Janet Karin OAM was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, Australia in 1938. She became one of Australia's leading dancers in 1956, and has danced with the ''Victorian Ballet Guild'', ''Borovansky Ballet'', and was a founding member of

The Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and direc ...

. She is a Nationally and Internationally recognised dance educator, and is currently the Head of Artistic Studies and Kinetic Educator for the Australian Ballet School in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia.

Performance Career, 1956 – 1967

Karin studied with Laurel Martyn OBE in

during the 1950s, and was a leading member of the ''Victorian Ballet Guild'' where she performed works such as Giselle and Swan Lake. Ballets choreographed by Martyn on her included: ''Voyager'' (as Priscilla), ''Royal Command'', and ''Sylvia''. From 1960–1961 she danced with the ''Borovansky Ballet'' in its final season. The Borovansky Ballet was founded in 1940 by

Edouard Borovansky Edouard Borovansky (24 February 1902 – 18 December 1959) was a Czech-born Australian ballet dancer, choreographer and director. After touring with Anna Pavlova's company, he and his wife, Xenia, settled in Australia where they established th ...

. In 1962 Karin joined an exciting new company founded by Dame

Peggy van Praagh Dame Margaret van Praagh (1 September 1910 – 15 January 1990) was a British ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, repetiteur, producer, advocate and director, who spent much of her later career in Australia. Early life Peggy van Praagh ...

known as the ''Australian Ballet'' as a soloist. In 1966 she was promoted to the rank of Principal Artist. During her career with the Australian Ballet, she danced many roles including: Debutante in ''Melbourne Cup'', Mazurka in ''

Les Sylphides ''Les Sylphides'' () is a short, non-narrative '' ballet blanc'' to piano music by Frédéric Chopin, selected and orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov. The ballet, described as a "romantic reverie","Ballet Theater", until 1955. A compact disk ...

'', the Lilac Fairy in ''Aurora's Wedding'', Myrtha in ''Giselle'', the Second Ballerina in ''Ballet Imperial'' and

Clytemnestra Clytemnestra (; grc-gre, Κλυταιμνήστρα, ''Klytaimnḗstrā'', ), in Greek mythology, was the wife of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, and the twin sister of Helen of Troy. In Aeschylus' '' Oresteia'', she murders Agamemnon – said by E ...

in '' Electra''.

Training & Development, 1967 – 1987

In 1967, Karin and her then husband, fellow Principal Artist, Bryan Lawrence left the Australian Ballet and established the ''Bryan Lawrence School of Ballet'' in Canberra ACT. The school also had its own performing arm, presenting works such as

Coppélia ''Coppélia'' (sometimes subtitled: ''La Fille aux Yeux d'Émail'' (The Girl with the Enamel Eyes)) is a comic ballet from 1870 originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles-Louis-� ...

and Giselle to Canberra audiences. In 1971,

Dame Peggy van Praagh Dame Margaret van Praagh (1 September 1910 – 15 January 1990) was a British ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, repetiteur, producer, advocate and director, who spent much of her later career in Australia. Early life Peggy van Praagh ...

, the founding director of the Australian Ballet became patron of the school until her death in 1990.

Artistic Director, 1987 – 1997

Under Karin's guidance, from 1987, the school became known as the ''National Capital Ballet School'', and the associated performing company became known as the ''National Capital Dancers''. Over the years, Janet commissioned new works from well known choreographers such as: Joe Scoglio,

Paul Mercurio Paul Joseph Mercurio (born 31 March 1963) is an Australian actor, dancer, TV presenter and politician. Mercurio is best known for his lead role in '' Strictly Ballroom'' 1992 and his role as a judge on TV series ''Dancing with the Stars''. H ...

Garth Welch Garth de Burgh Welch (born 14 April 1936) is an Australian dancer and choreographer. Early life and training Welch was born in Brisbane, Queensland. He was educated at the Anglican Church Grammar School. His initial dance training took plac ...

and

Natalie Weir Natalie Weir (born 1967, Townsville, Queensland) is an Australian choreographer, and Artistic Director for the Expressions Dance Company in Australia. Education and career Natalie Weir began her dance training with Ann Roberts and performed with ...

. In 1989, Karin received an

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...

Medal for her services to dance, and ''Noel Pelly'' AM accepted patronage of the school. In 1992 and 1993 Robert Ray choreographed ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' and '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' for the Dancers, with both productions receiving the Canberra Critics Circle Award; and in 1996, the National Capital Dancers collaborated with the October Ballet Company from

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

during their three-month residency in Canberra.

Former students of Janet Karin

*Kylie Hunter- The Australian Ballet * Andrew Baxter – London City Ballet, Vienna Festival Ballet,

Hong Kong Ballet The Hong Kong Ballet () is a classical ballet company founded in 1979. History The company was created in 1979. Since 1997, The Hong Kong Ballet has concluded more than 30 tours to 10 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia. I ...

. *Andrew Boddington –

. *Paul Boyd – The Queensland Ballet, Düsseldorf Ballet. *Joshua Consadine – The Australian Ballet. *Danielle Courtier – Expressions Queensland Dance Theatre, D'arc Swan, One Extra *Jane Donko – The Australian Ballet. *Lisa French – One Extra Company. *Lea Francis –

Sydney Dance Company Sydney Dance Company is a contemporary dance company in Australia. The company has performed on stages around the world, including the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Joyce Theater in New York, the Shanghai Grand Theatre in China, and the ...

Bangarra Dance Theatre Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-born C ...

. *Miranda Glickson –

The Royal New Zealand Ballet The Royal New Zealand Ballet is a ballet company based in Wellington, New Zealand. It was originally known as The New Zealand Ballet Company. History New Zealand Ballet was established in 1953 as an independent charitable trust by Royal Danish ...

Singapore Dance Theatre The Singapore Ballet (formerly known as Singapore Dance Theatre) is Singapore's national dance company, founded in 1988 by Anthony Then and Goh Soo Khim. The Artistic Director of the company is Janek Schergen. History It made its debut in Jun ...

. *Catherine Goss –

Royal New Zealand Ballet The Royal New Zealand Ballet is a ballet company based in Wellington, New Zealand. It was originally known as The New Zealand Ballet Company. History New Zealand Ballet was established in 1953 as an independent charitable trust by Royal Danish ...

. *Paul Hamilton –

. *Timothy Harbour –

. *Margrete Helgeby –

West Australian Ballet West Australian Ballet is the State ballet company of Western Australia and is based in Perth, at the Western Australian Ballet Centre in Maylands. The company was founded in 1952 by Madame Kira Bousloff (formerly of the Ballets Russes) and ...

, Chrissie Parrot Dance Company, Rambert Dance Theatre London. *Robert Jackson – Dance Theatre of Ireland. *Victoria Jestyn (Trotter) –

Netherlands Dance Theatre Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT; literal translation Netherlands Dance Theatre) is a Dutch contemporary dance company. NDT is headquartered at the ''Amare'' building in The Hague. NDT also performs at other venues in the Netherlands, including Amste ...

Rambert Dance Company Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...

. *Eden Lee – Canterbury Ballet. *Jake Lehrer – Named as most outstanding dancer in Dance Australia March 2003. *Adam Marchant –

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

. *Donald Macleod –

, Bolshoi Ballet,

English National Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish ...

, The Queensland Ballet,

Senior Classical Ballet and Pas de Deux Teacher. New Zealand Ballet School. *Joanne Michel –

. *Grayson Millwood – Austrian Dance Theatre. *William Mulholland – Victoria State Opera, Australian Contemporary Dance Company, Human Veins, Cats (Melbourne 1988). *Rachael Osborne – Batsheva Dance Company. *Sarah Peace – The Queensland Ballet,

Leigh Warren & Dancers Dance Hub SA, formerly Leigh Warren & Dancers or Leigh Warren + Dancers (LWD) and then LWDance Hub, is a contemporary dance company based in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Formed in 1993 by Leigh Warren, the company toured i ...

*Elizabeth Peck – Welsh Ballet *Francesca Peniguel – Berlin Opera Ballet Company *Annabel Bronner Reid –

. *Mardi Roberts – Vienna Volksoper Ballet *David Skelton – K Ballet Japan, Pretoria State Theatre Ballet, Vienna Festival Ballet *Michelle Southwell (Crawley) – Paris Bluebells,

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Ol ...

. *Delia Silvan –

Australian Dance Theatre Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1993 to 1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman . The ADT was the first moder ...

. *

Ross Stretton Ross Stretton (6 June 1952 – 16 June 2005) was an Australian ballet dancer and artistic director. As a dancer, he performed with the Australian Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. He was later Artistic Director of the ...

–

, Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre,

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

. *Robin Thomas –

. *Sonya Walter – Tasmanian Ballet Company. *Rachel Whitworth –

. *Sonia Zaluki – Kolobok Character Company.

The National Capital Ballet School and The Karin System

Based on the

Vaganova Vaganov (russian: Ваганов) is a Russian toponymic masculine surname relating to a person living near the river Vaga, its feminine counterpart is Vaganova. Notable people with the surname include: *Agrippina Vaganova (1879–1951), Russian ba ...

Syllabus, the ''Karin System'' is constantly evolving, in response to developments in understanding of anatomy, learning processes and teaching methodologies and to changes in the artistic and physical requirements of the dance profession. The Karin System is designed to provide all students with: Sound technical development. Opportunities to develop creativity and self-expression. The flexibility to progress at their own rate in a non-competitive environment. A broad understanding of dance as an art form. In 1997, ''Kylie Hunter'' ''(Adv. Dip. KSA)'' took over the Directorship of the National Capital Ballet School when Janet moved to

take up a new position at the

Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and direc ...

Recent Activities, 1997 – present

Karin has developed a number of secondary and tertiary dance education programs, has lectured with the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...

and the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

; and has published a number of papers and studies on dance and culture. Karin is also the President of the International Association of Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS). In 1997 Janet was appointed as Assistant to the Artistic Director of the Australian Ballet,

until 2001. Currently she is the Head of Artistic Studies and Kinetic Educator at the Australian Ballet School. Karin is the

Patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

for the ( Laurel Martyn) Movement and Dance Education Centre in Melbourne.

References

*Dictionary of Performing Arts Volume 2: opera, dance, music. Ann Atkinson, Linsay Knight, Margaret McPhee. Allen & Unwin 1996. , *http://www.natdance.org * *http://laurelmartyndance.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Karin, Janet 1938 births Living people Australian ballerinas