Ruffle - Work in Progress!

Ruffle is a work Alisha McLennan Marler is creating with Julia Harvie - one of three disability-led dance works that form Tuarā Wairua.
It's currently in the experimentation and refining phase, looking forward to being presented in 2024 as part of the Tuarā Wairua triple bill!




Alisha McLennan Marler first performed with Touch Compass at the Trust launch in 1999, and has danced with the company in numerous shows since then. She is a dancer and tutor for our Creative Class and secondary schools programme, as well as Touch Compass's Access Inclusion and Outreach Coordinator.
Alisha is a talented individual with a multitude of career highlights which includes receiving a North Harbour AIMES award to study aerial dance in the UK in 2011, and an Attitude Artistic Achievement Award in 2013. Alisha has been a Certified DanceAbility teacher since 2018 and employs this method of teaching in her dance instruction.
Julia Harvie co-founded Movement Art Practice (MAP) in 2014 and remains the driving force behind the organisation. Julia is a dance practitioner first and foremost but has a keen desire to support and facilitate the growth of dance beyond the the theatre experience. Julia was born and raised in Christchurch and graduated from UNITEC (BPSA) in 2003.
She has carved out a career with a national reputation as an independent dancer, choreographer and teacher. She has created and worked on a diverse range of projects from choreographing an avant-garde opera (Oresteia by Xenakis at the Christchurch Arts Festival, 2017) to building a nest for six hours during FESTA (Nesticity, Festival of Transitional Architecture, 2016). She is driven to make work that can both challenge and profoundly connect with her audiences.
Other News
View all✨ The Curtain Rises Again! – Kia Mau Festival hosts AIGA! ✨
We are beyond excited to share that AIGA will take the stage once again from 5-7 June — this time as a part of Kia Mau Festival, in their 10 year anniversary!
Read more♿ IDPD - International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Today, December 3, we honour the rights, well-being, and immense contributions of people with lived experience of disability worldwide. But let’s be clear: accessibility isn’t just for today - it’s every day, for everyone.
Read more2025 Copyright Touch Compass Dance Trust