The Enduring Appeal of Legényes

An endurance performance in which I perform one hour of continuous legényes.

Image by Jamie Simmons

For four nights, I performed one hour of legényes, the Hungarian boot-slapping folk dance traditionally performed by men. Typically, the dance ascribes bravado and athleticism to men, whilst women stand back and watch. Not so in this case. When I perform legényes, I am thinking about how gender impacts the way my family remembers itself. The physical effort of producing this dance is connected to the ongoing labour of unravelling the intergenerational impact of migration, and maintaining a connection to family history.

On Wednesday 26 October 2022, I was joined live in this artwork by musicians from The Transylvaniacs and dancers from Kengugró, Sydney’s Hungarian folk-dance troupe

Presented at Meraki Arts Bar as part of the be with festival of performance art curated by Bonnie Cowan.

Wednesday 22 October photography by Grace De Wet.