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Sara Porter
Under the umbrella of Kaeja d'Dance since 1990, Karen Kaeja and Allen Kaeja have fulfilled a myriad of roles in Toronto's modern dance community and further afield. Their twenty-year partnership in choreography, performance, teaching schoolchildren, raising their two daughters, book-writing, and dancefilm production is most vividly expressed in the sharing of weight and momentum of Contact Improvisation (CI) that fuels and frames their many endeavours. The Kaejas have taught CI and creative process at public schools and professional training institutions including School of Toronto Dance Theatre, the National Ballet School, Canadian Children's Dance Theatre and York University, among others, in Canada and abroad. Their link with Sweden's dance community has produced a regular creative exchange. In addition to their collaborative work, the Kaejas also pursue distinct projects.
Allen Kaeja is Co-Founder (with Michael Menegon) of Toronto's annual fringe Festival for Independent Dance Artists /fFIDA. Established in 1991, fFIDA has grown exponentially, attracting an international mélange of independent artists each summer. As well, Allen Kaeja is co-curator of the CanAsian Dance Festival.
Recipient of the Clifford E. Lee Choreography Award, amongst others, Allen Kaeja's choreography has recently been shaped around images and themes of the Holocaust. His vibrant and athletic dances reveal an inclination toward the risk-taking partnerships of Contact Improvisation. Allen Kaeja has created five dance films (featuring Karen Kaeja) that have been screened internationally.
Karen Kaeja is Co-Creator/Co-Director of the Festival for Interactive Physics (FIP) with Pam Johnson. Since 1997, FIP has convened movers to explore improvisation and related practices. Karen Kaeja co-directed/co-curated Estrogen, a 1996 mini-festival for women choreographers at Damn Straight Studio. A 1984 graduate of York University's dance programme, she was a company member with Randy Glynn Dance Project. Karen Kaeja has presented her choreography at DanceWorks, Watersources, Dusk Dances and the Canada Dance Festival. Founder of 502 Dance Lab, Karen Kaeja is also a board member for both Dance Ontario and Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists (CADA).
The Kaejas' first book, Express Dance, a manual for directing children in creative process, published by Dance Collection Danse, emerges from their public school teaching experience.
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Photo: Kaeja d'Dance
Credit: Cylla von Tiedemann
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