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The works of choreographer and principal of Whim W'Him, Olivier Wevers—who was once dubbed "the prince of abstract"—are challenging to everyone involved: the dancers, the audience, the designers, the musicians, and all. However, the challenge pays great dividends to all who have the opportunity to witness or participate in his pieces, which combine amazing technique with thoughtful commentary. All of this is augmented by the works of the designers and musicians, whom Olivier has courted for this project because of their own unique visions and their ability to work in a changeable artistic dialogue. Which is not to say that anything seems haphazard about the work of Whim W'him. Their sold-out performances were certainly produced not on a mere whim, though the caprices of the modern world lie at the heart of the premiere piece, "3 Seasons."

Worship of novelty and materialism has thinned the fabric of communities, and the thickest fibers—the addictions, the obsessions, the endless distractions—can quickly form an oppressive veil before one's very eyes. Visual artists and critics, try as they might to combat this tendency, are often absorbed as much as anything else into the chaos and sound, but the primal nature of dance somehow gives the form a potency that can more readily tear the veil asunder. The three works presented recently by Olivier Wevers | Whim W'Him questions do just that with awesome grace and beauty, while wordlessly posing crucial questions: How does this noisy, material paradigm affect our sense of self and community? What becomes of all the things we leave behind and lose sight of as we let go?

X-Stasis - Lucien Postlewaite and Jonathan Poretta

The castlist was a veritable who’s-who of the Seattle dance community and comprised beloved Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers—Lucien Postlewaite, Chalnessa Eames, Kaori Nakamura, and Jonathan Poretta—and dancers from the renowned Spectrum Dance Theatre—Vincent Lopez, Kelly Ann Barton, Ty Alexander Cheng, and Kylie Lewallen—with Hannah Lagerway of Portugal's Quorum Ballet, and independent dancer Jim Kent. Presented at the artist-founded theatre and contemporary performing arts center On The Boards in Queen Anne, "3 Seasons" debuted to a roaring success, selling out all three nights. Many who didn’t get tickets early had to resort to frantically dialing the ticket office everyday at opening to be placed on a waiting list with the hopes of having their names called for even one highly prized ticket, made available only if some misfortune befell another customer. Demand was so high that Olivier himself kindly gave up his seat every night so that people could get in with their friends and share in the moment.

FRAGMENTS - Vincent Lopez and Kelly Anne Barton

Two works choreographed by Wevers provided a perfect introduction and  complement to the main production. The first was a work from 2006, “X Stasis”—wittily and aptly titled for its 10 (X) performers (including one mannequin) in five duets of ecstasy between balanced and opposing forces (stasis). Exquisitely executed and rife with the sexual frustration, the piece peaked with a duet between Lucien Postlewaite and Jonathan Poretta in leotards of contrasting white and red. The taut sensuality left me with an almost irresistible craving for a cigarette afterwards.

Wever’s 2007 work, “FRAGMENTS,” followed. The choreography combined sheer grace with striking contortion, set to works by Mozart, including the famous aria of the Queen of The Night, “Der Hölle Rache Kocht in Meinem Herzen” (“The Vengeance of Hell Boils In My Heart”) which combines grace and contortion in its own way. It was a particularly fitting accompaniment to the mimicry of Vincent Lopez and Kelly Ann Barton, whose characters seemed to be rivals hell-bent on outdoing each other. "FRAGMENTS" reaches its climax when Vincent Lopez twists across the stage beneath Mozart’s brooding and ethereal “Ave Verum Corpus.” As the only illuminated thing, bathed in violet, blue and yellow light, he creates a tableau vivant of a William Blake watercolor. Writhing as though he were an anguished soul in purgatory, he locks into a final pose, and the lights slowly fade with the sounds of the chorus.

3 Seasons - Kaori Nakamura and Jim Kent

Human behavior is about as unpredictable as the weather day-to-day, and as the seasons themselves become more chaotic, so, too, does human behavior seem to run off its tracks. Living in the Puget Sound Convergence Zone, we are no stranger to our frustration with the lost seasons of Seattle, whether it be spring, summer, or autumn, as was the case in 2008, and may be winter this time around. With a compromised economy, a quickly evolving world and frenetic weather patterns shaping our social and physical climate, it is little wonder that many suffer from feelings of displacement in this world and lean upon things which prove to be less than sturdy or substantial.

All of that is easier said than danced, but "3 Seasons" portrayed this state with more pathos and grace than could ever be written by any scholarly commentator and more fury and passion than could be professed by any Luddite lunatic raving on a soapbox in the park. We won't even mention how much better the dancers looked dressed and undressed than these two characters...

“3 Seasons” displayed manifestly the growth and range of Olivier as a choreographer and an enormous depth of expression. The piece is set to Vivaldi’s "4 Seasons"—with one exception. For each performance, a randomly selected season is dropped to create that familiar lost-season feel, and is replaced by Byron Au Yong’s live accompaniment. Yong utilizes unconventional objects as instruments—such as a child’s toy piano and women’s high heels—to create an enchanting and organic sound that is, in essence, the sound of discarded material (and materialism) in a transcendent form. To illustrate how apt this sound is for the entire work, let us take a glimpse at the opening scene.

The performance opens with an abstraction of a typical, commercial setting as the dancers pass Jim Kent, who stands alone and alert. Each pedestrian is absorbed in his or her own world and carrying an object, such as a computer part, lamp, or other such bric-a-brac. As they begin to drop their once cherished items, Kent character pounces with rodent-like reflexes to collect the discard. Hoarding them as he shuffles along to gather everything that hits the ground, he amasses quite a nest, further and further encumbering his attempts to procure more. The discarded items  appear more rapidly and become more comical, culminating with a gun nonchalantly tossed from stage right. At last incapable of acquiring anything else and completely hemmed in, Kent receives the final item—a bird cage—the only place that it will fit: over his head, a true prisoner of his greed.

3 Seasons - Kaori Nakamura and Lucien Postlewaite

Yong was not the only collaborator who mastered the message and then used his own medium to find a proper expression. Fashion designer Michael Cepress’ costume interpretation of Whim Whim’s concept in "3 Seasons" hit the nail on the head without losing his own visionary voice, fusing artistic flair and exceptional adaptability to the dancers’ movement. Wire hanger crinolines that appeared solid with a dancer's twirl, tasteful earth-tone wrist and ankle bracelets that bound the dancers to their material possessions quietly accentuated the central themes and  brought cohesiveness to an already solid concept. Kudos to you, Mr Cepress, once again, for your artistry and intuitiveness.

The Whim W’Him wunderkinds admit that in "3 Seasons" they are not judging humanity for its faults. They are simply asking us to reflect on our actions and their repercussions and question our attachment to the trappings of life with both gravity and humor—all with a gloss scintillating sensuality . (I did indeed have that cigarette after the arousing performance.) In the end, the perfomance poses a far more optimistic question: “Can intrusion of the unexpected throw us together, reinvigorate the community and connections that we have lost?” Olivier Wevers | Whim W'Him is the name on everyone’s lips now and it is my guess that they will reinvigorate our community, here and abroad, by sparking a dialogue between great artists of varied media, bridging the gaps to gracefully lift this city to the top of the ladder in serious fine art.