Thomas Dixon Centre

Welcome to ‘the grand old lady of West End’- the Thomas Dixon Centre. She is the home of the Queensland Ballet Company.
It’s impossible to address this gorgeous heritage listed building without launching into a local history lesson. Listen up, kids!
So. It turns out that Thomas Dixon was a young tanner, who came to Brisbane from Sydney in 1869. He brought five acres of land on Montague Road in 1875 and established a tannery. Down the track, Dixon decided that he wanted to expand his business to include boot and shoe manufacturing. In 1882, Dixon brought a retail store and provided his boots and shoes to the good people of Brisbane. In 1885, fires struck and damaged some of his factories. Then, in 1893, floods hit, and his West End tanneries were swept away, as the story is told. In 1906 Dixon brought the land that the Thomas Dixon Centre stands on now, and commissioned famed Queensland architect of the times, Richard Gailey, to design the factory (Richard Gailey is also responsible for designing the Regatta Hotel, and the Metro Building in Edward Street). The Thomas Dixon Centre cost 3,700 pounds in 1906.
The year after the factory was built, Dixon died. His sons took over, and the company continued making shoes until 1973. There was some political mumbo jumbo; certain tariffs were lifted which meant Dixon and Sons couldn’t compete with cheap vinyl imports. In 1975, the Queensland Government bought the building. In 1991, they told the Queensland Ballet (QB), Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Queensland Dance School of Excellence (QDSE) that they could move in.
Since it was heritage listed in 1998, it’s undergone massive refurbishments so as to transform it into a fully functional performance space.
The Queensland Ballet Company still call the Thomas Dixon Centre home, and perform regularly from there when they’re not at QPAC. For Season 2012, the Vis a Vis Studio series will be held on weekends from February through to September (check their website for details). I’ve been to some studio sessions before, and they’re the most delightful and awe inspiring of affairs. There is usually a live band that provides the music, the ballet dancers don’t don their costumes, and there’s no magical lighting. It’s a raw experience. You’re in their studio, their home, and they’re not going to dress up for you. But they sure will dance.
To end on a particularly charming quote: «Ballet shoes have replaced boots, and music has replaced the sounds of machinery.” — Marilyn England.