Allen Kaeja

Allen Kaeja (born in Kitchener, Ontario) is a Canadian film director and choreographer. He entered the field of dance after nine years of wrestling and judo,^[1] and has created over 90 dance pieces since 1981 and choreographed 26 films. Kaeja is one of the co-artistic directors of Kaeja d'Dance, along with his wife Karen Kaeja^[2] and has completed an MA dance degree at York University. He is co-founder of the CanAsian International Dance Festival.

Work

Kaeja's dance film Of the Heart (2008) was co-directed with Douglas Rosenberg.^[3] Allen and Karen Kaeja teach master classes in Kaeja Partnering and Dance Film. Allen teaches at the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre and Toronto Metropolitan University.^[4] Express Dance, co-written by Allen and Karen, is used as a teacher resource for grades 4 to 12 dance curriculum in Ontario.^[5] Kaeja has published his second book, entitled Transcending Media: Adapting the Dance Production Asylum of Spoons, from Stage to Film.

In 2011, Kaeja co-created the Porch View Dances series with Karen Kaeja and Kaeja d'Dance.^[6] In 2019, in honour of the success of the series in Toronto's Seaton Village, the city of Toronto officially renamed a laneway in the neighbourhood "Porch View Dances Lane."^[7]

Education

Kaeja and Karen Kaeja teach master classes in Kaeja Partnering and Dance Film. Kaeja teaches at the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre and Toronto Metropolitan University.^[8]

Express Dance, co-written by Allen and Karen, is used as a teacher resource for grades 4 to 12 dance curriculum in Ontario.^[9] Kaeja has published his second book, entitled Transcending Media: Adapting the Dance Production Asylum of Spoons, from Stage to Film.

Film

Kaeja's father, Morton Norris (born Mordechai Nosal), was a refugee and Holocaust survivor from Poland that emigrated to Canada.^[10] Over the last 30 years, Kaeja produced 32 works inspired by the Holocaust. Select films from Kaeja's portfolio are a part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art and the Jewish Museum (Manhattan), the Yad Vashem in Israel and the Canadian Museum of History.^[11] During his career, Kaeja created over 210 dance pieces as well as directed and/or choreographed for 35 films. Kaeja's dance film Of the Heart (2008) was co-directed with Douglas Rosenberg.[5]

Kaeja also performed as Pushkin in Moze Mossanen’s Gemini-winning dance film Nureyev.

Live Performances

Throughout his career, Kaeja co-developed many site-specific and audience interactive engagement performances with Karen Kaeja. These include Porch View Dances (2012 - present), Downtown Dances (2016 – present, with Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada), Animating Historic Spaces – Montgomery’s Inn (2016 & 2014), Fools Paradise – Open Doors Ontario (2015), ROGUE show (2015), fFIDA 1991, fFIDA w CBC Toronto 1992 & 1993, Canada Dance Festival with CBC Ottawa (1996), and Savage Garden (1989).^{[12][13][14][15]}

Awards and recognition

Kaeja’s awards include the Kathryn Ash Award for Choreography, Clifford E. Lee, K.M. Hunter, and Paul D. Fleck Choreography Awards (Canada), the Bonnie Bird Award (UK), a UNESCO citation, and the Moving Picture Award for best performance (Canada).^[16] In 2015, Allen was nominated for the: Ontario Arts Foundation Artist Educator Award; for “[exemplifying] excellence in arts education” and “[demonstrating] a unique approach to their arts education practice.” ^[17] In 2011, Kaeja co-created the Porch View Dances series with Karen Kaeja and Kaeja d'Dance.[6] In 2019, in honour of the success of the series in Toronto's Seaton Village, the city of Toronto officially renamed a laneway in the neighbourhood "Porch View Dances Lane."[11] Later that year, Allen and Karen received the Dance Ontario Lifetime Achievement Award for their substantial contribution to the “development of dance in [Ontario].” ^[18]