WORKSHOPS WITH KAEJA D'DANCE THIS SPRING
ADVANCED PARTNERING
Taught by Allen Kaeja
May 17-21, 2025
Momentum, anchoring, and the architectural structure of the body allow students of all genders to soar through the air, defying expectation and move beyond the limitations of typical partner work.
For dancers who would prefer to drop in and explore the elevations.
Some partnering experience required.
AM class: 10-1pm
PM class: 2-4:30pm
Drop in: $75
5 class pass: $350
10 class pass: $650
For compassionate pricing contact tara@pulsestudios.ca
Kaeja Intensive
- Kindling the Creative Fire
Taught by Karen and Allen Kaeja
May 16-19, 2025
May 16: 4-6pm
May 17-19: 7-9pm Nightly
During this 4 evening dance making intensive, current investigations by the Kaeja's will be shared through their collaborative approach of listening, creating and inspirating. Together, the participants will build a scored work with Karen and Allen, devising ensemble physical engagement, partnering and theatrical investigations. Participants personal material will serve as kindling for the creative fire. The intensive will culminate in a public sharing of the ensemble’s creation - Monday May 19 at 7:30pm.
All are welcome who are pre and professional dancers, individuals having related physical training or movement practice, plus a thirst for partnering, investigation and the creative process.
Karen and Allen Kaeja have over 3 decades of performance and teaching practices that harnesses partnering and Improvisation. www.kaeja.org
$250 +GST
Early bird: $200 + GST before April15, 2025
For compassionate pricing contact tara@pulsestudios.ca
Kaeja elevations Certification Level II
Taught by Allen Kaeja
May 17-21, 2025
The second level of Kaeja Elevations® Certification builds on the foundational skills developed in Level One, moving into high level elevation work and flight. Level Two is structured to elevate the flyer above their supporting partner’s shoulders, and the flyer usually only has one point of contact with their supporting partner. Momentum, anchoring, and the architectural structure of the body allow students of all genders to soar through the air, defying expectation and move beyond the limitations of typical partner work.
*Please note that only those who have completed the Certification Level I are qualified for certification in Level II.
Taught by internationally recognized, award-winning choreographer and dance film director Allen Kaeja, Kaeja Elevations®️ (KE) Certification Level II is an approach to partnering where participants dancers are on an equal playing field. Once qualified, you will be an independently certified KE Level II practitioner, able to teach movers to work safely.
$1900 + GST
Early Bird: $1300 + GST before April 15, 2025
HIGH FLYING EARLY BIRD: $1100 + GST before March 1, 2025
For compassionate pricing contact tara@pulsestudios.ca
Kaeja d’Dance is driven by a commitment to innovation in the performing arts through the expression of dance and gesture. We explore identity, personal stories and the complexity of the human experience by integrating the interconnected mediums of live performance, dance film, and community engagement. Kaeja provides platforms for and fosters the creation of new Canadian professional dance works which are featured locally and internationally that inspire connections between professional artists and the broader community.
Karen Kaeja
Karen Kaeja (she/her) is a Tkaronto born, award-winning choreographer, project instigator, performer, mentor and educator. The heart of her research, creation, and writing concentrates on the agency of Touch. She develops platforms for collaborative relationships between dancers and everyday people highlighted in her Porch View Dances festival and concept. Karen is in The Canadian Who’s Who and has received awards including the George Luscombe Mentorship Award, Dance Ontario’s Lifetime Achievement Award, CDA “I Love Dance” Community Award and the Banff Arts Centre Paul D. Fleck Fellowship. A Finalist for the TAF Celebration of Cultural Life Award, TAF Muriel Sherrin Award, NOW’s Best Local Choreographer and twice for Best Dance Company, Karen’s nominations include the Eldred Family Dance Award, the CDA “I Love Dance” Innovation Award and 7 Dora Mavor Moore Awards - winning one.
Her dance films and featured roles have been screened in over 400 festivals world-wide, with a new music video in the works shot in Iceland of her latest work TouchX. Karen has taught contact and improvisation across the globe and for 3 decades as faculty member at the Dance Arts Institute (formerly STDT). Co-Artistic Director of Kaeja d’Dance with Allen Kaeja, she is commissioned and presented by live performance series globally. She recently toured a series of commissioned lifeDUETs performances for her and Allen through British Columbia. Karen collaborates with many of Canada’s brilliant choreographers including a recent co-choreography with Roshanak Jaberi for Jaberi Dance Theatre’s International Swedish commission – Architecture of Violence.
www.kaeja.org
Allen Kaeja
Allen Kaeja (Co-Artistic Director, Choreographer, Film Director, Educator, developed PVD with Karen) is an internationally recognized and award-winning Choreographer and Dance Film Director. The child of a refugee and Holocaust survivor, Allen has created 27 years of Holocaust inspired stage and film works. Allen’s connection to his heritage as the child of a refugee and Holocaust survivor fuels his artistic endeavors. His foundation in stage and film creations was laid through fifteen years of Holocaust-inspired dance works, where history's impact on artistic expression remains central. Internationally recognized as a choreographer and dance film director, Allen's work resonates on a global scale. With over 210 stage works and 35 films, his choreography has graced commercials, films, and festivals worldwide, bridging the gap between the stage and screen.
Nominated for awards such as the Banff World Television Awards, Clifford E. Lee Award, Bonnie Bird (UK), and a UNESCO Citation for the Year of Culture and Peace, Allen shares his expertise globally through the development and teaching of Kaeja Elevations and Dance Film master classes. His commitment to passing the torch to the next generation of dancers and creators shines through in his mentorship and educational initiatives. He recently was choreographing Wendy / Peter Pan in collaboration with Director Keira Loughran, an undertaking disrupted by the pandemic, at the Stratford Festival in 2020.
Karen and Allen received the Dance Ontario Lifetime Achievement Award; were Finalists for the TAF-2020 Celebration of Cultural Life Award and were nominated for the Eldred Family Dance Award for lifetime achievement in dance. Allen and Karen recently created Kitchen Dances Web Series with Moze Mossanen, and In Case of Emergency, celebrating eighteen dance artists in our community. The Kaeja’s recently toured their lifeDUETs program to British Columbia.
www.kaeja.org
About Kaeja d'Dance
Kaeja d’Dance, under the leadership of Co-Artistic Directors Karen and Allen Kaeja since 1991, stands as a pioneering force in the world of contemporary dance. The company has consistently pushed the boundaries of artistic expression, leaving an indelible mark on the global dance landscape with its commitment to exploring the human condition and fostering inclusivity.
Transcending conventional boundaries, Kaeja encompasses various mediums, including live performances, dance films, community integration, and outreach. At the heart of their creative endeavors lies a celebration of the universal aspects of everyday life, passionately emphasizing the extraordinary within the ordinary. Their work is deeply personal, socially relevant, relational, physical, and imaging, forging emotional connections with audiences through inmate storytelling.
Karen and Allen Kaeja, both award-winning choreographers and performers in stage and film, draw inspiration from their Ashkenazi Jewish heritage and family ties, fueling their artistic vision. Their impact on the dance community is reflected in their recognition in encyclopedias, including the Canadian Who's Who, The Canadian, Theatre Dance in Canada, and The Globe and Mail's Best Dance of 2012. The Kaejas have collectively received over 40 awards and nominations, notably the 2019 Dance Ontario Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2012 CDA “I Love Dance” Community Award for Porch View Dances (PVD), and the Paul D. Fleck Fellowship for Innovation at Banff. Their numerous nominations include the 2023 Eldred Family Dance Award for exceptional achievement, TAF 2020 Celebration of Cultural Life Award, TD Arts Diversity Award, American Choreography Award and the CDA “I Love Dance” Innovation Award.
Kaeja d'Dance has made its mark through diverse platforms, from touring and presenting to curating and collaborating. Their dedication to nurturing the next generation of dance artists is evident through extensive mentorship, teaching, and residencies. The company unites intergenerational and multi-disciplinary practicing artists, creating a space for original creations and commissions that sometimes blend professionals and every day participants.
Karen and Allen Kaeja are bridge builders who champion collaboration among diverse, intergenerational, and multi-genre communities. They actively promote Canadian talent through festival platforms, training, and mentorship, with a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The company prioritizes sustainability for historically underrepresented racialized artists in the dance community. Their large-scale works open feature over 15 diverse dance artists from Ontario, as seen in initiatives like Kd’D2, Bird’s Eye View, Stable Dances, Porch View Dances, Flock Landing, Moving Connections, Laneway ART-ery Dances, Just Dance Jane/Finch, TouchX, ICE, XTOD, and Solo Dance Xchange. These experimental projects bring joy and a sense of aliveness to both participants and audiences alike. Kaeja d'Dance has graced international stages, from the TORQUE International Dance Series to the Canada Dance Festival and Guelph Dance Festival, while also captivating audiences worldwide in India, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, Israel, England, Spain and Venezuela.
