Long recognized as one of the most gifted classical dancers of her era, Karen Kain is one of Canada’s most renowned and committed advocates for the arts. Karen trained at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto, joining The National Ballet of Canada in 1969. She was quickly promoted to Principal Dancer with the company after her sensational debut as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake.
In 1971, Ms. Kain was awarded the Silver Medal in the Women’s Category at the prestigious International Ballet Competition in Moscow. She and her frequent partner, Frank Augustyn, received a special prize for Best Pas de Deux. Kain then embarked on a remarkable international career during which she performed many of ballet’s greatest roles with such companies as Paris Opéra Ballet, Roland Petit’s Le Ballet de Marseilles, the Bolshoi Ballet, London Festival Ballet and Vienna State Opera Ballet. Kain retired from dancing following a farewell tour in 1997 and took up the position of Artist-in-Residence with The National Ballet of Canada, a role that was later expanded to that of Artistic Associate. In 2005, was named Artistic Director.
Kain is a Companion of the Order of Canada, the first Canadian recipient of the Cartier Lifetime Achievement Award and was named an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Government of France. In 1997, Ms. Kain was honoured with a Governor General’s National Arts Centre Award and received a Governor General’s Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2002.
