Allen’s Thank You Thursday #28
Karen Kaeja – Part II: The Mid-years
Instead of Throwback Thursday, I’ve decided to say “Thank-You Thursday”, normally to those who have had a deep influence in my life, but most likely are completely unaware of their impact, BUT I will also include those who know their profound influence and is part of who I am today.
#54 - I’d like to say THANK YOU to MYLOVE Karen, for her unbelievable energy, care and deep-seated pursuit of recognition for our dance community 1991-2008.
In 2007, I began my Master’s Degree: Dance at York University. I loved re-immersing myself in study and academia. My professors were fantastic and engaging. In one of my courses, led by Carol Anderson, called “Issues in Canadian Dance: Women of Canadian Dance from 1945 – today”, I asked Carol if it was ok for me to interview and write a bio on Karen, as there wasn’t a comprehensive document that detailed her emergence into the dance scene and her immediate contributions to our community. Carol agreed. Below is an excerpt from this 2008 paper (for full paper with foot notes, please PM me). TY #47
Shortly after returning to Toronto in 1989, Karen and I married. After the creation of Savage Garden (1990) Karen was asked to join the Randy Glynn Dance Project. I began dancing for Randy in 1989, after my two influential years with TIDE, just prior to the company being forced to close. Randy had asked me to stay after rehearsals one day and asked me how I would feel if he invited Karen to be part of his company. I said, “Absolutely, she would be a brilliant addition to the cast!”
A number of roles were created specifically for Karen over the next three years. She toured with the company until 1993. Looking for something more personally fulfilling, she chose to leave Glynn at a time when she became pregnant with our first child, Aniya, and the we decided to focus full time on our newly formed company, Kaeja d’Dance.
Karen and I formed Kaeja d’Dance in 1990, as an umbrella for all the activities in which we were involved: performance, creation, touring, education and production. The next few years was a vibrant period for us. This creative period had a profound effect on the development of the Independent Dance scene in Ontario and across Canada.
In 1990, Karen was sharing chocolate cake in Just Desserts Cafe when she encouraged myself and Michael Menegon to pursue the creation and development of, what became, the fringe Festival of Independent Dance Artists (fFIDA) (TY #9 & 34).
The 1990’s was an explosive period dominated by the independent dance artist. Many of them created and established festivals and events directly aimed at this emerging field of dancer/choreographers and gave voice and performance opportunities to these artists. A form of security was created with the foundation of CADA-Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists, an organization developed by Maxine Heppner, Pat Fraser and Marie-Josee Chartier, devoted to the contractual health and wellbeing of dancers in Canada, in 1986.
Within the realm of our living room, first on College Ave then on Manning Ave (in the heart of Little Italy), meetings were prevalent and organizations established, with such local luminaries as: JoAnna Powell – co-founder of Homeworks and founder of Residance - an informal non-curated presentation series of dance, theatre, poetry, etc, which took place in her large and spacious loft living room; Michelle Silagy, Michael DuMaresque and Sarah Chase – co-founders of Series 808 – another informal, non-curated, presentation series of only dance based work, with minimal lighting and sound support; Norma Araiza, Andraya Ciel-Smith, Livia Daza-Paris, Allen and Karen Kaeja, Mitch Kirsch, Newton Moraes, Rina Singha, Jane Townsend, Jennifer Watkins – co-founder of Human Lingo Danseries – an avenue for artists to combine marketing and publicity under one umbrella organization; Julia Wyncoll and Alison Ulan co-facilitated The Field – a choreographic exploration workshop series, based upon the U.S. model; and Sylvie Bouchard – founder of Dusk Dances and co-founder, with Karen, of Estrogen: a Women’s Choreographic Series.
Karen actively fostered and supported those individuals willing to stretch their already increasingly intense and active lives; Karen and I found ways to support the community, offering intriguing and innovative ideas for them to continue exploring their own work, as well as those of like-minded individuals.
Some organizations lasted only a few years. These included: HomeWorks and Residance, The Field - Toronto; though Series 808 lasted 22 years supporting thousands of IDA's. Others, like Dusk Dances, in which Karen created Perhaps a Picnic (in 1993 its inaugural year) are still thriving today.
Karen participated as a choreographer and/or director in many of this city’s most unique and innovative events. These have included:
fFIDA (fringe Festival of Independent Dance Artists, Canada’s largest international non-curated dance festival) from 1991 – 2000. Karen choreographed and/or performed in every fFIDA festival.
Dusk Dances founded by Sylvie Bouchard, a curated series that commissions works from choreographers to take place in specific areas of various parks. Created in 1993 – present, Dusk Dances (the name was coined by Allen), originated and was supported in its early years by fFIDA. Karen and I have performed and/or created many works for this popular event
Human Lingo Danseries (1994 - 1996), co-founder, steering committee and active member
Damn Straight Studios (1993 - 1996), co-founded by Eryn Dace Trudell and Sharon DiGenova was an independent studio on lower Spadina that was a rehearsal studio and alternative warehouse performance venue. They supported many of Karen’s choreographic works as well as the women’s festival Estrogen and workshops in Contact Dance
Estrogen: Women Choreographic Series (1996) Karen was co-founder with Sylvie Bouchard. The event was presented at Damn Strait Studios which included such choreographers as Dominic Dumai and Rebecca Todd
502 Dance Lab Collective (1998 - 2001), an improv group that came out of the work they studied during the 1998 Festival of Interactive Physics with Lisa Nelson. The 502 space, for which Karen was an early member, was co-founded with JoAnna Powell, Julia Wyncol, Alison Ulan, Lynette Segal, and Susan Sinclair among others. It has transformed to a different group of artists on a different floor of 96 Spadina, but was still a vibrant experimental space in 2008. Karen released her spot in the space when Kaeja d’Dance founded its own studio in the Dovercourt House building in 2000.
Festival of Interactive Physics (1997 - 2006) co-founded with avid Contact Improvisation instigator, Pam Johnson. The Festival was a forum for those interested in exploring an alternative dance form. It held workshops delivered by internationally renowned innovators of Contact Dance and Improvisation. Teachers included Contact Improvisation (CI) originator Nancy Spark Smith as well as the 2nd generation CI teachers Lisa Nelson, Andrew Harwood, Peter Bingham and Nina Martin among many, many others. The focus of most of the festivals was towards a public performance event by the participants.
On The Move Conference: Dancer Transition Resource Centre - initially suggested by Karen when she was invited to be a community consultant as part of her dedication to the community as a board member for CADA, who included Michael Trent among others. Subsequently she became a steering committee member for the inaugural conference in 2001 with myself and Rex Harrington as the first “hosts”.
Created and Organized the d’Dance Lab for two years with myself (2004 & 2005)
Six women/six solos (2006) brought together six independent women to present works at Dancemakers Centre for Creation including Nova Bhattacharya and Marie-Josee Chartier.
In 2000, DOVEHOUSE was founded. Karen and I were part of a shared vision to lease three-story building 805 Dovercourt and turn building into a Dance Centre. Early leaseholders on the second floor (otherwise known as The Ballroom) were: Princess Productions, Rebecca Todd, and Eryn Dance Trudell.
As an extension of her passion for improvisation, in the present-day Karen is dedicated to creating opportunities for mature artists to have a vehicle for their artistry to blossom in the moment, and to be witnessed. Kaeja continues to create innovative and groundbreaking initiatives including:
BIRD’S EYE VIEW (BEV) and STABLE DANCES, a community dance installation initiated by Karen and presented for the first time as a free event at Toronto’s Nuit Blanche and Casa Loma, in September 2007 and again in October 2008. BEV was deemed “Nuit Blanche Greatest Hit #1 Casa Loma: Stables. The mix of dance and projection left visitors spellbound. And haunted." Ariel Teplitsky, Toronto Star. This event was included twenty-six emerging and established dance artists from Toronto. This year it has been commissioned by Casa Loma and will be presented with a multimedia and equestrian component. The Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival presented a mini Birds Eye View.
MADance Screen Salon, with myself. This event which takes place in November 2007 and 2008 in various locations, supports the Kaeja’s commitment to the development of the Dance on Screen genre in Canada, providing a venue and voice for this still emerging art form.
Dance Film workshop by the renowned David Hinton, in partnership with the CanAsian International Dance Festival. This event, June 2009, was the first time in over a decade that a Dance for Film intensive will occur in Toronto.
Luminat'eau (2008) This event for LuminaTO and Harbourfront Centre will present the art of performing Contact Improvisation. Karen and I gathered ten Contact trained dance artists for this event and it occured concurrently via satellite broadcast in conjunction with the CI36th (Contact Improvisation celebration) anniversary taking place at Juniata College, Pennsylvania USA.
Karen’s choreographic work adamantly supports her personal vision. She has been determined to explore themes and physicalities that nurtured, challenged and pushed her vision and physical presence to the limit. “…hot to the touch, (Karen) Kaeja saturated each gesture with passion.” Jenny Jackson, Ottawa Citizen.
The works have ranged from tightly choreographed pieces like One Tree Hill (1997) “In One Tree Hill, Karen Kaeja paints portraits with moving bodies in finely balanced, evocative sequences” Susan Walker, Toronto Star to improvisational pieces through to works that integrated both sensibilities as part of their structure. Her first work, Hangman (1991), was performed on the fFIDA Mainstage and emphasized the theme of a woman trapped in a male-dominated world. It was a ten-minute work that began with her partially naked back to the audience. Her torso articulations escalated, explosive and emanating through her until a jacket, descending slowly from the grid, engulfed and trapped her. Her performance “…kept the audience wanting more” Michael Crabb, Toronto Star.
Karen performed while pregnant with both her children and created a number of works reflecting these time periods in her life, which included: Pomegranate Dreams (1993) and POACHED Savannah (1998). “When Toronto dancer Karen Kaeja realized she'd be performing her new work POACHED Savannah for fFIDA, three days after the due date for her second child, she figured she'd better bring on an understudy, just in case. So she put out a call for pregnant dancers.” Daryl Jung, NOW Magazine. Kaeja’s first solo multi-media work Grava (1997), included projected images of her oldest daughter Aniya, her mother and grandmother on her torso and a large screen. This was a piece that paralleled motherhood across the generations, in a poignant, articulate and sensitive work that expressed clearly her lyrical strength, the fluid texture of her movement and the depth of mining her themes.
As her performance and choreographic prowess grew with maturity, she elevated the essentials of everyday life to the high art of dance. Her intrinsic nature is a combination of ephemeral instinct and detail, driven by a need to understand and conquer structure. Sarah (1993) co-choreographed by Karen and myself, was Karen’s first solo work, in which she delved into issues of the Holocaust. “Beautifully performed by (Karen) Kaeja...a dance of defiance in the face of the Holocaust.” Paula Citron, Dance International Magazine. Karen’s immersion into creating duets has primarily delved into areas of the complexity and intricacies of dynamic relationships as well as the power of “…palpable emotion” Benoit Ethier, Zone Magazine. These include: Hour to Our (2003), Quicksand (1996) and Eugene walks with Grace (1995) which was described as, “a flash of brilliance … mesmerizing. Every movement was a surprise and a delight.” Pat Macadam, Ottawa Sunday Sun. Karen subsequently wrote about her creative process in an article published by Contact Quarterly called Structured Innovations.
Karen has also received a number of commissions for new works including: Wedding Threads (2008) for Dusk Dances, Toronto; Avenue of Butterflies (2004) for Springboard, Calgary; Laced Rain (2003 with myself) for Mocean Dance, Halifax; Earths Scent (2002 with myself) for Arangham Dance Theatre, India; Munta ha (2000) for Gwen Noah, Halifax; Cassioppia (1999) for Sylvie Bouchard, Toronto; with Allen, one dance each for Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre and one for the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre; and 99 Snowfalls (1999) for Annika Õlund, Sweden. Karen has also commissioned a number of works from Canadian choreographers, who include Claudia Moore & Peter Bingham in their lifeDUETs series as well as solo works from Marie-Josée Chartier and Jessica Runge. “Karen Kaeja stood out in her performance of a new piece by Jessica Runge. Here, she was intrinsically dramatic, as if dancing for her life. Striding boldly throughout the Dancemakers space, she captured the complexities and contradictions of womanhood, from coyness to defiance. Kaeja proved again that she's one of the city's most watchable performers.” Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine.
Karen has been my muse since their early years together. She has created over forty principal roles in his stage and film works. She has also worked with many independent choreographers over the years including Holly Small, Marie-Josée Chartier, Jane Mappin, Maxine Heppner and Kathleen Rae. Rae says, “Karen has an economy of movement like no other. There are no extras and every movement you do see is just exactly what needs to be there. She moves magically with momentum and no extra things to get in the way of expression. In this way her spirit is able to shine through to the audience because it is not hidden by extras”.
Karen has toured the world with a variety of companies and in a number of capacities. Either as choreographer, performer or teacher she has toured to: Sweden, the U.K., Israel, Portugal, Indonesia, India, Venezuela, Mexico, across the U.S. and throughout Canada. Being firmly committed to her two children, she made a pact with them that if she was away for more than two weeks, she would make provisions to ensure that they would travel with and join her and myself, usually with a care-giver on hand to care for them and assist with their homework. Karen wrote extensively about this in a poignant article published by The Dance Current Magazine called, Expressions of Motherhood.
"The physical memories of instances inspire me. Those memories are part of a collection, like the notes of a sonata within my body that can take me to the next instance of life – full and liquid." Karen’s passion for contact dance and improvisation has been developed and fostered for many years. Her early study with teachers such as Paula Ravitz and Andrew Harwood led Karen and I to further research with Lisa Nelson, Steve Paxton, Nancy Spark Smith and Nina Martin, among others.
She co-directed or was instrumental in the creation of many improvisational events and workshop series. The works she has created for this genre include: BIRD’S EYE VIEW (2007), Desperate Song (2002 - present), In Case of Fire (1998 – present w myself), Improv Series (1997 – present w myself) and Stable Dances (2008), to name a few. “…a very physical style filled with graceful, fluid movements, marked by a sense of intimacy and tenderness” Rupa Srikanth, Horizons Magazine, and “… Karen and Allen are particularly adept at risky partnering based on contact improvisation” Paula Citron, Toronto Star. Karen was also the co-curator w myself, of the dance improvisational aspect of the Distillery Jazz Festival for two years.
In 1981, Karen began teaching dance to seniors at Baycrest Hospital as part of her Dance Therapy program at York University. Her passion for teaching has emerged as a springboard for her desire for discovery. In 1989, Karen and I began co-teaching within the Toronto public school system, public workshops and courses in Contact Improvisation. In 1991, they began teaching CI at the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre and were the first practitioners of Contact Dance to teach at the National Ballet School. They also taught at Ryerson University and have given workshops throughout the world. “Allen and Karen Kaeja rank amongst the best authorities in Canada in contact improvisation. Their partnering work is inspiring to watch and, as teachers, they bring to the classroom an incredible expertise, knowledge and energy”. Nadia Potts, Chair: Dance Department, Ryerson University. In 2000, Dance Collection Danse Press/es published EXPRESS DANCE: Educators’ Resource for Teaching Dance. Over the years this book has become a best seller with teachers and boards of education from across the province purchasing both books and workshops from the Kaejas. The company works with approximately 3,500 students per year. EXPRESS DANCE is a gift to educators and students, being the sum of years of artistic integrity and educational commitment on the part of Allen and Karen Kaeja.” Christine Jackson, District Wide Coordinator for Dance/Drama TDSB.
Karen and I believe completely in the power of the next generation! After I returned from Europe in 1998, where 2nd companies of emerging dancers performing repertoire, was prevalent in many countries, we made the decision to begin the first emerging focused company in Canada. We created Kd’D2, a mentorship company formed from recently graduated professional dance artists to learn Kaeja’s Resistance (2000) repertory and tour as a company. Kd’D2 was a company of six dancers, two apprentices and two technicians that toured and taught EXPRESS DANCE, throughout the province of Ontario for four years. Some of these dancers also toured internationally as Kaeja company dancers.
Karen’s commitment to the community was also seen through her involvement in various council juries including the Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council Committee, CADA, Dance Ontario (Board member) among others.
“Karen Kaeja, like the eye of a hurricane, lulls one into the impression of external calm and composure; but in everything she does, there is a tempest-sized energy that does not subside until her vision is complete. Her powerful presence and whirl of activity have increased in intensity as the years progress. Kaeja has been either a catalyst or progenitor of numerous festivals, companies and events since the early 1990’s, including: the Festival of Interactive Physics (FIP); On the Move Conference; Estrogen: Women Choreographic Series; 502 Dance Lab; Human Lingo Danseries (TY #38); Kaeja d’Dance and MADance Screen Salon, just to name a few. “ TY #47
Thank you, Karen, for your incomparable capacity to see, sense and be present at all times and having the community and our family always in your heart and vision.