Dana Stephensen
Dana Stephensen
At the age of three Dana Stephensen began her dance training with Davidia Lind in jazz, tap, ballet and singing in her hometown of Brisbane. She later trained with Mary Heath and Sandra Ashley before studying with the Queensland Dance School of Excellence in 2001, obtaining her Royal Academy of Dance Solo Seal. She joined The Australian Ballet School in 2002. In her graduating year she was seconded to The Australian Ballet to perform in various seasons before joining the company full-time in 2005. She has since enjoyed international tours to Los Angeles, New York, UK, Auckland, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Paris. At the end of 2008, Dana was awarded the Khitercs Hirai Scholarship, which enabled her to gain invaluable experience training with numerous ballet companies in Europe. Dana was promoted to coryphée in 2010 and went on to win the Telstra Ballet Dancer Award later that year. She was promoted to soloist in 2014 and to senior artist in 2018.
Dana left The Australian Ballet in 2023.
Repertoire highlights
- Swanilda in Coppélia (The Australian Ballet' Regional Tour, 2019)
- Stepmother in Alexei Ratmansky’s Cinderella, 2018, 2013
- Tertulla in Lucas Jervies' Spartacus, 2018
- Tim Harbour's Filigree and Shadow, 2018
- Valencienne in Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow, 2018
- Princess Florine and the Fairy of Temperament in David McAllister's The Sleeping Beauty, 2018, 2017
- Giselle in Giselle (The Australian Ballet's Regional Tour, 2016)
- Lescaut's Mistress in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, 2014
- Rose Fairy in Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker, 2014
- Wayne McGregor’s Infra (2017), Chroma (2014) and Dyad 1929 (2013, 2009)
Professional accolades
Awards
- Telstra Ballet Dancer People’s Choice Award, 2014
You may not know
Dana has a young son called Jasper who is the light of her life.