What it's like to be a ballerina | Australian Traveller

Principal artist with the The Australian Ballet, Japanese-born Ako Kondo tells what it’s like to dance 200 shows a year and if there’s any Black Swan antics offstage.

I normally get up around 8:30am, because I have two toy poodles…

I eat breakfast with them, walk them and have chill time with them before I go to work.

If it’s not a performance day, work starts with a 10:30–11:45am warm-up class, where we do basic technical stuff, then I have a 15-minute break before rehearsal starts at 12pm.

It goes for two-and-a-half hours and you have to be focused since you have to learn new steps or do the reps for the next season. We have a lunch break from 2:30-3:45pm, during which I normally get a massage.

Rehearsal resumes at 3:45pm and we finish at 6:30pm. If it’s a performance day, we start at 11am and finish at 3pm.

We have a big break before the show, which starts at 7:30pm, but I have to get ready, so I normally go to the theatre at 6pm. There is a warm-up class again before the show.

The Australian Ballet does the most shows in the world…

So we have to make sure our bodies are healthy to keep going for 200 shows. We have a massage therapist and a physiotherapist; there’s always people looking after us. We have the best medical team.

Your mind and body has to be ready to rehearse…

We sometimes put five ballets together for rehearsal in one day. We always mix the reps, it’s not just one ballet. That’s why you have to be ready.

It takes a lot of energy and you need to be focused. At the moment we’re getting ready for a London tour; I’ll be performing Swan Lake and Cinderella, so we are rehearsing both of those ballets right now.

People see the costumes and beautiful dancing and think we’re not sweating…

But we are. I read an article that said ballet dancers work their bodies as much as footy players do.

That’s how we feel afterwards, we take ice baths after the shows. It does take a lot of energy and our bodies can be ruined by ballet; it’s tough.

But when we are onstage, we have to pretend it’s nothing. For example, if I do the black swan solo, when I come off stage I’m breathing like crazy, but the audience doesn’t see that. It’s our job to make it look effortless and beautiful.

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Our muscles work hard…

We use our lower legs a lot for en pointe and jumping. I put my legs, below my knees, in an ice bucket after a show; it’s really cold!

My legs ache a lot and feel really hot, but if I put them in an ice bath they cool down and recover well the next day; they don’t feel heavy. If I don’t do that, I’ve found my legs are quite dead the next day and I don’t feel fresh.

Last time I performed Swan Lake, I had four pairs of pointe shoes ready…

Sometimes when you put on brand-new pointe shoes they’re shocking.

They break in a bad way and when you go en pointe it just doesn’t feel right, so I always make sure I have at least four pairs ready, but just pick one. I normally go through one pair of pointe shoes per day and I give my old ones to young girls.

We do make-up and hair ourselves…

I’ve been doing it for a long time so it doesn’t take long anymore. It’s about 20 minutes to do my make-up and 10 minutes for my hair.

I change my make-up to get into character…

For Odette, the white swan in Swan Lake, I go for a pale look and I do the whitewash, which is a kind of pancake on my body. When I perform the black swan, I wear red lipstick and dark eyeshadow so I feel different.

The world of ballet isn’t like the movie Black Swan…

When I was training in Japan, I was doing ballet competitions and I felt everyone was quite competitive because we were trying to get the first prize.

But ballet is not about competition and when I came to Australia, it wasn’t like that. Everyone supports each other to make the best show. In our company, no one tries to compare with you; we are like a family. It’s just put on for the movies – it’s not that bad.

Recently, my best friend debuted as Odette…

Everyone was in the wings cheering – the whole company was supportive to make her performance perfect for her.

I’m a principal artist now, so my job is to provide the best performance but also to support young dancers who are getting big opportunities in the company.

I don’t keep a strict diet…

Some people do care about what they eat but my workload is hard, so I eat what I want to get energy. But I make sure I rehydrate; we sweat so much and don’t even realise.

I get nervous waiting in the wings…

Especially being Odette, the white swan, the first entrance is just myself in the middle of the stage with no music before I start dancing.

It is a scary moment, but when I hear the audience gasp or clap for me, I feel like the theatre is one piece and I feel the energy from the audience, and that helps.

Everyone is just there to watch the performance and they’re so excited. I just try to give my best performance for them.

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After the curtain falls, everyone just goes home…

With 200 shows a year, the cast is like: ‘OK, done. Let’s go home, sleep, next’. Everyone has to make sure they feel fresh for the next day.

I decided I wanted to be a professional ballerina when I was 13 years old…

I asked my ballet teacher how to do it.

She said if I really wanted to be a professional ballerina, then I should go overseas to attend a full-time ballet school.

In Japan, there aren’t any full-time schools like The Australian Ballet School or The Royal Ballet School.

I won a big ballet competition in Japan and was lucky enough to get a scholarship from The Australian Ballet School.

Ballet is tough and it’s hard work, but it’s worth it…

It was a big step to be apart from my family.

It was hard but I felt like it was worth it, because what I got from the school was just amazing. I’d never have that experience in Japan.

I was lucky all the hard work paid off and I got a contract from the Australian Ballet. If you keep working hard, at some point it will pay off.

I’ve been doing ballet for 22 years… since I was three years old…

It was always my first option.

But I like doing my make-up and hair for a performance, so if I wasn’t a ballerina I could see myself being a make-up artist or hair stylist.

MORE… See Ako in the Australian Ballet’s Nijinsky in Melbourne, and touring to Sydney and Adelaide.

Makers, bakers, artists, chefs, crafters – Ballarat and its surrounds are overflowing with creative spirits. All dedicated to keeping traditional skills alive for a city that is humming with artful energy.

Modern makers: a new generation of artists and artisans

“Keeping craft alive is a noble cause,” says Jess Cameron-Wootten, a charming and passionate master leathercrafter and cordwainer, who handmakes traditional leather boots and shoes in Ballarat’s old Gun Cotton Goods Store.

Ballarat was recognised in 2019 as a UNESCO Creative City of Craft and Folk Art, and today it’s a place where craft traditions converge with contemporary needs. Nothing quite captures this convergence as a visit to Wootten , the workshop and store of Jess Cameron-Wootten and his partner Krystina Menegazzo.

heritage buildings in Ballarat — Ballarat’s streets are lined with heritage buildings. (Image: Matt Dunne)

Jess’s father was an artisan bootmaker, or cordwainer. Now Jess and Krys and their small team of artisans continue the tradition, but with a modern spin. The company’s boots and shoes, made completely from scratch, are renowned for their quality and longevity. Wootten also craft shoes, bags, belts, leather aprons, wallets and more.

Cosy beanies, gloves, alpaca socks, “unbreakable” shoelaces and various other goods – many from local craftspeople and small-scale makers – fill the shop’s shelves. “We’re always happy to support a mate,” says Jess. “People love to see the workshop and where things are made. Our clients care about quality and sustainability,” Krys comments. The company slogan ‘Made for generations’ says it all.

Ruby Pilven’s ceramics at Ross Creek Gallery. (Image: Tara Moore)

For Ruby Pilven, craft is also in the DNA – both her parents were potters and with her latest porcelain ceramics, Ruby’s young daughter has been helping add colour to the glazes. “I grew up watching my parents in the workshop – I’ve always been doing ceramics,” she says, although her Visual Arts degree was in printmaking. That printmaking training comes through particularly in the rich layering of pattern. Her audacious colour, unexpected shapes and sudden pops of 12-carat gold are contemporary, quirky – and joyful.

You can see Ruby’s handcrafted ceramics, and work by other local and regional artists, at Ross Creek Gallery , a light-filled space surrounded by serene bushland, across from the mudbrick house her parents built in the 1980s. A 10-minute drive from Ballarat, it’s a tangible link to the region’s well-established craft traditions.

How Ballarat is preserving the past

artisans making crafts at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, Ballarat — The Centre for Rare Arts & Forgotten Trades holds workshops to preserve crafts and skills.

While tradition is ongoing, there’s a danger that many of these specific type of skills and knowledge are fading as an older generation passes on. Step forward the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades .

The seven purpose-built studios occupy a fabulous modern building adjacent to Sovereign Hill, with state-of-the-art facilities, enormous windows and landscape views across to Warrenheip and Wadawurrung Country.

artisanal works at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, Ballarat — Check out artisanal works at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades.

Practising artisans run hands-on workshops. Fancy making your own medieval armour? Or trying your hand at blacksmithing, spinning wool, plaiting leather, weaving cane or craft a knife? Book a class and learn how. “It’s about creating awareness and also sharing knowledge and skills before they are lost,” explains Deborah Klein, the centre manager.

A city steeped in food and flavours

Chef José Fernandez preparing American streetfood at Pancho — Chef José Fernandez creates vibrant South American street food at Pancho. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

One skill that hasn’t been lost is that of cooking. Ballarat’s burgeoning gastronomy scene runs the gamut from an artisan bakery (the atmospheric 1816 Bakehouse) to cool coffee shops, speakeasy cocktail bars and distilleries to fine-dining venues. But I’m still surprised to find Pancho , José Fernandez’s South American street food restaurant, serving fried cheese tequeños, fiery fish tacos, Argentinian grilled chicken.

The room is as lively as the food – a whirl of colour filled with gifted and thrifted paintings, photos, tchotchkes (trinkets), plants. There’s a Mexican abuela aesthetic going on here. Even before the music and mezcal kick in, it’s fun. Heads up on the drinks menu – an authentic selection of mezcal, tequila, South American wines and Mexican cerveza.

a cocktail at Itinerant Spirits, Ballarat — Enjoy a cocktail at Itinerant Spirits. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

The spirit is willing, so after lunch we head towards the gold rush-era Ballarat train station and across the line to the old 1860s Goods Shed for Itinerant Spirits . At one end, a massive German copper still looms behind a wall of glass. The fit-out embraces deep olive-green tones, original bluestone walls, steamer trunks as coffee tables, heritage timber floors, oversized lamp shades and cognac-hued modernist leather seating.

the Itinerant Spirits Distillery & Cocktail Bar, Ballarat — The distillery operates from an old goods shed. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

Gallivanter Gin, Vansetter Vodka and Wayfarer Whiskey – the key spirits distilled – star at the bar. The spirits are crafted using grains from the Wimmera Mallee region, and native botanicals foraged in the Grampians. Seasonal cocktails are inspired by local people and places (I loved The Headland, inspired by Sovereign Hill and flavoured with old-fashioned raspberry drops). Sample the spirits, and join a cocktail masterclass or a distillery tour. It’s a seductive setting – you’ll likely find yourself ordering a charcuterie platter or pizza as the evening progresses.

The Ballarat stay combining history and luxury

one of the rooms at Hotel Vera, Ballarat — The rooms at Hotel Vera have a contemporary style. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

New lives for old buildings keeps history alive. Vera, Ballarat’s boutique five-star hotel, has taken it to the next level: it’s a palimpsest, a subtle layering of early 1900s and 1930s Art Deco architecture with a sleek new wing. There are seven spacious suites, each a dramatically different colour, with designer chairs, blissful bathrooms. High-end pottery and hand-picked artworks imbue the spaces with personality.

Vera’s intimate, award-winning restaurant, Babae, is subtly theatrical with sheer drapes and gallery lighting, its bespoke timber furniture and brass-edged marble bench setting the stage for food with a sharp regional focus. “We have goat’s cheese from a local supplier, handmade granola from local Vegas & Rose, truffles from nearby Black Cat Truffles, fresh food from our garden, and regional wines,” says joint owner David Cook-Doulton.

Celebrating the local makers, bakers, growers and producers, and the master chefs who work their magic is all part of the rich tapestry that links Ballarat’s history to its vibrant present.

A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

It’s 90 minutes from Melbourne, either on the Western Freeway, or hop on a V/Line train from Southern Cross Station.

Staying there

Hotel Vera is a centrally located Art Deco boutique hotel. Consider Hotel Provincial , which feels like a sleek country house, but with its own restaurant, Lola.

a contemporary room at Hotel Provincial, Ballarat — Hotel Provincial has country house vibes.

Eating there

dining at Mr Jones, Ballarat — The table is set at Mr Jones. (Image: Tony Evans/ Visit Victoria)

Culinary whiz Damien Jones helms Chef’s Hat winner Mr Jones Dining with quiet assurance. His modern Asian food is deceptively simple with deep, intense flavours. Low-key, laid-back ambience, lovely staff, thoughtful wine list.

Cocktails are definitely a thing in Ballarat. Reynard (fox in French) is foxy indeed, a clubby space with top-notch cocktails and small bites. Grainery Lane is extravagantly OTT with its massive 1880s bar, myriad chandeliers, brass gin still, Asian-inspired food and lavish cocktails.

dining at Grainery Lane, Ballarat — Dining at Grainery Lane.

Playing there

a laneway filled with artworks in Ballarat — An artful laneway in the city. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

Check out local design legend Travis Price’s wall murals in Hop Lane with its colourful canopy of brollies, or in Main Street. The Art Gallery of Ballarat’s off-site Backspace Gallery showcases early-career artists in a stylish, contemporary space. First Nations-owned and run Perridak Arts connects people to place, bringing together art and crafts in this gallery/shop.

a woman admiring artworks at Perridak Arts Gallery — Perridak Arts is a First Nations-run gallery. (Image: Tony Evans)

The wineries of the Pyrenees are close at hand with their welcoming cellar doors and robust reds. Join a behind-the-scenes tour at the Centre for Gold Rush Collections .

Don’t forget the giant bluestone Kryal Castle , ‘the land of adventure’, for a little medieval magic, and not just for the kids: get ready for Highland-style feasting, jousting, even overnight stays.

What it’s really like… to be a ballerina

Principal artist with the The Australian Ballet, Japanese-born Ako Kondo tells what it’s like to dance 200 shows a year and if there’s any Black Swan antics offstage.

The Australian Ballet does the most shows in the world…

Your mind and body has to be ready to rehearse…