tempo of the music would increase, building up excitement until it was time to leave and the tempo would slow again.
