Current Company

Jesse Johnstone-Steele, dancer, founding member since 1997

Jesse Johnstone-Steele is a gifted and outstanding dancer, and founding member of Touch Compass Dance Trust. He has been a pivotal performer with the company since its inception in 1997, touring nationally and to Australia.

Jesse began his dance career with Outer Limits (1997) followed in 1998 with the Adelaide High Beam Arts Festival, Resin8 (1999), at the Sydney Paralympics(2000), Lusi's Eden (2001), Lighthouse (2002), Acquisitions (2003 and 2006), Ten of Hearts (2005), Harmonious Oddity (2008) and in Melbourne's Art of Difference Festival (2009). He has also featured in six television documentaries about Touch Compass.

Jesse has also featured in an Australian television commercial and in promotional activities for IHC. Jesse danced at the opening of Star Jam in 2002 and he performed in the Four Senses concert with the Aotea Youth Symphony in 2004. Jesse has also performed for the Healing Through Arts Trust productions of Soul Song, Scrooge, The Bookworm, and Brick in the Wall.

Outside of dance Jesse's interest include acting, biking and basketball, and he recently participated in Round the Bays.

Daniel King, dancer, joined the company in 2001

Daniel arrived in Nelson from California as a 15 year old and attended Waimea College. Daniel completed a two-year performing arts and physical theatre course in Nelson in 1999-2000 performing in the pre-show for the Wearable Arts Awards.

Daniel joined Touch Compass in 2001 performing in Lusi's Eden (2001), Lighthouse (2002), Acquisitions (2003 and 2006), Ten of Hearts (2005), Harmonious Oddity (2008), and in Melbourne's Art of Difference Festival (2009).

Daniel has attended a variety of international integrated dance training including DanceAbilty Teacher Training 2003 in Germany, and in Eugene, Oregon 2005. These were taught by prominent international teacher and choreographer Alito Alessi (Alessi pioneered contact improvisation, and dance and disability). Daniel also attended California-based workshops with the Axis Dance Company's Summer School in Seattle and he has taught dance classes in Oldenburg, Germany.

Daniel is interested in film and acting and was in a team for the V48 Hours Film Festival in April and The Rec2 $5K Buzz Challenge late last year. He also enjoys travelling, snorkeling, boogie boarding, biking and going on random camping missions.

Alisha McLennan, dancer, joined the company in 2002

Alisha grew up on Auckland's North Shore attending Wilson School, Belmont Intermediate and Takapuna Grammar.

Alisha first performed with Touch Compass at the launch of the Trust at the Auckland Art Gallery in 1999 going on to the youth flying performance My Room (2000). As a 14 year old Alisha toured with Lusi's Eden (2002) to Taupo and Christchurch, and performing Lighthouse later that year at the Aotea Centre. Acquisitions (2003) and NIghtswimmers with Splash Dance Company followed, then Flying Tales (2004).

Alisha recently worked with Takapuna Grammar dance teacher Juliet Cryns and students to produce an integrated dance performance which was showcased in June 2010 to much acclaim.

Outside of dance Alisha is a passionate skier winning the Viv Martin Trophy in 2008 and 2009 for Most Outstanding Female Skier. Alisha intends to pursue an international dance career and in the longer term to work with New Zealand's disability and dance communities to ensure that dance is accessible for everyone.

Julia Milsom, dancer, joined the company in 2004

Trained as a ballet dancer Julia has a Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts in Dance from Unitec and has worked with Touch Compass since 2004 performing in Ten of Hearts (2005) and Acquisitions (2006).

Julia has produced many of her own works including, Emporium (2005), Framed (2005), ( )scape (2006), Locked (2008), and toured her work Self Portrait (2009) to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Recent performances have been in Southern Lights, (Body Festival), Winded (Christchurch Arts Festival) and Still Standing Silent, a collaboration with composer Alex van Den Broek.

Creative New Zealand awarded Julia the Tup Lang Scholarship for Emerging Choreography in 2006, the New Zealand Listener named her Best Female Contemporary Dancer in 2007 and in 2009 she was Most Outstanding Performer at the New Zealand Fringe Festival.

Julia performed in Malia Johnston's, Dark Tourists and Miniatures (2007) in the Auckland Festival and toured with Raewyn Hill's Angels with Dirty Feet. With a project funded by Creative New Zealand Julia had a three-month internship in Amsterdam with the Magpie Music Dance Company.

Kerryn McMurdo, dancer, joined the company in 2008

Kerryn joined Touch Compass in 2008 performing in the company's Harmonious Oddity. Kerryn has always had an interest in dance, but did not start dancing until she was 21. Her audition for dance school at Wellington Performing Arts Centre was her first real dance class. Kerryn went on to complete Unitec's Bachelor of Screen and Performing Arts in contemporary dance and graduated in 2000.

Kerryn has performed her own solo work Skeletal Precipice (2001-2003) in theatres and galleries for New Zealand's National Fringe and dance festivals and has also presented video-art works in group shows throughout Auckland. She also performs with internationally renowned dance company MAU (NZ/Europe/US).

Kerryn has worked across a range of dance genre's including cabaret, installation and film, and has worked extensively with emerging and established New Zealand artists, directors and choreographers. These include Florian Habicht, Carol Brown, Anna Bate, Thomas Sainsbury, Te Toki Haruru, Soit/Hans Van den Broeck, Guy Ryan, The Sweet Factory, Green Room Productions (Japan) Curve and Axess Collective.

Emilia Rubio, dancer, joined the company in 2008

Emilia joined Touch Compass in 2008 with a performance in Harmonious Oddity.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Emilia has been dancing since she was a nine year old. In 1990 Emilia graduated from the Teatro San Martin Contemporary Dance Workshop then entered the Teatro San Martin Contemporary Dance Company where she spent the next 14 years. Emilia was an integral member interpreting works from Argentine and international choreographers and in 2001 she received the Clarin Award for Best Dancer in the year.

In 2005 Emilia moved to New Zealand with her Kiwi partner and has a three year old daughter Leda Moana. She presented two pieces in Tempo 2006 and 2007 and received the Best Female Dancer award in 2006. As well as working with Touch Compass, Emilia is a part time Unitec photography student.

Adrian Smith, dancer, joined the company in 2008

Adrian first danced with Touch Compass in Harmonious Oddity (2008) and the Art of Difference Festival (2009). Adrian has a degree in sociology and economics from Victoria University of Manchester and has also graduated from Unitec's Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts in Dance.

Adrian's route into dance was through dancing in clubs, festivals and for live bands in Manchester. He dabbled with various martial arts and developed a real passion for capoeira which led to more live performance and an interest contemporary and break dance.

Since 2003 Adrian has collaboratively devised award-winning shows and won Best Male Dancer at Tempo 2006 and was nominated again in 2008. He has worked on numerous artistic projects with choreographers and dancers including Sean Curham, Shona McCullagh, Malia Johnston, Carol Brown, Jeremy Nelson, Kristian Larsen, Clare Luiten, Willhemeena Gordon, Jack Gray, Val Smith, Matt Gillanders and Matt Gibbons.

Over the past decade Adrian has performed extensively with Vospertron (lightsuits) at corporate events and festivals in New Zealand and abroad and in film, TV and in particular on Legend of the Seeker.