It is a truism to say that the cultural life of any country is dependent first and foremost upon its artists who, through their creative energies and shaping visions, help forge the distinctive character of their nation’s identity. But it is perhaps no less the case that a country’s cultural selfhood and heritage also rely upon the efforts of those who strive to provide the sort of sympathetic and nurturing setting that allows the work of those artists to take flight, flourish and find its ideal expression.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, is one of those rare individuals whose contributions to Canada’s cultural life have encompassed both of these fields of endeavour-artist and arts advocate-and who has served both roles with the same unswerving sense of commitment and enriching passion. Indeed, few Canadian performers can be said to have combined a career of peerless artistry with such a far-reaching and generous presence beyond the stage as has Ms. Kain.

Her incomparable and unforgettable work as one of international ballet’s finest dancerswork defined by its superb emotional intelligence as well as its vivid sense of character-is matched both by her impact as a role model for younger dancers and by her invaluable contributions to the project of sustaining and strengthening the art of ballet within a Canadian context. Admired during her years on stage for her singular and often definitive performances in an extraordinary range of ballets, she has also come to personify the ongoing commitment to furthering the life and legacy of the arts in Canada.

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Ms. Kain studied at the National Ballet School in Toronto before joining The National Ballet of Canada in 1969. Her extraordinary gifts were recognized early on and she was promoted to Principal Dancer with the company after her galvanizing debut as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake.

In 1973, Ms. Kain won the Silver Medal in the Women’s Category at the prestigious International Ballet Competition in Moscow and, along with her frequent partner at the time, Frank Augustyn, was also awarded a special prize for Best Pas de Deux. Following this, she embarked on a remarkable international career which saw her dance many of ballet’s greatest roles with some of the world’s finest companies and work with some of the most illustrious choreographers of her day.

She danced and maintained a close creative relationship with Rudolf Nureyev for many years and delighted audiences the world over, performing with such 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 addition, she premiered numerous new and important ballet works, many of which were created specifically for her, such as James Kudelka’s The Actress and Musings, Eliot Feld’s Echo and John Neumeier’s Now and Then.

In 1997 Ms. Kain announced her retirement from the stage and undertook a rapturously and emotionally received cross-Canada farewell tour. Shortly thereafter, she assumed the position of Artist in Residence with the National Ballet, a role that was expanded two years later to that of Artistic Associate.

As Artistic Associate with The National Ballet of Canada, Ms. Kain continued her vital association with the company. Working as an integral member of the senior management team, she brought both her inestimable artistic experience and her deep understanding of the broader ballet and cultural scene to bear on the vital tasks of coaching dancers, staging ballets, fundraising for the company and advising then Artistic Director James Kudelka. In March of 2004, Ms. Kain restaged to great acclaim one of the company’s best-loved and most revered works, Rudolf Nureyev’s famous version of The Sleeping Beauty. In September of the same year, Ms. Kain was named Board Chair of The Canada Council for the Arts.

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, a recipient of the Cartier Lifetime Achievement Award (the first Canadian to be so honoured) and in 2001 was named an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Government. In 2002 she received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Ms. Kain assumes the role of Artistic Director on July 1, 2005.