Whim W’Him’s Olivier Wevers on Equitable Treatment in Dance
A Seattle-Based Director on Eliminating Exploitation in the Dance Scene
Name pronunciation: Ol-i-vee-eh W-eh-vers | Pronouns: he/him
By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor
Photo by Stefano Altamura
Artists are often left out of larger conversations about equitable treatment and fair pay for workers. Even so, artists are skilled professionals as other laborers are, deserving of comprehensive treatment from companies that are able to secure the funds they need to operate effectively. Whim W’Him Founder and Artistic Director Olivier Wevers is a strong advocate for eliminating exploitative practices in the dance scene, principles he is practicing at the Seattle-based dance company itself. Read on to learn more about Olivier’s dance journey and about Whim W’Him’s mission and plans for its 2022-2023 season. And when purchasing tickets for one of Whim W’Him’s 22-23 shows, use code DWC20 for 20% off your ticket purchase!
Olivier expressed interest in dancing around age six. He can recall arriving at his first dance class wearing thick red wool tights, and immediately feeling out of place. “I actually cried and sat on the piano,” Olivier recalls, laughing. His parents told him that if he cried again, he wouldn’t be coming back to dance class. “I guess I didn’t,” Olivier says.
Around age fourteen, Olivier transferred from a recreational studio to a more professionally-focused one in his hometown of Brussels, Belgium. When he reached about nineteen years old, he began looking for work, moving to the United States for a summer program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Olivier landed his first job dancing with Columbia City Ballet in South Carolina for a year. He later danced at Royal Winnipeg Ballet for five years, touring around the world for six months out of the year. Olivier finished his dancing career at Pacific Northwest Ballet, where he worked for fourteen years.
Photo by Stefano Altamura
It took a while for Olivier to realize that starting a dance company is what he wanted to do. He had been gaining more choreography opportunities, diving deeper into the creation side of dance. He knew that running a dance company required a lot of hustle - administrative work, fundraising, and more - and he also realized the life of touring and traveling so often became lonely. Olivier desired to not only work with his own dancers but begin developing a vocabulary of dance that was unique. After mulling it over and having some encouragement from friends, Olivier incorporated Whim W’Him in 2009.
Today, Olivier says that Whim W’Him is all about the “creation process,” sharing that the company doesn’t like to place limits on itself by fixating on one topic or genre of focus. “There are so many types of choreographies and ways of working with bodies and I think that’s what we want to embrace,” Olivier says. “It’s really about exploring our human condition.”
One of Whim W’Him’s most important values is putting “people first always,” something that is not always upheld in the dance world. That’s why Olivier shares that ensuring his dancers are well-paid has always been a priority of his. “They are artists…They are highly skilled professionals and they should be paid for that,” he stresses. He started Whim W’Him with the intention of “changing the landscape of how dancers are abused and exploited,” particularly when it comes to being under-compensated for their work.
“The idea behind the company is to re-create a culture that is fighting the [outdated system] that is now widely adopted in this country for contemporary dancers and re-build an environment that is safe, welcoming, and supportive for everyone,” Olivier says.
Fittingly, Whim W’Him dancers are also offered opportunities to exercise creative control when it comes to the work they perform. For example, choreographers featured in Whim W’Him’s upcoming fall program were selected by dancers of the company itself, as a part of the 8th Choreographic Shindig. In a longstanding tradition, after reviewing applications, the dancers themselves have the opportunity to curate the evening performance, exercising their own creative opinions as artists.
In its 2022-2023 season, Whim W’Him is excited to showcase about ten original works across its three live programs in fall, winter, and spring. In addition, in February 2023, Whim W’Him will be collaborating with Early Music Seattle to create a brand new piece.
Photo by Stefano Altamura
In the fall, audiences can expect new creations from Keerati Jinakunwiphat, Dolly Sfeir, and Nicole von Arx on September 9-17, 2022 at Erikson Theater and on September 14, 2022 at Vashon Center for the Arts. In the winter, Whim W’Him will show work by Mike Esperanza, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Olivier Wevers from January 20-31, 2023 at the Cornish Playhouse, January 25, 2023 at Vashon Center for the Arts, and January 31, 2022 at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. Finally, in the spring, audiences will see work by Emilie Leriche, Olivier Wevers, and Rauf Yasit on May 12-20, 2023 at the Cornish Playhouse, May 17, 2023 at Vashon Center for the Arts, and May 24, 2023 at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts.
All in all, in the next year, Olivier looks forward to seeing Whim W’Him continue to grow as a company and help create an environment for dancers that is “safe, diverse, [and] welcoming.” “We have a lot of change that needs to happen,” Olivier insists, citing more accessible dance education, greater support for BIPOC artists, comprehensive dance media and journalism, and of course, fair pay and eradicated exploitation as changes the dance industry needs to see. He also hopes to see more arts funding on a governmental level, particularly for smaller dance companies, where he believes much of the innovation in dance is occurring.
Become a member with Whim W’Him today or use code DWC20 for 20% off your tickets for one of Whim W’Him’s Season 22-23 shows.
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