Karen
Kain
Jury member of Benois de la Danse
In 1969 She became a member of the corps de ballet of the National Ballet of Canada and soon after made her debut as Odette/Odille in “Swan Lake”, earning her a promotion to soloist.
In 1973, Miss Kain won the silver medal in the Moscow ballet competition, by underscoring her interational reputation.
In the course of her 28-year career Karen Kain has danced all the leading roles of the classical repertoire, including “Giselle“, “Coppelia”, Sleeping Beauty”. At the same time, she worked on the pieces by modern choreographers, regularly wanting to challenge herself. Miss Kain always filled her performances with a deep sense of feeling and fine, dramatic nuances.
Karen Kain performed not only in Canada, she has been a guest soloist of Roland Petit's Ballet National de Marseille, London Festival Ballet, the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet, Ballet of the Paris Opera, the Vienna Staatsoper, the Hamburg Ballet, and the Eliot Felds Вallet company. Rudolf Nureev was her partner.
In 1997 Miss Kain left her position as a soloist of the National Ballet, and went on a trip that featured guest performances of James Kudelka's “The Actress” all over Canada. This ballet had been created especially for her. She returned to the National Ballet as Artist in Residence in 1998. This time, however, her responsibilities were expanded significantly. She is member of the management staff and works with James Kudelka as his adviser, actively works on developmental problems of the National Ballet and functions as instructor and maitre de ballet for young dancers.
In the area of stage art Miss Kain won several national awards in many categories. She also was the first Canadian to receive Cartier Lifetime Achievement Award. The French government bestowed the Art and Literature Medal on her. And in February 1999, CBC TV aired a special feature honoring her entitled “Karen Kain: Dancing in The Moment”.
In January 2000 Kain prepared young dancers for the Swiss Prix de Lausanne competition.
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