Ella Watson-Heath

Ella Watson-Heath is a dance artist born and raised on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar (Borloo, Perth) currently living on Gadigal land (Sydney), working across performance, choreography and improvisation.

Ella is a graduate of the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), BA Dance Course. In 2017 Ella took part in a one semester student exchange to Purchase College at the State University of New York (SUNY) where she studied Graham and Cunningham techniques extensively.

Ella was a member of STEPS Youth Dance Company from 2013 to 2015. STEPS gave Ella many opportunities to perform, choreograph and mentor young dancers for which formed the basis of her professional discipline and developed a strong foundation for working collaboratively. Performances with STEPS Youth Dance Company include Threefold Choreographed by Alice Lee-Holland, James O’Hara, Shona Erskine and Kynan Hughes and the Australian Dance Award winning Fights and Flights Choreographed by Alice Lee-Holland in collaboration with STEPS alumni.

During her time at WAAPA, Ella performed in works choreographed by Sarah Chaffey, Adelina Larsson, Bernadette Lewis, Natalie Allen, Brooke Leeder, Filipa Peraltinha and Rafael Bonachela. In October 2018, Ella travelled to Taiwan to perform works by Natalie Allen and Brooke Leeder in the KuanDu Arts Festival at Taipei National University of the Arts.

In 2020, Ella was a recipient of Ausdance NSW’s Dance Artist in Residence (DAIR) program which she spent at the Australian College of Physical Education developing a new work for young people in schools dealing with mental health and wellbeing, Save the endorphin.As a member of Dance Makers Collective’s Future Makers company Ella has collaborated with Lee Serle and performed in In Situ (SydFest ’21), as well as performing with fellow Future Makers alongside DMC members in The Rivoli (SydFest ’20).