Harley M.

An exuberant Indigenous Australian growing up on Gadigal country NSW, Harley is a Wakka Wakka cirque artist from Queensland. A Performer, Director, and Company Founder, Harley draws on his unique cultural perspective to deliver truly thrilling performances and productions across disciplines such as Adagio, Rope and Diablo. 

With his astonishing physical abilities and an incandescent personality to match, it’s no surprise that Harley continues to capture the attention of some of Australia’s most prolific contemporary circus houses. Though young in years, Harley has already worked with the likes of leading companies including, Circa, Circus Oz and Casus – and the list just keeps on growing.

Inspired by his Aboriginal heritage and the personal experiences it has afforded him, Harley founded his own company, Na Djinang Circus, in 2017. The company has garnered an incredible response under Harley’s direction, with work such as Common Dissonance, which was nominated for a Greenroom Award for Best Circus, and in 2021 premiered a sold-out season of Arterial as a part of the Yirramboi Festival. 

As an artist and performer, Harley continues to attract recognition and rarefied opportunities. In 2018, he was honoured with the Melbourne Fringe Festival’s Best Emerging Circus Artist Award, and in the same year, was hand-picked as the youth representative for the 2018 Sydney Festival’s Circus Talk. Always wanting to be an active participant in giving back to the cirque community, he is a current member of the CaPT Advisory Board for Circus and most recently was the recipient of the Circus Oz Fellowship program for 2021.

Like all brilliant artists, Harley is never done learning. With a thirst to explore and master new ideas and talents, he is always seeking to upskill while on tour, and continue developing what he hopes is a significant contribution to Australia’s circus identity.