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Let's be honest: To what extent can most of us speak about ballet—or even modern dance? Beyond the threshold of tights, tutu’s and Tchaikovsky's classic Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker, can we honestly say that there is much awareness of this art today? I think that most of us would agree that there isn’t. Now ask yourself, why it is that we are not more aware? Could it be that we have ceased to find it relevant to our time, or the world evolving around it? Does it express fervently the mood and discourse of the here-and-now or of a bygone time outside of our concern?

Like any other art or form of expression, ballet finds its driving force in the human need to manifest our feelings, thoughts and beliefs outside of ourselves. Some of the most affecting works of art are deeply personal, but many of the most monumental works manage to capture a mood, the zeitgeist of a specific moment or era. When that moment or era becomes remote...well, the messages tend to get slightly lost in the translation for many who are accustomed only to more recent modes of expression. The same process happens for the practitioners of any art; we all get a little anxious for new growth and evolution. However, what is the next step in the evolution of Dance, of Art? Olivier Wevers, and a group of talented artists from many backgrounds, have mapped out a course to discover the answer to that question for all of us with a dance company known—rather ingeniously—as Whim W’Him.

For those of you not yet familiar with Olivier Wevers, you might at least recognize him as a Principal Dancer from Seattle's prestigious Pacific Northwest Ballet, for which he has choreographed and danced in many glorious productions for the last 13 years. As many others in his metier, Olivier feels that much of the populace has become apathetic about ballet. He explains, “I feel people have distanced themselves from ballet. We want to collaborate with artists to create something relevant and new. Something to bring ballet into the new century.”

This is the core inspiration of Whim W’Him: collaboration between artists with backgrounds in varied disciplines but a fundamental passion for music and dance. It has often been through such collaborations that genres have evolved and been created—including ballet itself, as it was first a courtly dance interpretation of fencing. Olivier is pooling together the talents of highly regarded local artists, such as Fashion Designer Michael Cepress, Composer Byron Au Yong and Lighting Designer Michael Mazzola, and asks that they, as well as the audience, go out on a whim and—as the outfit's name suggests—whim with him.

You may ask yourself, how exactly are these artists collaborating any differently then they would in any other production? Simply put, when you work with productions of this nature, normal artist interaction is statements of, “This is what we need,” and replies of, “This is what you’re getting.” If you're doing a period film, you get period clothing. There is little room for creativity. Whim W’Him’s approach is more fluid and allows the artists to interpret and expand upon the creations of their collaborators in their own way. A lack of the specific constraints one finds in traditional productions adds as much difficulty as it does freedom, but the trade-off is worth it for more visonary artists. As Olivier says of his choreography, “As much as I welcome commissions, they come with certain constraints. You can’t fail, which makes it harder to experiment. You also have minimum time for rehearsal and you have to think about whether the work is appropriate for the company and its audience. With Whim W’Him, I can take the risk—and the responsibility—of truly innovating.”

For Whim W’Him’s debut production Olivier has chosen to address not only the unpredictability and fragility of our lives but also, the in changing of the seasons. The title for the debut is Three Seasons—an apt beginning for a project that thrives on unpredicatability. The piece has been scored Composer Byron Au Yong, who has created a profoundly moving and modern interpretation of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. The musical instruments used almost confront nature with man by melding sounds including but not limited to, a violin, the rhythmic rustling of leaves and—my favorite—a high heel. The overall effect makes it hard to distinguish the traditional instruments from the more novel ones.

But why just Three Seasons? Before each performance, a season will be chosen at random and eliminated from the repertoir for the night, forcing the dancers—unaware which will be missing—to acclimate spontaneously. Much like life, it always seems like we are missing a season and jumping too soon into the next, and the dancers will capture this.On that note: Whim W’Him’s dancers are an impressive juxtaposition of classical ballet dancers and modern dancers, collaborating amongst themselves within the common theme. They will be wearing costumes by exalted Seattle Menswear designer Michael Cepress, who is in the initial stages of creating a thoroughly thought-out collection that will emphasize the movements of the dancers. Movement in garments is a forte for Cepress, and these pieces seem to express both individual and collective qualities from scene to scene and movement to movement. Far be it from me to divulge too much, but I will say that though the materials of the garments will all be recycled, the apperance of the garments will be entirely unique.

Whim W’Him was pleased to have its much-anticipated and stunningly successful Pre-launch this past Friday at Capitol Hill’s intimate dance venue, Sole Repair. Not only was I elated at the fabulous turn-out, but also the presence of fellow Subterfuge darlings Sarah Caples, Sarah Takako Skinner and Trenton Flock all in-tow for the festivities, conversing over cocktails and more than once engaging in repartee with tongues firmly placed in cheek. Every inch of Soul Repair seemed to be bursting electric with anticipation and excitement, only stimulated more by the DJ’s sibyllic musical selections. The entire space was alive with dance, upstairs and down, while images of rehearsals played on the screen above the dance floor.

Following Fridays launch was Saturdays Dinner and Silent auction at the illustrious studio of local artist Steve Jensen. No finer a host or venue could have been had. As a fan of Jensen's work, I felt honored to be invited into his studio, and I am sure that I wasn't alone as guests cooed about the magnificent pillars he is currently crafting and the fragrance of the woodshop by which many of the silent auction items were displayed. Prominent local artists such as Casey Curran, Michael Liang, Mary Crane and Catherine Lepoutre all donated pieces, many of which were tailor-made for the auction and were, for obvious reasons, hot items. After a gracious speech of gratitude from Olivier, guests were given a small a taste of composer Byron Au Yong's composition for Whim W’Him’s debut performance. Once the silent auction was closed and winners exulted in their prizes—and grieved the ones that just barely got away—all ascended to dine and take in the Jensen and Vincent Lipe's expansive art collection in the gorgeous upstairs quarters. Steve Jensen certainly knows how to finely festoon a place—being a talented artist certainly helps—and he even designed and carved the piano. Ah, I’m still dreaming of that piano...

Dinner was catered—most exquisitely, I must say—with hors d'oeuvre’s by Lisa Kupar that were an epicurean delight and laid out amply enough to sate even the grandest of gourmands. Both parties were meant to be the start of a dialogue, a buzz, and they have fully exceeded expectations this weekend. There is certainly more dialogue to come as the performances approach. It was all a blissfully perfect beginning to what promises to be a beautiful and long relationship with the Seattle Art and Dance community.