MENTORSHIP

  • Irma Villafuerte in ‘No Woman’s Land’ - Choreography by Roshanak Jaberi, Photo by Kevin Jones

    Irma, a brown, Central American, woman with black hair, is barefoot and wears a white dress as she sits on stage. Her hands are on top of her knees, flexed, and she looks upward. Other performers are also onstage, outside of the light.

Kin Nguien performance photo

Mentee Kin Nguien, Photo by Katrina Castro

  • Kin Nguien, a Vietnamese woman with long black hair and dark brown eyes, with her hands hovering closely to her face. Kin looks upward with a concerned expression and another hand reaches towards the top of Kin’s head from behind her.

Both Karen and Allen have a long history of mentorships and dramaturgy for creative practices for stage and film. They strongly believe in the power of a symbiotic mentor–mentee relationship, and their mentorships often extend far beyond the life of a project. Mentorship projects were fuelled in 2000 with a 4-year project called Kd’d2 where emerging artists interned and toured Kaeja works.

In 2022, Karen Kaeja won the George Luscombe Mentorship Award. Read her acceptance speech. She was also Stratford Festival’s first movement dramaturg for Keira Loughran’s Wendy and Peter Pan, and acts as Jaberi Dance Theatre’s Artistic Advisor.

Kaeja Artists in Residence (KAIR) program started in 2021 with Mio Sakamoto. Please read about:

Mio’s 2021 KAIR residency here. 

2022 and 2023 KAIR artists Nickeshia Garrick and Irma Villefuerte here. 

2024 KAIR artists at PVD Mio Sakamoto, Fer Camacho, Kunji Ikeda, and Zita Nyarady here.

2025 KAIR Artistic Intern Mio Sakamoto here.

Many of their mentees have gone on to create their own companies and wonderful impact in the community, while also remaining connected to Karen and Allen, often with new collaboration projects.

Artists and dance-makers are welcome to inquire about mentorship with Karen or Allen anytime by reaching out to the office at kaeja@kaeja.org.

Past and current mentees include:

  • Lilia Leon (Independent Artist)

  • Dana McDonald (Independent Artist)

  • Philip McDermott (Independent Artist)

  • Sylvie Moquin (Independent Artist)

  • Newton Moraes (Founder, Moraes Dance Theatre)

  • Krista Newey (Independent Artist)

  • Kin Nguien (Independent Artist and KINAJ)

  • Malgorzata Nowacka-May (Artistic Director, Chimera Dance Theatre)

  • Jillian Peever (Independent Artist)

  • Beata Rasitsan

  • Brennan Roy (Independent Artist) 

  • Mio Sakamoto (Independent Artist and MillO Dance Projects)

  • Katherine Semchuk (Independent Artist)

  • Ashvini Sundaram (Independent Artist)

  • Irma Villefuerte (Independent Artist)

  • Jackson Young (George Brown Dance Student)

  • New Blue Emerging Artists in a collaboration with School of Toronto Dance Theatre

  • Patricia Allison (Independent Artist)

  • Drew Berry (Independent Artist)

  • Tara Butler (Dust and Soul Dance Projects)

  • Fer Camacho (Independent Artist)

  • Susanne Chui (Co- Artistic Director, MOCEAN Dance)

  • Sophie Dow (Independent Artist)

  • Jenn Edwards (Independent Artist)

  • Shay Erlich (Independent Artist)

  • Aria Evans (Political Movement)

  • Mateo Galindo Torres (Guetcha Guaritcha)

  • Nickeshia Garrick (Independent Artist)

  • Olya Glotka (Independent Artist)

  • Amy Hampton (Executive Director, Dance Ontario)

  • Jaz Fairy J (Independent Artist)

  • Roshanak Jaberi (Artistic Director, Jaberi Dance Theatre)

  • Ethan Kim (Ethan Kim)

  • Nyda Kwasowsky (Independent Artist)

Inspiring moments and reflections from Karen’s 2025 multi-generational 3-layered mentorship of uncovered. 

”It's been a beautiful experience re-engaging through creativity and love. We are so delighted to be working together again." - Jaz and Karen

“It really is a special experience to learn a work from the choreographer and the dancer simultaneously. It definitely adds a level of care and depth to the understanding of the work that I wouldn’t have gotten if it was one or the other.” - Shona Kiyama 木山晶南 

“This process also sparked and confirmed a realization in me that mentorship isn’t solely about artistic expansion. It’s also about learning how to share, how to pass on the knowledge.” - Mio Sakamoto

  • "What began as a teacher-student relationship with Karen and Allen has, over the past 10 years, grown into something far deeper. Their support has grounded me as an artist, offering not just guidance but unwavering belief in my path. Their mentorship extends beyond any single project—it has been a constant, a foundation, and a source of strength. More than mentors, they have become pillars in my journey, shaping not only my artistry but the very way I move through the world."

    Mio Sakamoto - Dance Artist

  • "Karen Kaeja is a woman, artist, collaborator and mentor that holds space for bonding, love, dreams, and possibility. She has this magic ability to hold space for the body I bring, the stories I carry, and the desires lingering at the surface. She takes interest in the artist in all of their dimensions, from the professional to the personal, which makes it easy to trust and dive into philosophy and creativity through movement and conversation. I believe that Karen is one of those artists that exudes love and generosity, and humanity lives at the forefront of her creations."

    Irma Villefuerte - Dance Artist

  • "I feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to engage in a year-long mentorship exchange with Karen Kaeja. This included shadowing in her process, interning as a dancer in her work, and even received her guidance on my own choreographic explorations. The culmination of these experiences have made a tremendous impact on my artistic development. My relationship with Karen has since become an invaluable asset to my life and ongoing growth as an artist in Calgary, Alberta.”

    Sylvie Moquin - Dance Artist

  • "Karen’s mentorship has been a guiding light in my journey, shaping both my artistry and the foundation of my career. Over the past 10 years, it has nurtured my voice and given me the courage to take risks in a supportive environment. The depth of care—creatively, professionally, and personally—has been immeasurable, allowing me to grow, sustain, and dream beyond what I once thought possible."

    Mio Sakamoto - Dance Artist

  • "As an emerging artist, Karen has been a pivotal point in my understanding of what a mentorship could entail, primarily by meeting questions, curiosities, fears, frustrations and triumphs with a calm, unconditional love and support. I bore witness to much of her work from afar for many years with hopes of crossing paths one day. Karen has shared her generous spirit and incredibly organic methods of weaving her guidance and expansive expertise creatively, and further as wisdom for life."

    Sophie Dow - Dance Artist