Alberta Ballet Principal Dancer Mariko Kondo, who has graced Alberta Ballet’s stages over 18 years, will take her final bows at the end of the 2024/25 season, choosing to retire from ballet. 

Mariko, known for her exquisite poise and grace, is reflecting with gratitude on her successful career. 

“I look back and I had an amazing career. I was so fortunate to be able to do a lot of ballet and dance principal roles since the beginning of my career,” she said. “I wish I could talk to everyone, one-on-one, and say thank you for supporting me. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been able to dance since I was six years old, that I was able to dance after having kids, and that I have a husband who always supports me.”

After performing in The Nutcracker in 2023, Mariko took a year-long hiatus from performing after a dance injury.

“I thought about retiring at that time, but mentally I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to finish my career that way; I wanted to say goodbye from the stage,” she said. 

This season she returned as strong as ever, taking on stunning roles in The Wizard of Oz, and touring to Dubai with the company to perform in Francesco Ventriglia’s A Thousand Tales. Now she is closing her stage career in her own way and on her own terms. 

“Francesco has really supported me, and says I still have a place if I want it,” Mariko said, adding she’s looking forward to a new chapter. “In a way, it’s nice because I feel I'm at a place where I'm open to lots of opportunities. And I'm excited about what this change in schedule will mean for making time for my family.”

Over the years, no matter if she has had a walk-on role or a principal role, her family never missed a show. Even when she toured with the company to Dubai, her husband and two children also travelled to see the show and support her. 

Mariko, originally from Hiroshima, Japan, received her ballet training at both the International Ballet Academy in Japan and Canada’s National Ballet School. Before joining Alberta Ballet in 2007, she had the opportunity to dance in Germany with Leipzig Ballet.

She has had many memorable roles with Alberta Ballet, including Giselle in Giselle, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. As she reflected on her dance career, what stood out for her are the artists she's worked with: "There have been so many great choreographers, stagers and designers, and of course, Alberta Ballet's artistic directors over my time with the company."

"It’s such a special relationship in the studio. Every time we’re getting to perform, we’re all working toward a goal—and it’s the trust we have, and the trust others place in us, that makes it possible. I’m so grateful to the dancers I've worked, because that trust gives us the freedom to take risks and express something real."

And as for a favourite role, Mariko thinks back to 2013/14, performing the role of ChoCho San in Madame Butterfly. “If I had to choose just one, that would be it. I fell in love with the music, but also dancing a story about a Japanese woman felt really special to me,” she said. 

Then Artistic Director Jean Grand-Maître brought the ballet here from Houston Ballet to highlight Mariko’s artistry and dramatic presence in the principal role — an honour she remains deeply grateful for: "There was so much about that story and ballet that felt familiar."

Mariko will take her final bows at the end of Don Quixote, running in Calgary May 1-3 and Edmonton from May 9-10. To send Mariko a farewell message, please email Communications@AlbertaBallet.com, or leave comments on our Facebook and Instagram channels.