Ella Havelka

 Ella is a descendant of the Wiradjuri people and in 2013 became the first Aboriginal woman to join The Australian Ballet. Born in Dubbo, Ella graduated from The Australian Ballet School in 2007 and made her first appearance with Bangarra Dance Theatre in Fire – A Retrospective in 2009. She danced with Bangarra until 2012, appearing in Mathinna, of earth & sky, Belong, Spirit and Terrain. In 2012, Ella performed in Australia and New York with Bangarra and The Australian Ballet in Warumuk – in the dark night, a collaborative work created by Stephen Page for The Australian Ballet’s 50th anniversary celebrations. She joined The Australian Ballet in 2013.
In 2016, Ella was the subject of an eponymously titled documentary centring on her dance journey, which was released at the Melbourne International Film Festival. In 2019 Ella guested with Bangarra for its 30^th anniversary program; she was named most outstanding dancer in Dance Australia Magazine for her performance in Jiří Kylián’s Stamping Ground, part of that program.