Happy New Year and Greetings from the UK!
As I
(Karen) muse on 2016, I felt a progressive, shifting and incubating journey. Constantly surprised by the stream of creative consciousness both in process and output, there were so many highlights. People ask me if we were always this busy and I really don't know because it is such a wild weave between family and work life growing in tandem
- it just always feels full!
Research with Toronto dancers and community dance artists who stole my heart during my rehearsal in December 2016. - Karen
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FROM MONCTON TO MEXICO: 2016 IN REVIEW
2016 highlights took us across the country and around the world - from Moncton, NB to a 6-city tour of
Mexico
with my work Touch and Allen's .0, t
o another Gros Morne mountain, NFLD adventure for incubation of a 2 year project - one of my favourite places on earth!
On the road between Mexicali and Tijuana!
/ From left to right: Merideth Plum, Shana Hillman, Oz Weaver, Karen Kaeja, Michael Caldwell, Ana Claudette Groppler, Zhenya Cerneacov, Mateo Galindo Torres, Allen Kaeja
Porch View Dances (PVD) happened in Toronto for it's 5th season and traveled to
Ottawa
for the Canada Dance Festival and
Kitchener, ON,
and then spun off into Downtown Dances: Moncton, where we made dances on 80 employees from local businesses, plus the Mayor and city council, in collaboration with
the Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada
!
Downtown Dances: Moncton / 2016 / Choreographer: Eldiyar Daniyarov / Dancers: Eldiyar Daniyarov & Yuriko Diyanov/
Photo by: Viktor Pivovarov
Our
Montgomery's Inn project - ReGeneration: Etobicok
e Dances 2016 - engaged choreographers to make dances on residents of Etobicoke, including my seven
brave and beautiful participants who were all over 50!
ReGeneration: Etobicoke Dances 2016 / Choreographer: Karen Kaeja / Community Dance Artists: (from left to right) Slade Lander, Nancy Zingel, Linda Bayliss, Susan Brown, Gina Maenhunt, Loretta Faveri, Pieter Biessels
We had commissions for Ridley College, George Brown College and PULSE 2016. Allen won the Kathryn Ash Award and created another powerful work for School of Toronto Dance Theatre's fabulous graduating class.
Ottawa Dance Directives (ODD)
presented Crave and the year wrapped up with a very special joint choreographic contribution between Allen and I, to Judith Thompson's upcoming RARE Theatre production of Wildfire, exploring the boundaries of love for people with visible differences. All the while, we have also been in rehearsals for our upcoming season at The Theatre Centre
this May.
Crave / 2013 / Choreographer: Karen Kaeja / Dancers: Michael Caldwell and
Stéphanie Tremblay
/ Photo by: Irene Popova
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2017 has hit the ground running with a month in London, England with a commission to choreograph on the
EDge
at The Place and teaching public dance workshops. A collision of our creative juices towards a singular work - this is good. February has us in rehearsals for DEFIANT and a very fun performance installation at my favourite landmark that I grew up with, Honest Ed's, as part of
Toronto for Everyone's AMAZEMENT - immersive art maze.
Allen and I will be taking our lifeDUETs program to Vancouver for the
Vancouver International Dance Festival
at the beginning of March and then we continue on to Japan where we will be teaching at the Yokohama Ballet Institute and performing a different sort of lifeDUET.
lifeDUETS / 2015 / Choreographers: Tedd Robinson / Dancers: Karen & Allen Kaeja / Photo by: Zhenya Cerneacov
April brings us home to continue rehearsals for DEFIANT and Crave for
The Theatre Centre.
I am excited to also be rehearsing for
Cloud 9
's new commissioned performances igniting dancers over 50 by DA Hoskins and Lina Cruz (Claudia Moore and I blend as Co-Artistic Directors), that will alternate in May with
Kaeja d'Dance
f
or a two week run! Porch View Dances continues for its 6th season in July. Commissions coming up include the Toronto Tabla Ensemble, Downtown Dances: Moncton once again and more! I am also very happy to continue mentoring Roshanak Jaberi on the development of her new work over the next few years.
I extend my love to you for the support and curiosity you bring to our Company and to our celebration of Dance as a vibrant art form.
As we head into Canada's 150th look out for our newest project coming up thanks to
the Toronto Arts Council Open Doors Program who recently invested in our VERY exciting Exceptional TO Dances - details to come soon!
I am a lucky woman, entrenched in and flirting with, the artful fabrication of nothing into something, in a language only the body can describe. I invite you to slip into the creative madness that 2017 brings for all!
Karen Kaeja
Co-Artistic Director
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TORONTO'S DANCE COMMUNITY CORNER
Nova Dance takes the The Theatre Centre stage this week with their new work
infinite storms! For Karen, it was an incredible privilege to witness the dancers immersed in a work in the studio. Check out the deeply connected words that Karen shares on the Nova Dance blog
HERE. Nova Dance has also offered a special discount to Kaeja fans - see below for information on how you can get a ticket for only $20!
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CONNECT WITH US
Supporters of Kaeja d'Dance help fuel our innovative performances, award-winning films, and our successful education and community outreach programs.
Generous donations from people just like you make a positive impact on our community!
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kaeja.org
contact the office
KAEJA d'DANCE IS SEEKING NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Are you interested in the performing arts (dance especially), love community engagement, are looking to develop your skills and contribute to a stellar organization?
Kaeja d'Dance is looking for a few new board members to join our dynamic team.
If you or someone you know is interested in a new board appointment please email our General Manager, Shana Hillman at
shana@kaeja.org to find out more about the commitment.
KEEPING UP WITH THE COMPANY
Our Company dancers have been busy this new year! Check out what they have been up to:
Mateo's company, Form Contemporary Dance Theatre'
s
RE(VARIATIONS)
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