Undaunted by a thirty-four-year age difference, Tony proposed to Karen the second time they were ever in the same room together. It took Karen eleven months to realize that they were soul mates and to accept Tony’s proposal. In the mean time, Tony and Karen performed lead roles together in a number of the Portland Ballet’s productions including Nutcracker, Coppelia, L’Histoire du Soldat, and Cinderella.

"The Nutcracker" with the Portland Ballet, 2000