1994 (left)
The Actress, an exceptionally difficult
ballet loosely modelled on Kain’s life
and career and co-starring her go-to
partner at the time, Rex Harrington,
was the centrepiece of her sold-out
cross-country retirement tour. Kain
had never considered what she might
do after she finished dancing. “When
I was dancing, it was everything: every-
thing I was training for and everything
I thought about. When I go in, I go all
the way.”
1994 (above)
If there’s a single ballet that defines
Kain’s career, it’s Swan Lake. In 1971,
when Kain was 19 years old, she was
cast in the demanding dual roles of the
Swan Queen and the Black Swan. More
than two decades later, she danced the
Swan Queen role one last time. The
night of her final performance, the stage
was showered with roses and balloons
while the audience gave her a standing
ovation. None of them knew that Kain
was fighting bronchitis at the time.rd.ca 73