Luxe Profile: Ella Havelka

As a young girl, Ella Havelka discovered her love for dance after watching a performance of Swan Lake. She was mesmerised by the beauty of what she saw. After that, she started to learn dancing at her local ballet school in Dubbo.

As a descendant of the Wiradjuri people, this young Indigenous girl was working against the grain of what was expected of her by society at that time. Most young Aboriginal girls were expected to go down the path of sport: basketball, running – or anything other than ballet. However, this passion and love of dance she felt as a young girl was the start of an exceptional career that saw Ella become the first Indigenous dancer to join The Australia Ballet.

Her first professional appearance was in 2009 as part of Bangarra Dance in Fire – A Retrospective. This was the first of many appearances with the company, continuing to thrill audiences with performances in Mathinna, Of Earth and Sky, Belong, Spirit, and Terrain.

In 2012, Ella performed in 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. This was the dancer's introduction to performing with The Australian Ballet.

In 2013, Ella joined the company after an invitation by artistic director David McAllister, and her dreams and aspirations as a young girl were realised.

Ella was the subject of an eponymously titled film in 2016, which centred on her life and journey in dance as an Indigenous woman. In the film, Ella talks about how she felt she was “dancing between two worlds” and trying to find where she fitted in. Her candid conversations in the respected documentary saw Ella reveal how she felt “different” to the other dancers but how she found her creative freedom and success, which she still carries with her today.

In 2019, this soulful blending of cultures was displayed by Ella when she was a guest performer with her beloved Bangarra Dance for its 30th anniversary.

Her commitment and love of dance continues to this day. In 2020, The ELLA Foundation was established. Ella’s goal around this foundation is to mentor young First Nations dancers across Australia, to be able to lead and inspire them to love dance just as she did, and to know that dance can be your life in whatever way you wish.

Ella has paved the way for so many dancers in Australia. She is a true artist who followed her dreams and worked hard to not only compete in an industry with so few places at the top, but also to inspire and in turn, encourage so many young Indigenous dancers.

For more information on The ELLA Foundation visit ellafoundation.com.au

WRITTEN BY LARA LUPISH