ELLA

A heart-warming and fierce story of dance and cultural awakening, 'Ella' chronicles the life thus far of Ella Havelka, the first Indigenous dancer invited to become part of the Australian Ballet. Ella, a proud Wiradjuri woman, charts her journey from growing up in rural Australia as the only child of a single mother, and how she had to work in order to gain a place at the National Ballet School before being fortunate enough to spend further formative dancing years with the acclaimed Bangarra Dance Company. Then, in 2013, she became the first Indigenous person to become part of the Australian Ballet in the company’s 50 year history. Ella is not only remarkable as a key dancer in one of the world’s leading ballet companies, but as a woman engaging with her Indigenous heritage, and the film details how her people and culture have not only supported her in her dreams, but also helped her in creating further ground-breaking works of dance.