{{Short description|Canadian former ballet dancer}} {{distinguish|Karen Kane}} {{Infobox person | name = Karen Kain | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CC|OOnt|size=100%}} | birth_name = Karen Alexandria Kain | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|3|28}} | birth_place = [[Hamilton, Ontario]], Canada | occupation = Ballet dancer, administrator | education = [[National Ballet School|National Ballet School of Canada]] | spouse = {{marriage|[[Ross Petty]]|1983}} }}
'''Karen Alexandria Kain''' (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.
[[File:One of the first pulls of the Karen Kain screenprint by Andy Warhol.jpg|thumb|Karen Kain 40” Warhol Test Print 1980]]
==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 [[Ancaster, Ontario|Ancaster]] to Erindale Woodlands, [[Toronto Township, Ontario|Toronto Township]] when Kain was in grade 6 (age 11, 1962) so she could begin training at the [[National Ballet School|National Ballet School of Canada]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Karen Kain, Budding Ballerina: Local ballerina ends third year |url=http://search.canadiana.ca/view/omcn.TheWeekly24/213?r=0&s=4 |work=The Weekly |date=29 July 1965 |location=Port Credit, Ontario |access-date=21 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016003500/http://search.canadiana.ca/view/omcn.TheWeekly24/213?r=0&s=4 |archive-date=16 October 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (The majority of Toronto Township, including Erindale Woodlands, is now [[Mississauga]].) Upon graduating in 1969, she was invited to join the [[National Ballet of Canada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/002026-603-e.html|title=Karen Kain, Artistic Director, National Ballet of Canada |access-date=December 10, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022013614/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/002026-603-e.html |archive-date=October 22, 2008 }}</ref> She also participated in [[Girl Guides of Canada]] programs as a member.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.girlguides.ca/web/uploads/File/media_room/media_kit/ggc-fun-facts.pdf|title=GGC Fun Facts|website=Girl Guides of Canada}}</ref>
==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 [[Rudolf Nureyev]]. She worked as a guest artist with [[Roland Petit]]'s [[Ballet National de Marseilles]], the [[Bolshoi Ballet]], the [[English National Ballet|London Festival Ballet]], the [[Paris Opera Ballet]], the [[Hamburg Ballet]], the [[Vienna State Opera Ballet]], and the [[Eliot Feld|Eliot Feld Ballet]]. Kain is a subject of The Portraits of Andy Warhol, {{circa}} 1980.
During her career, she performed in many ballets from classical and modern repertoire including among others ''Swan Lake'' ([[Erik Bruhn]]) ''Coppélia'', ''The Sleeping Beauty'' ([[Rudolph Nureyev]]), ''Giselle'', ''Romeo and Juliet'' ([[John Cranko]]), ''La fille mal gardée'', ''Onegin'' ([[John Cranko]]), ''The Taming of the Shrew'' ([[John Cranko]]), ''Pastorale'' ([[James Kudelka]]), ''Carmen'' ([[Roland Petit]]), ''Concerto Barocco'' ([[Balanchine]]), ''A Month in the Country'' ([[Frederick Ashton]]) and ''Nutcracker'' in which she was often paired with dancer [[Frank Augustyn]].<ref>''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.</ref> The talent of Kain and Augustyn came to the attention of the public and peers as soon as 1973 when they won prizes at the 1973 Moscow International Ballet Competition.<ref>James Neufel. ''Passion to Dance. The National Ballet of Canada''. Toronto, Dunburn, 2011. p. 185.</ref>
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 and Winter Garden Theatres|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 [[James Kudelka]] against principal dancer [[Kimberley Glasco]] in a wrongful-dismissal suit. In 2005, she succeeded Kudelka as [[artistic director]]. She stepped down from that role in 2021.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/karen-kain-retires-artistic-director-national-ballet-of-canada-1.6087418 |title=Karen Kain hopes she left National Ballet a more welcoming and supportive place |work=CBC News |publisher=Canadian Broadcast Corporation |date=July 1, 2021|access-date=July 2, 2021}}</ref>
Kain served as a president of the jury at the [[Prix de Lausanne]] ballet competition in 2009.
Kain was the founding board president of Canada's [[Dancer Transition Resource Centre]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Doob |first=Penelope Reed |date=4 March 2015 |title=Karen Kain |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |edition=online |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/karen-kain |access-date=21 September 2015}}</ref> Kain's autobiography, ''Movement Never Lies'', was published in 1994 by McClelland and Stewart.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kain |first=Karen |title=Karen Kain: Movement Never Lies : an Autobiography |publisher=McClelland & Stewart |date=1995 |isbn=978-0-7710-4575-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/karenkainmovemen0000kain }}</ref>
==Awards== In 1973, she won silver in the women's competition and the first prize<ref>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.</ref> for best [[pas de deux]] (with [[Frank Augustyn]]) at the second [[Moscow International Ballet Competition|International Ballet Competition]] in Moscow dancing the Bluebird pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty.<ref>James Neufel. ''Passion to Dance. The National Ballet of Canada''.Toronto, Dundurn, 2011. pp. 184-186.</ref> [[File:Karen Kain Star on Canada's Walk of Fame.jpg|thumb|Karen Kain's star on Canada's Walk of Fame.]] In 1976, she was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of Canada]] (OC) and was made a [[Companion of the Order of Canada]] (CC) in 1991.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ms. Karen Kain |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-13853 |website=[[Governor General of Canada]] |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref> She was made a member of the [[Order of Ontario]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite web |title=Order of Ontario Members |url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/order-ontario#section-7 |website=Order of Ontario |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref> She holds honorary degrees from the [[University of Toronto]], [[York University]], [[McMaster University]], [[Trent University]], and the [[University of British Columbia]]. In May 1998, the French Government named her an Officer of the [[Order of Arts and Letters]]. Among Kain's other honours are the National Arts Centre Award, a companion award of the [[Governor General's Performing Arts Awards]] (1997) and the [[Governor General's Performing Arts Award]] for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (2002).<ref>{{cite web |title=Karen Kain biography |url=https://ggpaa.ca/award-recipients/2002/kain-karen.aspx |website=Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation |access-date=3 February 2015}}</ref> In 1996, she became the first Canadian to receive the [[Cartier Lifetime Achievement Award]]. The choreographer [[Marguerite Derricks]] cited Kain as one of her heroes.<ref>{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Thompson |title=A woman on the Go Go: Catchy Gap ad, Austin Powers' movies make choreographer a hot commodity |work=[[Kingston Whig-Standard]] |location=Kingston, Ontario |date=July 5, 1999 |page=27}}</ref> in 1989 the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] made a documentary about her, ''Karen Kain, Prima Ballerina''.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/arts-entertainment/dance/karen-kain/karen-kain-prima-ballerina.html |title=Karen Kain, Prima Ballerina |work=CBC News |publisher=Canadian Broadcast Corporation |access-date=21 September 2015}}</ref> In 2002, she received the [[Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Miss Karen Kain |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/125-41754 |website=Governor General of Canada |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref>
Kain had an arts based public middle school in [[Etobicoke]] named after her (Karen Kain School of the Arts) in 2008. In 2012, Kain received the [[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Karen Kain |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/126-103456 |website=Governor General of Canada |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/diamond-jubilee-gala-toasts-exceptional-canadians-1.1226414 |title=Diamond Jubilee Gala toasts exceptional Canadians |date=18 June 2012 |work=CBC News |publisher=Canadian Broadcast Corporation |access-date=19 June 2012}}</ref> In 1998, she was inducted into [[Canada's Walk of Fame]].
===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 [[postage stamp|permanent domestic stamp]] displaying a [[Contemporary ballet|ballet leap]].<ref name="canpost">{{cite web |title=Karen Kain Postage Stamp |url=https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/shop/stamps/canada/p-414141111.jsf;CPO_JSESSIONID=WiUjeEQfuCarC7SRXcS10L9t3_4yAmOFtPTh-_uu5s78-PyZs42L!594428733?execution=e1s1 |publisher=Canada Post |access-date=30 April 2021 |date=29 April 2021}}</ref><ref name="rci">{{cite web |title=New postal stamps honour Canadian ballet legends |url=https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2021/04/29/new-postal-stamps-honour-canadian-ballet-legends/ |publisher=Radio Canada International |access-date=30 April 2021 |date=29 April 2021}}</ref>
==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 ''[[Giselle]]'' in the highly coveted title role, alongside [[Nadia Potts]], [[Frank Augustyn]], and [[Anne Ditchburn]]. The production was first shown in 1986. In 1985, Kain starred in an episode of the popular Canadian TV series ''[[Seeing Things (TV series)|Seeing Things]]''. Kain was also alluded to in the 2003 movie directed by [[Denys Arcand]], ''[[The Barbarian Invasions]]'', when [[Rémy Girard]] reminisced about his past love affairs. Kain did a TV commercial for The Art Shoppe, a furniture store in Toronto during the 1970s
Kain's production of ''[[Swan Lake]]'', her final project as the artistic director for the National Ballet of Canada before her retirement, is profiled in [[Chelsea McMullan]]'s 2023 documentary film ''[[Swan Song (2023 film)|Swan Song]]''.<ref>Manori Ravindran, [https://variety.com/2023/film/global/neve-campbell-ballet-documentary-swan-song-toronto-1235679294/ "Neve Campbell Boards TIFF-Bound Ballet Documentary ‘Swan Song’ as Executive Producer"]. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', July 25, 2023.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Winship |first=Lyndsey |date=2024-08-13 |title='Ballet is so punk rock': Neve Campbell and Karen Kain on pressure, pain – and partnering Nureyev |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/aug/13/swan-song-ballet-documentary-karen-kain-neve-campbell-interview |access-date=2024-08-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/karen-kain The Canadian Encyclopedia - Kain, Karen] featuring a clip of Karen's performance in the National Ballet of Canada's 1976 production of ''[[Giselle]]'' * [http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductees/1998/karen-kain Canada's Walk of Fame: Karen Kain] * [https://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/arts-entertainment/dance/karen-kain/kain-draws-acclaim-abroad.html CBC Digital Archives: Karen Kain, Prima Ballerina] * [http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=107130&lang=eng Karen Kain fonds (R4321)] at [[Library and Archives Canada]]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kain, Karen}} [[Category:Prima ballerinas]] [[Category:Canadian ballerinas]] [[Category:20th-century Canadian ballet dancers]] [[Category:Companions of the Order of Canada]] [[Category:Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]] [[Category:Members of the Order of Ontario]] [[Category:Entertainers from Hamilton, Ontario]] [[Category:1951 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:National Ballet of Canada dancers]] [[Category:Prix Benois de la Danse jurors]] [[Category:Governor General's Award winners]]