Karena has an MFA in Dance from Ohio State University with a focus on performance, notation, history, and pedagogy. She performs with Catherine Cabeen and Company and Redd Legg Dance, teaches dance at Bainbridge Dance Center and the University of Washington Bothell, and sets historical dance works from their notation scores for groups including the University of Washington Chamber Dance Company. Her early training was at the Cornish Preparatory Program, Richmond Ballet, and the University of Washington. She has danced professionally with the Colorado Ballet, Lehua Dance Theatre, ARC Dance, and oaklanDrive Dance Company. She has been privileged to dance works of many choreographers, including Trisha Brown, Anna Sokolow, Antony Tudor, George Balanchine, Fanny Elssler, Wade Madsen, Deborah Wolf, and Hannah Wiley. She has taught at Cornish, Dance Fremont, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and The Ohio State University, among others.
There were many takeaways from Sapience Dance Collective’s annual Converge Dance Festival—including the talent of the dancers and the creative, engaging choreography—but the most exciting… Read More »Live Music at the Heart of Converge
Mixed repertory shows can often end up a grab-bag of unrelated works that may or may not make a whole greater than the parts, or… Read More »Ktisk Not Child’s Play
A tiny room with a staircase descending through the performing space is not everyone’s idea of the perfect venue for dance. Yet Out To Dance,… Read More »Intimate Evening at Out to Dance
Again! More! That is how I felt after every piece of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s aptly-named program, The Vertiginous Thrill of Forsythe. The brilliance of the… Read More »A Vertiginous Thrill Indeed
“Ten tiny dancers on a platform” is how my companion referred to the show in a slip of the tongue. And as intriguing as the… Read More »Ten Tiny Dances: The Beauty of Restrictions
Like many dancers, I have performed in many (too many?) Nutcrackers. Intellectually, I can appreciate the ballet’s role as a family holiday tradition, the smiles… Read More »With Land of The Sweets, Nutcracker Grows Up
The dancers of Pacific Northwest Ballet showed themselves at their best in the four contemporary works of Director’s Choice. Though ostensibly the big story was… Read More »Dazzling Displays in Director’s Choice
Upon entering Washington Hall, audience members at Who’s afraid of Deborah Hay? were directed upstairs to the balcony overlooking the performance space, and handed both… Read More »Deborah Hay and The Gift of Experience
The Bridge Project at Velocity Dance Center is one of the many ways Velocity supports Seattle’s performance community. It stands out for how it gives… Read More »Bridge Project: A Glimpse of Seattle’s Dance Future
On the Boards’ second 12 Minutes Max of the season, curated by Jim Kent and Kia Pierce, offered another full, engaging evening of dance and… Read More »Another Stellar 12 Minutes Max