ICON: 50 Years of Karen Kain

Karen Kain is one of the most recognizable names in the ballet world. As a dancer at The National Ballet of Canada for over 28 years, and as Artistic Director for 15 years, Kain has continued to inspire the Candian public.

Kain began her journey at The National Ballet of Canada by entering the Corps de Ballet in 1969 and was promoted to Principal Dancer after only one season with the company. She rose to international acclaim with her performance at the prestigious Moscow International Dance Competition where she won the silver medal in the women’s competition and best pas de deux with Frank Augustyn. During her career as a dancer, she performed in countless roles for both classical and contemporary ballets. In 1997, Kain retired as a dancer following her celebratory Farewell Tour across Canada.

Kain was appointed Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada in 2005. In this role, she enabled the company to sustain its vision of supporting the excellence of its artists in Canada and abroad. Kain reinvigorated the company’s international presence by touring around the world and developed its repertoire of classical and new works.

The 2019/20 season marks Kain’s 50th year with The National Ballet of Canada. In 2020, Kain will retire as Artistic Director and become Artistic Director Emeritus.

Swan Lake is often considered to be the epitome of classical ballet. Since its creation in 1877, choreographers have been inspired by Tchaikovsky’s score to create their own version of the immortal tale. It has been a mainstay of The National Ballet of Canada’s repertoire since the company’s founding in 1951.

Karen Kain made her debut in Swan Lake in 1971 at the age of 19. After only one season with the company, she was called in by Artistic Director Celia Franca to replace an injured Veronica Tennant for the role of the Swan Queen while on tour.

While an emerging dancer at the time, Kain’s unique style and superb technique made her stand out and her performance was lauded by critics. She was promoted to Principal Dancer at the end of the 1970/71 season. Kain’s final performance as the Swan Queen occurred in 1994 after almost 25 years of dancing this role.

As well as being one of the most meaningful ballets to Karen Kain’s career, Giselle is a masterpiece of Romantic Ballet. The title role of Giselle is one of the most challenging due to the great contrast in character between the first and second acts. Giselle is a role that requires the dancer to be both a great actress and technician to do justice to the emotional complexity of the role.

Giselle was the first ballet Karen Kain ever saw as a child. At eight years old in Hamilton, Ontario, she watched Celia Franca perform the title role in Giselle and told her parents that she was going to be a ballerina one day. For an assignment in school, Kain wrote, “I could go out every night and dance. I will be in Giselle. It will be so much fun being a ballerina.�

Kain first performed the role of Giselle in 1973 opposite Frank Augustyn, and her sensitive portrayal brought the character of Giselle to life. The pair reprised their respective roles for a 1976 CBC production of Giselle, produced and directed by Norman Campbell.

With its spectacular choreography and beautifully embellished costumes, The Sleeping Beauty was one of Karen Kain’s favourite productions to dance throughout her career.

Kain was at the centre of this magical fairy tale, having danced the roles of Princess Aurora and Princess Florine. Both these roles require a great deal of strength and stamina to make each movement seem effortless.

In 1972, Rudolf Nureyev came to The National Ballet of Canada to mount his production of The Sleeping Beauty. The production was a success and launched the company on a 32 city U.S and Canadian tour on which Kain made her debut as Aurora opposite Nureyev in Houston, Texas. Aurora would remain one of Kain’s favourites, and many consider it to be her most memorable classical role, a fact which she credits to Nureyev’s coaching.

Rudolf Nureyev was a famed Russian ballet dancer and choreographer whose mentorship of Karen Kain began in 1972 with his staging of The Sleeping Beauty at The National Ballet of Canada. Nureyev saw Kain’s talent as a dancer and provided her with the support to flourish artistically. Of Kain, Nureyev said, “She has the capacity to throw herself completely into her roles, as well as that special radiance which lights up the whole stage when she runs on and transmits the illumination into the theatre.”

Celia Franca was the Founder, and first Artistic Director, of The National Ballet of Canada. She began working with Karen Kain upon her entry into the Corps de Ballet in 1969 and her strong leadership style motivated Kain to push herself as a dancer. Franca had great admiration for Kain, stating, “She had this wonderful theatrical instinct and she was always so vulnerable. You had to love her.�

Elite Syncopations is a unique ballet that contrasts the dramatic classical productions staged by The National Ballet of Canada. It is one of the most enduringly popular works in the company’s repertoire due to its light-hearted and playful nature. Inspired by dance halls from the 1920’s and ragtime music, Elite Syncopations is a fast-paced ensemble production choreographed by Sir Kenneth MacMillan to the music of Scott Joplin.

Elite Syncopations was a memorable part of Karen Kain’s career as it demonstrated her versatility as a dancer by showcasing her athleticism and comedic skills. Kain performed the lead role of the Red Hat Girl in the Canadian premiere of this piece in 1978. She reprised this role in 1997 in a surprise performance in Toronto before launching on her Farewell Tour.

John Cranko’s acclaimed production of Romeo and Juliet originally entered The National Ballet of Canada’s repertoire in 1964 and was first danced by Karen Kain in 1976. Those lucky to witness Karen Kain’s embodiment of the role of Juliet praised the youthful innocence she brought to the character as she fell in love with Romeo. Romeo and Juliet was one of the first ballets that Karen Kain and Frank Augustyn danced together, and began their long-time partnership.

Kain and Augustyn had danced together in Intermezzo but their partnership begin to develop seriously when Augustyn replaced an injured Hazaros Surmeyan as Romeo opposite Kain’s Juliet. Despite a rocky first performance Celia Franca kept the pair together. Their chemistry and passionate performances caused critics across the globe to crown them “The Gold Dust Twins”.

The embodiment of Karen Kain’s creativity as a dancer, The Actress was created by James Kudelka, choreographer and former Artistic Director of The National Ballet, to celebrate Karen Kain’s 25th anniversary with the company in 1994. Although not based upon Kain’s life, the ballet presents a dancer’s daily struggles and successes.

James Kudelka choreographed the piece to showcase Karen Kain’s talent and to highlight her growth as a dancer. Of their partnership, Kudelka attributes his success working with Kain to their similarities, “we share the same attributes like courage and the willingness to take risks.” The Actress was selected by Kain as the main production performed during her 1997 Farewell Tour across Canada.

During their decades-long collaboration, Karen Kain and The National Ballet of Canada have helped one another achieve international acclaim. The expertise Kain developed during her ballet career prepared her for a leadership role with the company. This made her appointment to the position of Artistic Director in 2005 the natural next step in her journey with The National Ballet of Canada.

In this position, Kain had two major goals: to re-establish The National Ballet of Canada on the international stage and to maintain fiscal responsibility. Through the support of the donor community, the company’s Soaring campaign raised over $100,000,000 to help Kain realize her vision.

The National Ballet of Canada has been able to invest in the creation of new pieces and tour internationally without having to compromise on artistry. Throughout her tenure as Artistic Directo, Kain has collaborated with choreographers such as Crystal Pite, Guillaume Côté and Robert Binet. This is especially important to Kain since she values selecting the productions included in the company’s programming every season.

The Sleeping Beauty is a ballet that represents change within Karen Kain’s career.

While this ballet signifies her growth as a dancer, it also marks Kain’s rise to leadership within The National Ballet of Canada. In 2005, James Kudelka, the company’s Artistic Director from 1996 to 2005, invited Kain to restage The Sleeping Beauty. With her knowledge and admiration of Rudolf Nureyev, she rose to the challenge breathing new life into this storied production.

That same year, Karen Kain was appointed Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada on June 23. Kain’s staging of The Sleeping Beauty was the company’s inaugural performance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and was praised by audiences and critics alike. The National Ballet of Canada began its new chapter with Karen Kain at the helm.

Giselle has been performed by The National Ballet of Canada since its founding in 1951. Just as this ballet challenged and excited Karen Kain, it has remained a coveted role for many Principal Dancers. In the November 2019 performances of Giselle, dancers such as Greta Hodgkinson, Sonia Rodriguez, Jillian Vanstone and Heather Ogden all celebrated career milestones with their performances of this timeless ballet.

A favourite of many dancers because of its complexity and romanticism, “Giselle has it all” stated Hodgkinson.

Known as the “Ballerina’s Hamlet” Giselle has remained a popular part of The National Ballet of Canada’s repertoire throughout Kain’s directorship. It continues to “move and inspire” Kain, and she has upheld her connection to this ballet through the dancers of the company. Kain achieved her dream of dancing the role of Giselle in 1973, and has now been able to give that experience to the dancers she leads as Artistic Director. By allowing other dancers to bring their own interpretations to this role, Kain has kept the spirit of Giselle alive at The National Ballet of Canada.

Karen Kain will unveil her own version of Swan Lake, almost 50 years after she debuted in the ballet as a young dancer. This new version is currently in production and will premiere on June 5th, 2020. Inspired by Erik Bruhn’s landmark production Kain hopes to “accentuate the romantic core” of Swan Lake.

Swan Lake played a pivotal role in Kain’s career as a dancer and has remained a huge part of her artistic life. The National Ballet of Canada has three versions of Swan Lake in its history, all created by former Artistic Directors: Celia Franca (1955), Erik Bruhn (1967) and James Kudelka (1999).

The 2020 production of Swan Lake will feature sets and costumes designed by Gabriela Týlešová with lighting by Bonnie Beecher.