Tessa Karle

Tessa Karle began her professional career with the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2021, after dancing with the company on secondment from the New Zealand School of Dance in 2020 for The Sleeping Beauty. She was the 2022 Todd Scholar, a position generously sponsored by the Todd Corporation for a graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance. 

In 2021, Tessa danced in Ethan Stiefel’s Giselle and The Firebird with Paquita, as well as in Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where she particularly enjoyed getting to dance the role of Cobweb. Her performances in 2022 included Loughlan Prior’s Cinderella and Twyla Tharp’s Waterbaby Bagatelles™. 2023 provided the opportunity for Tessa to take on some exciting roles, including Little Russians in George Balanchine’s Serenade, the Storm Trio in Alice Topp’s Logos, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Requiem for a Rose, and the role of Juliet’s Friends in Andrea Schermoly’s new production of Romeo and Juliet. In 2024, Tessa danced as a Cygnet and Princess in Russell Kerr’s Swan Lake, and in Infra by Wayne McGregor. She also had the opportunity to revisit the role of Cobweb in the 2024 revival of Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

Tessa grew up in Canberra, Australia, and trained at the Dance Development Centre under Jackie Hallahan and Paul Knobloch whilst also training with The Australian Ballet School through their interstate and invitee training programmes. In January 2018, Tessa moved to Wellington to join the New Zealand School of Dance as a Classical Major. Some highlights from her time at the school include dancing Christopher Wheeldon’s After The Rain pas de deux and the adage soloist in George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco in the School’s graduation seasons, as well as the opportunity to train for four weeks at Canada’s National Ballet School on full scholarship. 

Outside of the studio, Tessa recently completed a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Digital Marketing through Massey University. She enjoys combining her two passions by creating TikTok content for the company, connecting the RNZB to viewers worldwide.