Kaeja 2023 | Year in Review
The dance community’s loss of three of our established artists this year has taken a toll. Danny Grossman, Troy Emory Twigg, and Lola Ryan have left us with their inspired legacies, teachings and wisdom. Their life long offerings and beauty live on within the community.
While the world struggles to find peace, we dig deep to offer thanks to our supporters and audiences, who have shared their time with us. Here is a 2023 wrap up of what we have brought to you this past year.
Performing, Touring and Creating
The Smith Fine Arts Series in Monmouth, Oregon, curated a program of Kaeja work. The show featured Karen’s new TouchX' Solo1 performed by Nickeshia Garrick, Karen and Allen’s performance of Tedd Robinson’s 25 to 1 lifeDUETs, Karen's new film 'Mist Me’, with an original score by composer Cheryl Ockrant, and shot by filmmakers Allen plus Drew Berry, who also edited it. Karen, Allen and Nickeshia performed ‘In Case of Fire’, inviting some of Oregon’s finest mature contact dance artists including Alito Alessi, Anna Rose Deardorff, Sarah Ebert, Bonnie Simoa, our long time colleague Tim Cowart, and guests Maria Antonieta, Alvarez Prieto, and Michael Johnston, to enlighten audiences with them. Allen created a new Kaeja Elevation focused work on the dancers in Western Oregon University, which toured parts of western USA.
Wind in the Leaves IBPOC touring network conference included Karen’s TouchX Solo2 called THAW, danced by Mio Sakamoto, and Allen’s I am the Child of… danced by Michael Caldwell, Rodney Diverlus, Aria Evans, Nickeshia Garrick, Karen Kaeja, Ethan Kim, Geanderson Mello, Mio Sakamoto.
Lasterday (a new lifeDUETs commission for Hanna Kiel) was part of Allison Cummings 1st Older and Reckless with MoonHorse Dance Theatre at Harbourfront Centre Theatre. Upcoming lifeDUETs touring will be announced in the new year!
“A profound exchange, I witnessed the ephemeral nature of life.” (H. Kiel re creative process)
"What a fine piece of work! We were moved and amused by so many moments of self-recognition. It is a great artistic achievement to find the “universal” in such personal moments. To communicate so much through emblematic movement and gesture – what a triumph!” (Steven Bush)
“Wonderful piece, filled with swagger, joy and the multifaceted complexity of relationships. A joy to watch such seasoned creators connect.” (Audience member)
Films
Supported by CCA Digital Now, Allen produced and co-directed 'Child' dance film with Bruce Barton, with DOP Olya Glotka. Danced by Karen, Nickeshia, Aria Evans, Michael Caldwell, and Mio Sakamoto, Olya is currently editing this fascinating film combining dance and Augmented Reality
Supported by CCA Digital Now, Kaeja d'Dance, Allen and Karen, commissioned Hanna Kiel for their newest Lasterday lifeDUETs site-specific film. Shot this past August, Drew Berry is currently in editing mode
'In Case of Emergency' premiered in Russia’s ZeroPlus Festival and is broadcast on their children’s TV, channel, introducing Russian families to our richly diverse community in Toronto, Canada
Karen’s Mist Me was screened live in San Jose, Costa Rica at Teatro de la Danza CENAC for DEKO, at Women over 50 Film Festival and will screen at IMARP in Brazil this week
The American Dance Festival featured Slipping (co-directed and co-choreographed by Roshanak Jaberi and Karen), plus ‘Challah’ and ‘Locked’ - two of our Kitchen Dances films produced by MAK Dancefilm Collective (Moze Mossanen, Karen and Allen)
‘Challah’ and ‘Locked’ were part of the FFDN 8-Count film series
'Zummel' (Directed by Allen Kaeja & Mark Adam), a timeless short film about displacement during the Holocaust that has won many awards, was chosen for the Canadian Regards Hybrides Film Collection
Community Engagement
Porch View Dances saw its 12th successive year in Seaton Village with Sofi Gudiño as Artistic Producer and co-curating a beautiful diverse program with Sid Ryan Eilers. Tour Guide Jake Runeckles, was joined by choreographers KINAJ, Victoria Mata / Irma Villafuerte, Heryka Miranda, Ashima Suri, Matthew “Snoopy” Cuff and Flock Landing dancers - Rajvi Dedhia, Kiah Francis, Mio Sakamoto, Yui Ugai, vignette dancers - Jocelyne Cajamarca and Kelly-Ann Johnson, and featured Jim and Owen Adams in their 4th year cycle of participating, among many more community dancers. Audiences were dancing in the street! (Look out for announcements and choreographer call in the New Year!)
KAIR
Kaeja Artist in Residency (KAIR) supported Irma Villafuerte and Nickeshia Garrick in partnership with Dance Immersion towards their premiere of a CinnaMoon Collective duet in 2024 at Canadian Stage (more info soon!).
Award
Karen and Allen were nominated for the Eldred Family Dance Award, along with several established dance artists for exceptional achievement and creative ability in dance by an established Ontario choreographer. Congratulations to Peggy Baker for being recognized as the winner of this wonderful award.
Sharing Practices
On faculty at the Dance Arts Institute (formerly STDT) for decades, Karen shared her Contact Dance practice with the 3rd year class and Allen taught Dance Film. Allen continues to teach Kaeja Elevations (KE) and Dance Film at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson), now in his 21st year. Allen also taught KE Certification I and the first ever Certification II, with Mio Sakamoto as principal assistant, in Calgary at PULSE Dance Studios.
Publishing
Allen was one of several international and multidisciplinary authors to contribute to the textbook, The Holocaust: Remembrance, Respect, and Resilience, which is a resource for Holocaust educators and students and considers the Holocaust and genocide from many perspectives.
Equity Programming Advisory Committee (EPAC)
This year, we established an Equity Programming Advisory Committee (EPAC). The EPAC is composed of nine individuals - some who have worked with Kaeja directly and others who have experienced our activities from a distance. Together we engaged in meaningful conversations regarding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion within our organization.
Karen’s collaborations in the community
Karen continued her role as dramaturg/mentor for Jaberi Dance Theatre in Roshanak Jaberi’s vital work - No Woman’s Land during an Ontario tour
Commissioned by Tara Butler/Dust and Soul, if we could see both ways is a duet created for Tara and Nickeshia Garrick, performed at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener, with an original score by Christina Litt Belch and lighting by Sharon DiGenova
Karen travelled to Calgary for a research creation phase and performance at the Calgary Grand Theatre of Marie France Forcier’s ‘windows, black holes, helium’, with fellow dancers Louis Laberge-Côté, Jordana Deveau and Cassandra Grose
Karen continues to mentor, dramaturg and outside eye, among others, Mio Sakamoto, Mal Nowacka May and Roshanak Jaberi for their upcoming new works in 2024
Photos taken in this article are by:
Karen Kaeja, Aria Evans, Drew Berry, Yiming Cai, Kendra Epik, Olya Glotka, Trisha McKell.
Our Gratitude
Your support makes it possible for us to continue creating, collaborating, and sharing the transformative power of dance with the world.
Thank you for being an essential part of the Kaeja d'Dance community.
Let's dance into the new year together!