KAREN KAIN, C.C., L.L.D, L.L.T, O.ONT
Artistic Director

One of the most accomplished and celebrated ballet artists of her era, Karen Kain is renowned not just for the passion and incisive characterization of her many performances as a dancer, but for the commitment and energy she has brought to her role as a spokesperson for and representative of Canada’s cultural life.

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Ms. Kain studied at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto and joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1969. Her exceptional early promise was amply born out with her impressive debut as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake, after which she was quickly promoted to the position of Principal Dancer with the company. In 1973, Ms. Kain came to international attention when she won the Silver Medal in the Women’s Category at the prestigious International Ballet Competition in Moscow. Her success in Moscow led to a glittering international career that saw her work closely with such artists as Rudolf Nureyev and perform with such illustrious companies as Roland Petit’s Le Ballet de Marseilles, The Bolshoi Ballet, London Festival Ballet, Vienna State Opera Ballet and the Eliot Feld Company.

In 1997 Ms. Kain announced her retirement from the stage and assumed the position of Artist-in-Residence with the National Ballet, a role that was expanded two years later to that of Artistic Associate. In June of 2005, Ms. Kain was appointed Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada.

Ms. Kain has received numerous national and international awards, both for her work as a performer and her tireless efforts as an advocate for the arts and cultural development. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada and is the first Canadian recipient of the Cartier Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2001 she was named an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Government and in 2002 received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement. She was appointed Chair of the Canada Council in 2004 for a five-year term. In 2007 she received the Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award.