Legs on the Wall is a leading Inner West Sydney based physical theatre company and an acclaimed champion of artful aerial performance. Over 40 years, Legs has offered audiences an evolving repertoire of adrenaline-inducing contemporary works which incorporate the lyricism of dance and the enchantment of circus with the expressive heft of the theatre. Routinely reimagining what's possible by kicking against gravity in conventional auditoriums, Legs has also forged a global reputation for bringing breathtaking excitement to public spaces. 
Legs on the Wall is now a 40 year old company. What has changed since it started and why?
Legs was born on the streets of Sydney and started with humble beginnings in busking.  These performers then created an ensemble and built a show called ‘All of Me’ which received critical acclaim nationally and internationally. Since then, the company has continued to contribute to the Australian physical theatre landscape. It now is known for large-scale outdoor site-specific works which sets it apart from any other company in Australia. Legs seamlessly fuses dance, physical theatre, circus and text based theatre to create an experience like no other. Legs on the Wall, prides itself on being site specific and believes in free public work. It is often considered the gateway to main stage theatre companies and experiences. 

Legs’ core ideas range across concern with climate change, gender diversity, multiculturalism, First Nations culture etc. Is there any topic you have decided is too difficult or contentious to handle? 
We believe the difficult ideas are the most important and we strive to contextualise the messages that bring all of us along the journey.
What key elements of storytelling does Legs use in its work?
As a company Legs continues to not be bound by any one element to best portray meaning or story. But if I had to be pressed, Legs on the Wall is known for aerial expertise which is often the glue that defines the work we do. These days, aerial is a key part of the storytelling.
Legs claims to “disrupt cultural expectations”? How and why?
I believe this is because we pride ourselves on outdoor work and the nature of outdoor work is the idea of reimagining sites. That’s how I would like to describe ‘disrupting’. We continue to develop and reimagine the world we live in. This is an important concept as we must also be able to reflect on decisions and shift our way of thinking if necessary. Why you ask? It’s important fun and why the hell not?

How do the Legs performers overcome the fear of heights?
We work with many great artists. Safety is at the core of our company and making the performers comfortable with the task is the top priority. We take time to acclimatise the cast to any new apparatus, height being something that is always present.
What safety measures do you apply?
This is a huge question, but we work with some of Australia’s best theatres which keep us all safe. We have many strict safety protocols and checks throughout any activity.
Legs offers training and mentorship to interested people. Apart from skills, what ethos do you teach?
Yes we teach skills. We also offer workshops to a range of different organisations such as the tertiary and secondary education sector and industry. Our ethos is to share knowledge, and this ensures the language we use continues to grow.
How do you find new performers for the company?
Through our open industry classes we often will get introduced to new talent and artists. This is the primary way but not the only way Legs engages new artist.

Who do you admire and learn from?
Admiration has changed for me over the course of my career to be honest. I admire anyone that continues to see the value in artistic work and continues to make it in such a low resource industry. I have a saying that a successful show is one that you have not lost any friends on.
In the age of instant on-line gratification, why do you think audiences are still intrigued by Legs’ live performances?
This is something we consider a lot, but we feel confident in the experience of live performance. It’s about sharing space between the audience and the performer which cannot be achieved through online. When watching a Legs show you can be guaranteed that this is real, particularly with so much artificial content landing on our feeds lately. It’s about people coming together not only us as a company, but audiences sharing space and conversations that is so important.

Article by Tamara Winikoff
Tamara Winikoff is an independent consultant with extensive experience in arts advocacy, policy, and cultural leadership. She was a a founding member of the Inner West Creative Network and served as Executive Director of the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) for 22 years, championing artists' rights and sector development. As Co-convenor of ArtsPeak, she coordinated national arts policy initiatives. Previously, she managed the Community, Environment, Art and Design (CEAD) program at the Australia Council for the Arts and lectured in Cultural Environment and Heritage at Macquarie University. Based in Sydney, she continues to influence the cultural landscape through strategic consultancy.