We chat to the six talented dancers from the Australian Ballet hoping to be crowned this year’s winner.

Historically, the art form of ballet has always been hierarchical, with dancers achieving different ranks as their skills progress. The most inexperienced dancers begin their careers in the Corps de Ballet, with the most advanced dancers, those who perform the leading roles, becoming Principal Artists.

Since 2003, the annual Telstra Ballet Dancer of the Year Award has offered another unique milestone for the elite young dancers of the Australian Ballet. Each year six talented dancers from the company’s ranks are selected by the Australian Ballet’s artistic staff, previous winners of the award and the Principal Artists, and throughout the course of the season their performances and ongoing development is judged.

Ahead of the announcement of 2015 Telstra Ballet Dancer of the Year this evening, we meet this year’s finalists.

Ako Konda

Born in Nagoya, Japan in 1991, Ako began her training at Shiho Kanazawa Ballet Studio aged just three-years-old. She joined The Australian Ballet in 2010 and was promoted to principal artist in...