Ako Kondo

Ako Kondo (近藤亜香, Kondo Ako, born 1991) is a Japanese ballet dancer. She is a principal artist at The Australian Ballet.[1]

Ako Kondo
近藤亜香
Ako Kondo dances for Swans for Relief in May 2020
Born1991 (age 29–30)
Nagoya, Japan
OccupationBallet dancer
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 2019)​
Current groupThe Australian Ballet
DancesBallet

Early life

Kondo was born in Nagoya, Japan. She began ballet classes when she was three. She attended normal school during the day and took ballet classes after school. In 2007, when she was 16, she was awarded a scholarship at Youth America Grand Prix and relocated to Australia to train The Australian Ballet School, at the time she didn't speak English.[2]

Career

Kondo toured The Dancers Company in 2008. In 2010, Kondo joined The Australian Ballet. In 2015, at age 24, she was promoted to Principal Artist on stage following her debut as the title role in Giselle. In 2013, while she was a coryphée, she made her debut as Kitri in Don Quixote. She is the first Japanese Principal Artist of the company. She has danced roles such as the title role in Cinderella and Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. Kondo had made guest appearances in China and Japan.[1][3][4]

On Giselle, Bachtrack praised Kondo's performance and wrote "it is rare to see a Giselle so able to combine the technical assurance of a dancer of Kondo’s experience with such fresh innocence of character. Even her musicality was youthful, lacing every sequence with fresh and surprising emotion."[5] Reviewing Kondo's performance in Stanton Welch's Sylvia, The Sydney Morning Herald noted that Kondo "creates a strong personality and dances exquisitely."[6]

In 2020, Kondo participated in Misty Copeland's fundraiser, Swans for Relief, by dancing The Swan, in light of the impacts of the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic on the dance community. The fund will go to participating dancers' companies and other related relief funds.[7]

Selected repertoire

Personal life

In 2019, Kondo and Chengwu Guo, also a Principal Artist as the Australian Ballet, married in Japan.[8] Kondo is currently learning Chinese.[1]

References
  1. "Ako Kondo". The Australian Ballet. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  2. "First Day: How two dancers found freedom and equality in Australia". SBS News. 6 February 2017.
  3. "Australian Ballet principal artist Ako Kondo on sword-fighting and her lead role in Sylvia". Vogue Australia. 2 September 2019.
  4. "Ako Kondo: Australian Ballet's newest Principal!". Dance Magazine Australia.
  5. "A beloved Australian Ballet classic: Maina Gielgud's Giselle returns". Bachtrack. 2 May 2019.
  6. "Sylvia review: Complicated tale alongside sprightly dancing". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 November 2019.
  7. "32 Ballerinas From Around the World Perform "The Dying Swan" for COVID-19 Relief". Dance Magazine. May 6, 2020.
  8. "Inside the Japan wedding of two ballet dancers". Vogue Australia. 17 June 2019.
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