Courtesy of the Toronto Star
Ballet superstar Karen Kain will retire as artistic director of The National Ballet of Canada in January 2021.
The ballet’s board of directors says Kain will step down from the post but remain with the company as artistic director emeritus.
The announcement comes nearly 15 years after Kain assumed the creative reins in 2005 and 50 years after joining the company as a dancer in 1969.
She says serving as artistic director “has been the greatest honour” of her life.
The ballet’s board chair, Cornell Wright, lauded Kain for inspiring “excellence in all who have the privilege to work with her.”
Kain commissioned and acquired 65 works for the company, and is directing and staging a new “Swan Lake” in June 2020.
“I am so proud of the National Ballet of Canada and feel so fortunate to have had this wonderful company as my artistic home for 50 years. The role of artistic director is the most challenging, and the most rewarding, of my career,” Kain said Friday in a release.
“The goals I set when I assumed this position required a huge commitment from our dancers, staff, board and donor community. The unwavering support I received allowed my dreams to become a reality and I am so grateful.”