The Actress Romantic tutu from The Actress (1994) designed by Santo Loquasto

This tutu was worn by Karen Kain, former Principal Dancer and now Artistic Director of the National Ballet. The Actress was inspired by and created for Karen Kain in honour of her 25th Anniversary with the company. Kain was one of the National Ballet’s most internationally acclaimed and beloved dancers. When she retired from the stage in 1997 she chose The Actress as the piece for her Canada-wide farewell tour. Kain remained with the company as Artist in Residence and Artistic Advisor until 2005 when she assumed her present role as Artistic Director.
Choreographed by former Artistic Director James Kudelka, The Actress examines the bewildering interplay of role and reality in the life of a great ballerina. Santo Loquasto’s vision for The Actress evokes the peculiar combination of elegance and the musty history of an old-world opera house with the costumes conjuring at once Edgar Degas, Giorgio Armani and simple rehearsal wear. As in the ballet, the design explores the boundaries between performance space and backstage life which continuously merge and dissolve.