ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA, EXCEPT AS NOTED
On the eve of
her retirement,
a look at ballet
star Karen Kain’s
one-of-a-kind
career
FROM THE MOMENT she first pirou-
etted across the National Ballet stage
in 1969, at age 18 (pictured), it was
clear that Karen Kain was unlike any
ballerina Canada had seen before.
She became a household name for
her ties to Russian ballet legends, for
schmoozing with the likes of Mick
Jagger and Andy Warhol, and for tow-
ering above other dancers (she’s 1.7
metres tall). Kain might have disap-
peared when she stopped perform-
ing at 46 years of age. Instead, she
became the company’s artistic direc-
tor in 2005 and used her star power
and international connections to turn
it into a dance-world powerhouse.
The only thing she hasn’t done is
create her own ballet—until now. This
month, on the eve of her retirement,
she’ll debut a sparkling new produc-
tion of Swan Lake. The ballet, about
a young woman cursed to live as a
swan and the prince who loves and
betrays her, is the epitome of old-
fashioned ballet, but Kain is re -
adapting it for today, drawing on the
natural world for inspiration. In hon-
our of Kain’s, ahem, swan song,
here’s a look back at the most mem-
orable moments from her 50 years of
national treasuredom. BY Emily Landaurd.ca 69PROFILE