Posted by: Margaret Wilson on behalf of the IADMS Education Committee 

The 2nd IADMS Dance Educator Award was awarded to Janet Karin, OAM, for her passion and commitment to dance and for her tireless contribution to Dance Medicine and the benefits her work brings to countless dancers. A former Principal Dancer of the Australian Ballet, Janet Karin was previously Principal Dancer of Victorian Ballet Guild and a member of the Borovansky Ballet. She performed in Giselle, Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, Rudolf Nureyev’s Raymonda and Sir Robert Helpmann’s Electra, to name a few, with several roles created exclusively for her. She established her teaching career in Canberra, training many outstanding dancers, choreographers and teachers. She devised her own teaching system, The Karin System, 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 and a broad understanding of dance as an art form. She developed dance studies courses for the Australian National University and for the ACT Department of Education. Ms Karin has received several awards including the Medal of the Order of Australia and the 2014 Australian Dance Award for Services to Dance Education. 

Ms Karin has worked extensively within the area of cultural development and has designed and facilitated a range of national and international courses, conferences and workshops. She was Chair of the host consortium (Australian Ballet School, Ausdance and Australian Sports Commission) that presented the 2007 International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) conference in Australia. After chairing the IADMS Education Committee and serving on the Board of Directors, Ms Karin was elected IADMS President for the years 2013-15 and currently serves as Past President for the organization. 

As Kinetic Educator at the Australian Ballet School, Ms Karin focuses on the application of neuroscience principles to elite ballet training. She has a strong interest in research and is involved in research studies with several Australian and overseas universities. In 2009 she was awarded an Australian Centre of Clinical Research Excellence Grant to investigate dynamic pelvic stability. In 2014, Ms Karin was appointed a Clinical Fellow of Australian Catholic University, and she was appointed Professional Associate of the University of Canberra in 2016. Janet Karin has received the Medal of the Order of Australia and several awards for artistic direction and dance teaching.  

Janet is pictured here with Janice Plastino, recipient of the first Dance Educator Award, and both recipients are pictured with Margaret Wilson, Education Committee Chair, and Robin Kish, Education Committee Vice Chair and Dance Educator Award Chair. 

Calls for nominations for the Dance Educator Award will be included in the next IADMS newsletter, but be thinking about colleagues who have demonstrated a commitment to the art and science of teaching dance that you wish to nominate.