Born in Nagoya, Japan, Ako Kondo began ballet training at age three. She studied with The Royal Ballet, won Second Prize at the 2005 Japan Grand Prix and was awarded The Australian Ballet School Tuition Scholarship in 2007 at Youth American Grand Prix. Kondo toured with The Dancers Company in 2008 and joined The Australian Ballet in 2010. She was promoted to Principal Artist in April 2015, becoming their first Japanese Principal Artist.
Her accolades include the 2018 Helpmann Award for Best Female Dancer, a 2017 Benois de la Danse nomination and the 2016 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer.