About Ella
Wiradjuri Woman Ella Havelka is passionate about creating new pathways for First Nations storytelling through dance, Wiradjuri language revitalisation and traditional weaving. Having danced for both The Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre, Havelka was the subject of the documentary film ELLA, which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2016. Ella is a traditional weaver with Wagga Wagga’s Hands On Weavers group and an Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity with a Masters in Social Change Leadership through Melbourne University.
In 2020 Ella founded The ELLA Foundation which provides scholarships and mentorship to First Nations youth while delivering a range of dance-based performances and experiences. Ella choreographed ‘Wilaygu Ngainybula - Possums Two Minds’ (2019) and ‘The Story of Pomi and Gobba’ (2022) for The Australian Ballet Education and Outreach Team and works as a freelance creative for a number of arts and cultural organisations such as Moorambilla Voices, Na Djinang Circus, Play On Music and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Purchase the Documentary about ELLA on Vimeo here
MEDIA Mentions & Rescources
A Gift From Wiradjuri Country - Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity - April 2022
Wagga Wagga Yarns was a much-awaited trip for some of the 2021 Atlantic Fellows. It was a gift from co-Fellow, Ella Havelka, a dancer and Wiradjuri woman. - By Indu Balachandran, 2021 Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity, Dharug Nation, Australia
The road to inclusivity for First Nations dancers in Australian ballet - Artshub - October 2021
In its nearly 60-year history, Australia’s national ballet company has recorded no dancer of Aboriginal descent before Ella Havelka, a descendant of the Wiradjuri people. Ella joined the Australian Ballet in 2013, after graduating from the Australian Ballet School in 2007 and spending some time with Bangarra Dance Theatre – an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation. - By Emma Sullivan
Dermalogica Hold The Pose Campaign - January 2021
This film was created in partnership with Agender and filmed in Wiradjuri Country; Highfield Farm & Woodland & Snowy Valleys Council. Directed by Cybele Malinowski and produced by Angela Liang.
Aware of the Journey - Dance Informa Magazine - Australian Edition - July 2020
Ella Havelka — dancer, Wiradjuri artist, choreographer and public speaker — is one of the most remarkable and grounded artists of her generation. Born in Dubbo, NSW, Havelka is a descendant of the Wiradjuri people and in 2013, became the first Indigenous dancer to be invited into The Australian Ballet in its 50 years of history. - By Renata Ogayar of Dance Informa.
What it’s like to be the first Indigenous dancer in The Australian Ballet - Fashion Journal - July 2020
Before Ella, The Australian Ballet had never had a First Nations dancer in its 50-year history. But her journey to the corps de ballet was not without hardship. She grew up in country NSW, dependent on only her mum’s income, and she struggled to access the costly and sometimes insular world of ballet. - By Sally Edwards
Deep Dive - ELLA HAVELKA'S JOURNEY IN DANCE - NFSA - July 2019
In 2019 the NFSA hosted a screening of Douglas Watkin’s documentary Ella, an insight into the first Indigenous dancer with the Australian Ballet. Following the screening Watkin was joined on stage in a conversation with Ella Havelka, hosted by NFSA Program Manager Karina Libbey. - By Travis Green
Because of her, we can - Australian Consulate-General - September 2018
Ella and her mother are both the living embodiment of this year’s NAIDOC theme – ‘because of her, we can’. Ella grew up in Dubbo, in rural New South Wales, and is a descendant of the Wiradjuri people. From a young age, Ella, with the strong support of her mother (who was a single parent), fought stereotypes within the different communities she inhabited to pursue her dream of becoming a ballerina. - By Ciarra Porro, Australian Consulate-General Noumea
From Dubbo to Documentary - NITV - July 2018
Ella Havelka knows that she's not the conventional ballerina. She doesn't reflect the art form's centuries-old European roots. Rather than growing up where tutus and private tuition was a rite of passage, Havelka was raised in a modest home in country NSW. - By Sophie Verass NITV
Woman of Style Award - Dance Writer - July 2017
Ella Havelka has proven that female dancers do play a pivotal role in changing the world, especially when it comes to female influence. As the winner of InStyle and Audi Women of Style Award in the Arts and Culture category, Ella Havelka is now an eminent role model for women of all ages around Australia. - By Jessica Poulter Dance Writer
InStyle - Limelight Magazine - May 2017
Ella Havelka, a Corps de Ballet member at The Australian Ballet, has been honoured with an InStyle Women of Style Award for her contribution to Arts and Culture. Established in 2009, the InStyle Women of Style Awards celebrate talented Australian women who have made a significant impact in both their careers and communities. - By Justine Nguyen Limelight
See: A New Documentary - Broadsheet - November 2016
When Ella Havelka was accepted into the Australian Ballet in 2012, as the company’s first Indigenous dancer in its 50-year history, it attracted a huge amount of positive media nationwide. Havelka herself was thrilled to finally achieve the goal she had strived for since she was eight years old. - By Jane Albert
Australia’s First indigenous ballet dancer’s story - Daily Telegraph - November 2016
PERFORMING on stage leaves no room for retakes or second chances for the Australian Ballet Company’s first Indigenous ballerina Ella Havelka. But that was far from the case when it came to shooting a movie about her life. “So much of what we shot ended up on the cutting room floor or we’d do take after take of something, and then have to shoot it again from a different angle,” - By Melissa Mitchel
ELLA - IMBD - November 2016
With intimate interviews, dance sequences, and archival material, this documentary follows Ella as she explores her identity and offers a glimpse into her life as an elite ballet dancer in the largest company in the southern hemisphere.
Ella Havelka's journey to become Australian Ballet's first Indigenous dancer - ABC News - August 2016
As a little girl growing up in Dubbo, all it took was a glimpse of a Swan Lake performance on an old VHS tape for Ella Havelka to know that she was going to be a ballerina. Before Ms Havelka joined in 2012, the Australian Ballet had never had an Indigenous dancer in its 50-year history. Ms Havelka has had a remarkable journey to the stage and now Ella, a documentary about her life, will make its debut at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
Ella’s Woven Magic - Broadsheet - January 2014
Professional ballet dancers are sticklers for pre-performance rituals and superstitions. It may be a particular song they play each night; a spray of perfume in a manner just so or the order in which costumes, tights and ballet shoes must be climbed into. But few dancers would claim to have traditional basket weaving as their secret weapon for calming pre-stage nerves and focusing the mind. - By Jane Albert