The search for intimacy
Married dancers explore their connection through two new works at Harbourfront
Allen and Karen Kaeja know a thing or two about intimacy and a good deal of what they’ve learned is feeding into new works — X-ODUS and Crave — each choreographer is unveiling on a shared program at Harbourfront Centre on Tuesday.
The Kaejas have been husband and wife for 23 years. They’ve raised two teenaged daughters. That’s the personal stuff. Nothing so unusual, except perhaps that when they married they chose to abandon their former family names, Norris and Resnick respectively, and come up with a new shared one.
What is perhaps a tribute to their special bond is that as dancer/choreographer/teachers they’ve worked alongside each other professionally for more than a quarter century, eventually co-founding their own company, Kaeja d’Dance in 1991. But it has been no cakewalk.
“There are so many layers to intimacy,” says Allen. “Communication is not always at a peak over 23 years.”
Karen elaborates: “Having kids, running a business. There have been a lot of destabilizing forces in our life.”
So don’t expect an all warm and cuddly take on intimacy from an enterprising couple who alongside their work as choreographers have become leading dance educators and pedagogical theorists. Their book, Express Dance, is a popular resource for school teachers.
X-ODUS, the title of Allen Kaeja’s new work offers a thematic signpost.
“To arrive one has to leave,” says Kaeja. But it’s not just about leaving. It’s also the journey and the struggles along the way and the search for connection.
Allen Kaeja, in his youth a dedicated wrestler, is known for his hyperphysical style, but in the case of X-ODUSsays he’s made a conscious effort not to fall back on trusted choreographic modes.
“It’s a real exodus for me as a choreographer,” he explains. “There’s nothing of anything I’ve ever done in it. It’s a real attempt to challenge myself.”
Karen Kaeja has always come at dance from a different direction, more lyrical, emotional and psychological so it’s not surprising that her new duet, Crave, sails a distinct tack.
“These are two very, very different approaches,” she says. “Our two new pieces are like night and day.” Crave explores the well of loneliness, the desire for intimacy, but also the fear of it. Karen Kaeja likes the way the word sounds, it’s closeness to “into me see.” “There’s always this fear of letting someone in,” she says. “Just how transparent do we want to be?” As it happened, the couple didn’t realize they had a pair of complementary works until each was well into the process of making them. “We didn’t start with the over-arching theme of intimacy.” And when they did see the connections, they didn’t try to dovetail them. Often and naturally the Kaejas have given each other feedback, but this time decided to keep things mostly to themselves. Instead, they brought in another couple to act as dramaturges, Pil Hansen working with Karen and Bruce Barton with Allen. By virtue of being a member of the X-ODUS cast, Karen has had an inside view but for most of the time kept her opinions to herself. “And usually Karen is never silent,” says Allen with a laugh. If there’s a takeaway message from the Kaeja’s new works it’s that intimacy is hard to achieve and never stable. “We’re always evolving as individuals,” says Allen Kaeja, “so you can never just assume.” X-ODUS and Crave, May 7-11, Enwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay West; 416973-4000 or www.kaeja.org.