Karen Kain
| Karen Kain | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 28, 1951 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Residence | Toronto, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | National Ballet School of Canada |
| Occupation | Ballet dancer, administrator |
| Spouse(s) | Ross Petty (1983–present) |
Karen Alexandria Kain, CC (born March 28, 1951) is a retired Canadian ballet dancer, and currently the Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada.
Karen Kain's mother enrolled her daughter in ballet training because she believed it would improve her postural alinment, poise, and discipline. The family moved from Ancaster to Erindale Woodlands, Toronto Township in grade 3 (age 11, 1962) to begin training at the National Ballet School of Canada. Upon graduating in 1969, she was invited to join the National Ballet of Canada.
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 London Festival Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Hamburg Ballet, the Vienna State Opera Ballet, and the Eliot Feld Ballet. Kain is a subject of The Portraits of Andy Warhol, c. 1980.
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 James Kudelka against principal dancer Kimberley Glasco in a wrongful-dismissal suit. In 2005, she succeeded Kudelka as artistic director.
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