The Dance Of Love

Dancing romantic leads comes naturally to Ako Kondo and Chengwu Guo. Wendy Squires meets the Australian Ballet’s newlywed and thoroughly besotted dancers.

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Chengwu Guo lifts Ako Kondo high above his head, holding her effortlessly aloft. “Does my tutu cover your face?” Ako asks her partner in ballet and life, as the camera clicks away. “Well, you could move your arm,” Chengwu (known as Chen) jests, “but I’m used to sacrificing myself for you.”

“Got it,” the photographer announces, and Ako, 27, lands with the dainty ease of a cat. Chen, who is 29, kisses his wife gently. It’s plain to see why this couple is an Australian Ballet sensation (the newlyweds have dazzled together in Don Quixote, Cinderella and Swan Lake) and it’s plain to see they’re hopelessly in love.

It was sweet serendipity, and a lot of hard work, that brought the pair together. Both had travelled from their home countries on scholarships to study at the Australian Ballet School. Chen hails from a remote rural village, Iujiang, in China. After starting out as a gymnast at three and switching to dance at seven, he landed a contested place at the Beijing Dance Academy, of