Allen Kaeja
Allen Kaeja, a Gemini-nominated director and award-winning choreographer, entered the field of dance after nine years of wrestling and Judo. He has created over 100 dance pieces since 1982 and choreographed for 26 films. He is Co-Artistic Director of Kaeja d’Dance with his life partner Karen Kaeja, and recently completed his M.A. degree in dance at York University. He is co-founder of the CanAsian International Dance Festival. His stage work has been presented at the 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad, as well as in festivals around the world, including India, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Venezuela. He has received commissions from many international dance organizations including companies in India, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His awards include the prestigious Clifford E. Lee, K.M. Hunter, and Paul D. Fleck Choreography Awards (Canada), Bonnie Bird Award (UK), a UNESCO citation, and the Moving Picture Award for best performance (Canada). He recently performed as Pushkin in Moze Mossanen’s Gemini-winning dance film Nureyev.
Kaeja’s most recent dance film Of the Heart (2008), co-directed with Douglas Rosenberg, was nominated for the Jury Prize in New York and Barcelona in 2009. Kaeja films have been screened around the globe and have been nominated for the American Choreography Awards (Los Angeles) and the Banff World Television Festival Awards (Canada). They have received special Jury Mentions from IMZ (Europe) and the American Dance Festival (USA). Kaeja films are also a part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art and the Jewish Museum in New York, and Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel. Kaeja has just received another Bravo!FACT award for an upcoming Dancefilm, Oxygen, co-directed with Oscar-winning special effects master Colin Chilvers.
The Kaejas teach master classes in Kaeja Elevations and Dance Film. Kaeja is currently on faculty at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre (since 1991) and Ryerson University (since 2002). He also taught the first “hands-on” university dance film course in Canadian history at Ryerson. The Kaejas developed the EXPRESS DANCE approach, now integrated into the education system through a partnership with the Toronto District School Board, and they have worked with over 20,000 learners worldwide. Kaeja has published his second book, “Transcending Media: Adapting the Dance Production Asylum of Spoons, from stage to film”.
Kaeja has just returned from the successful world premiere of Jericho in Olso, Norway. He recently received five national and international commissions, and has been invited to present a retrospective of his films at the University of California at Los Angeles. The Kaejas’ recent concert, 20/20 Vision, celebrating 20 years as Kaeja d’Dance, was an audience and critical success.
“The Kaejas' choreography has always stood firmly and boldly in space.” - Paula Citron, Globe and Mail
“20/20 Vision presents a thrilling glimpse into the future of Kaeja d’Dance, and while it satiates the expectations for the showcase, the performances of 20/20 Vision also build anticipation of what is yet to come for the renowned company.” Tina Chu, Mondo Magazine
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