'Authentic and unfiltered': Exploring disabled motherhood through dance

A new performance from Touch Compass dancer Alisha McLennan Marler serves as her “artistic response” to the assumptions often made about disability, communication and motherhood.

WHITE NOISE, premiering in Aotearoa February 26–28 at Te Pou Theatre, offers “an authentic and unfiltered portrayal” of disability and challenges those assumptions.

“It’s more about my own strengths and courage as a mother than the work physically portraying motherhood with a disability,” McLennan Marler says of the performance. 

She started working on WHITE NOISE in early 2023; her daughter was 15 months old at the time.

The piece emerged from her own lived experience of recurring situations, like repeating herself because people haven’t understood her, and attracting lots of attention when she’s out with her daughter on her lap.

When developing the piece over two-and-a-half years, different elements of McLennan Marler’s identity came up. 

“We quite quickly got into the strong idea of how I’m understood, how I’m heard… And assumptions about what I’m saying, and sometimes it’s assumptions because of my speech and if my mental capacity is affected as well.”

“The whole communication side of WHITE NOISE is a really strong part of the work, and motherhood sits within it.”

WHITE NOISE is “intentionally unconventional” and has some unexpected elements to the performance that really challenge her physically.

“I’m using all my ways of moving; so I’m in my [wheel]chair, out of my chair, I’m doing a wee bit of aerial stuff as well.”

McLennan Marler says audiences can anticipate “a bold, creative journey that challenges comfort zones” and should expect to “be drawn in by dynamic physical movement, vivid imagery and moments of disruptive sound, interspersed with quieter, reflective pauses.”

McLennan Marler started performing with Touch Compass when she was 11 years old. She started with dancing and flying workshops and was hooked. “I just loved it, I just wanted to do more and more and more.”

She is now co-leading Touch Compass’ Rangatahi Programme and is enjoying working with the next generation of dancers, as well as on this piece. 

Having already performed WHITE NOISE in Brisbane, McLennan Marler is excited to bring it to local audiences.

“I hope that the disabled audience can appreciate the story I’m telling, even though it’s my personal story… I hope it’s something the disabled community can relate to and appreciate it for being out there for all audiences to see.”

Her daughter, now four years old, also enjoyed seeing elements of herself in the performance.

“She’s watched the work a couple of times, and she quite likes that she’s in it,” McLennan Marler says.

She hopes audiences will resonate with the performance. “WHITE NOISE is designed to encourage reflection, inviting audiences to see themselves in the work and uncover answers to questions they may not have realised they had.” 

WHITE NOISE is part of Touch Compass’ double-bill at Te Pou Theatre. All shows are accessible with live NZSL and Audio Description at every performance. Purchase tickets from Te Pou Theatre’s website.