Karen Kain
2005 Gallery of Distinction Inductee
One of Canada’s most celebrated dancers, Karen Kain was born in Hamilton. She entered the National Ballet School of Canada at the age of eleven and, after graduating from school, she quickly earned an international reputation as a premier ballerina performing with Rudolf Nureyev and dancing in ballet companies around the world. After her retirement from the stage, she returned to the National Ballet of Canada as Artistic Director. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada, has been awarded several honorary degrees, including one from McMaster University, and was the first Canadian to win the Cartier Lifetime Achievement Award.
