Karen Kain
Karen Kain | |
---|---|
Born | National Ballet School of Canada | March 28, 1951
Occupation(s) | Ballet dancer, administrator |
Spouse |
Karen Alexandria Kain CC OOnt (born March 28, 1951) is a Canadian former ballet dancer and was the Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada from 2005 to 2021.
Early training and childhood
Kain's mother enrolled her daughter in ballet training because she believed it would improve her postural alignment, poise, and discipline. The family moved from
Career
Kain became a principal dancer in 1971, performing central roles in a wide array of ballets, eventually becoming well known in Canada, with the help of legendary dancer
During her career, she performed in many ballets from classical and modern repertoire including among others Swan Lake (
In 1977, Kain stopped dancing, but started again in 1981 with the National Ballet of Canada, where she performed for 15 more years. In 1996, Kain reunited with Frank Augustyn to appear in her husband Ross Petty's panto production of Robin Hood at Toronto's Elgin Theatre. Kain retired as a professional dancer in 1997.
In 1998, she returned to the National Ballet of Canada as part of the senior management team, in the role of artistic associate. She supported artistic director
Kain was the founding board president of Canada's Dancer Transition Resource Centre.[7] Kain's autobiography, Movement Never Lies, was published in 1994 by McClelland and Stewart.[8]
Awards
In 1973, she won silver in the women's competition and the first prize[9] for best pas de deux (with Frank Augustyn) at the second International Ballet Competition in Moscow dancing the Bluebird pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty.[10]
In 1976, she became an Officer of the
Honorary postage stamp
In April 2021, Kain was recognized by Canada Post as a "legend of ballet" for her lifetime of artistic achievements with a permanent domestic stamp displaying a ballet leap.[15][16]
Personal life
Kain has been married since 1983 to Ross Petty, a stage and film actor, and producer of theatrical pantomime productions in Canada for over 20 years. Kain's brother, Kevin Kain, is a noted tropical medicine expert based in Toronto, Ontario; she has three younger siblings and two nephews - Dylan and Taylor Kain.
Other
In 1976, Kain appeared in a televised version of the ballet
Kain's direction of Swan Lake as her final project for the National Ballet of Canada before her retirement is profiled in Chelsea McMullan's 2023 documentary film Swan Song.[17]
References
- ^ "Karen Kain, Budding Ballerina: Local ballerina ends third year". The Weekly. Port Credit, Ontario. 29 July 1965. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ "Karen Kain, Artistic Director, National Ballet of Canada". Archived from the original on October 22, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
- ^ "GGC Fun Facts" (PDF). Girl Guides of Canada.
- ^ Encyclopedia of Theatre Dance in Canada/Encyclopédie de la danse théâtrale au Canada. Susan Macpherson, editor. Arts Inter-Media Canada/Dance Collection Danse, 2000. pp. 414-316. Christopher Darling and John Fraser, Kain & Augustyn. A Jonathan-James Book, Macmillan of Canada, 1977. 159 p.
- ^ James Neufel. Passion to Dance. The National Ballet of Canada. Toronto, Dunburn, 2011. p. 185.
- ^ "Karen Kain hopes she left National Ballet a more welcoming and supportive place". CBC News. Canadian Broadcast Corporation. July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ Doob, Penelope Reed (4 March 2015). "Karen Kain". The Canadian Encyclopedia (online ed.). Historica Canada. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-7710-4575-2.
- ^ The prize may differ from one author to another. In Encyclopedia of Theatre Dance in Canada/Encyclopédie de la dance au Canada. Dance Collection Danse, 2000. p. 315, the author wrote that they received the gold medal, while in Passion to Dance. The National Ballet of Canada, p. 185, the author James Neufeld mentioned that they won a special prize for the best pas de deux. A quotation by Kain in the book Kain & Augustyn by Christopher Darling and John Fraser, Macmillan of Canada, p. 10, refers as the first prize.
- ^ James Neufel. Passion to Dance. The National Ballet of Canada.Toronto, Dundurn, 2011. pp. 184-186.
- ^ "Karen Kain biography". Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- Kingston Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 27.
- ^ "Karen Kain, Prima Ballerina". CBC News. Canadian Broadcast Corporation. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ "Diamond Jubilee Gala toasts exceptional Canadians". CBC News. Canadian Broadcast Corporation. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
- ^ "Karen Kain Postage Stamp". Canada Post. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "New postal stamps honour Canadian ballet legends". Radio Canada International. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Manori Ravindran, "Neve Campbell Boards TIFF-Bound Ballet Documentary ‘Swan Song’ as Executive Producer". Variety, July 25, 2023.
External links
- The Canadian Encyclopedia - Kain, Karen featuring a clip of Karen's performance in the National Ballet of Canada's 1976 production of Giselle
- Canada's Walk of Fame: Karen Kain
- CBC Digital Archives: Karen Kain, Prima Ballerina
- Karen Kain fonds (R4321) at Library and Archives Canada