Stella Clarkson
Performer

UK-born, raised on the lands of the Gadigal people in Sydney, Australia, Stella is an emerging dancer currently in her graduate year of study at the New Zealand School of Dance.

In Sydney Stella trained under the Tanya Pearson Academy and Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, where she performed internationally at the Dalian International Youth Arts Festival (China) and National High Schools Dance Festival (USA), whilst also being a member of the Sydney Dance Company youth ensemble.

After moving to Pōneke, Aotearoa in 2023 to commence full-time training at the School of Dance, Stella has worked with many world-renowned choreographers and tutors including Michael Paramenter, Tristan Carter, Matte Roffe, Zoe Dunwoodie, and Taane Mete. In 2023 Stella performed in World of Wearable Arts under the direction of Malia Johnston, and in 2025 she represented School of Dance at the Prix De Lausanne (Switzerland) as a member of the Partner Schools Choreographic Project directed by Jessica Lang.

As a dancer Stella is intrigued by the symbiosis of artistry and athleticism, challenging the body to its extreme whilst sustaining a connection to the emotional instigation of movement. Stella enjoys using dance as a medium to reflect current turbulences in society, and appreciates how dance can transcend the binaries of time to comment on historical and cultural practices.

This year Stella is overjoyed to make her professional debut with The New Zealand Dance Company and the Royal New Zealand Ballet performing in Moss Te Ururangi Patterson’s work Home Land and Sea, and can’t wait to connect with audiences across Aotearoa.