Karen Gabay

Karen Gabay grew up in San Diego and has had a career as a ballerina that spans over thirty-five years.  Her repertoire includes Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Giselle in the title role and her most favorite role of Juliet in Romeo & Juliet. During Gabay’s long association with Ballet San Jose (formerly the Cleveland San Jose Ballet) she began dancing principal roles at the age of eighteen and later held the title of Artistic Associate.  As a choreographer, she created numerous ballets for the company including the 2012 production of BSJ’s annual production of The Nutcracker which led to her first children’s book, “The Nutcracker: A Story in Verse.” Gabay was awarded the Artist Fellowship Award for choreography by the Arts Council Silicon Valley and was nominated for an Isadora Duncan Award for her performance in Tzigane. Gabay is the co-founding Artistic Director of her own ballet troupe, Pointe of Departure which performs in the bay area and in Northeast Ohio.  She is an active Screen Actors Guild Member and continues to pursue work in film and television. Gabay recently joined the faculty at the San Francisco Ballet and is part of their Master Class series.

Photo by Seema Hadid