Bret is a dance artist, creator, producer, and educator based in Los Angeles, California. He received his BFA along with the Hector Zaraspe Prize for Choreography from The Juilliard School in 2010, and was a formative member of Gallim Dance in New York City before moving to Tel Aviv to join Ohad Naharin’s Batsheva Dance Company. During his time in Israel, he became a certified Gaga teacher and an Ilan Lev Method practitioner.

Bret is currently on faculty at USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, and stages Naharin’s repertory at collegiate dance programs and professional dance companies around the world. He was recognized as a Choreographic Fellow at the inaugural Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography Fellowship at Jacob’s Pillow in 2018 and was an Artist in Residence at LA Dance Project in 2019.

Choreographer and performer Joseph Hernandez was based in Dresden, Germany before returning to the United States in 2023. Born in Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1988, he graduated from the School of American Ballet in 2007 and was awarded an apprenticeship with the New York City Ballet that same year. As a dancer, he has performed all over the world with companies such as the Royal Ballet of Flanders, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, and the Semperoper Ballett.

His choreographic work has been presented to critical acclaim by such organizations as Festspielhaus Hellerau, The Semperoper Ballett, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Theatre St. Gallen (Switzerland), NW Dance Project, and Whim W’him. His work The Lavender Follies was filmed for television and distributed across Europe and Asia. He was nominated “New Name To Watch“ by Dance Europe magazine for the premiere of his work Ganz Leise Kommt die Nacht/ The Night Falls Quietly, which premiered at the Joyce Theatre NYC in 2017. Joseph was a winner of NW Dance Project’s Pretty Creatives International Choreographic Competition in 2019 and created his first work for the organization the same year. He returned in 2021, creating on the dancers in NW Dance Project’s MOVE summer project. In 2022, Joseph created bye bye for now, a curious and compelling work that mixed contemporary dance with absurdist theater and experimental video art. Later that same year, Joseph was appointed NW Dance Project’s first Associate Choreographer. In 2023, he will create a radically re-imagined version of the classic ballet Petrushka for NW Dance Project.

From ballet training in his native Belgium, Olivier learned the beauty, passion and discipline of the art. On coming to North America at age 19, he discovered the exhilaration of many new dance forms. As a principal dancer, first with Royal Winnipeg Ballet and later, for most of his dancing career, with Pacific Northwest Ballet, he acquired his strong conviction that dancers are the heart and soul of a company. As such they, and artists in general, must live at the very center of the process, their dignity, psychological and creative growth and safety deemed just as essential as their technical accomplishments. 

During his years of performing in classical and contemporary works by choreographers from around the world, Olivier also discovered the thrill of making dances and how imaginative story-telling and movement exploration connect to caring about individuality and physicality. Creating dances fed his perennial curiosity. It became “my way to express myself and, during the process, to be able to learn more about the human condition, start dialogues, touch people and share ideas, reflecting on our times and our humanity.”

Michael’s critically acclaimed lighting and scenery has been seen in venues all over the USA, Europe, and Asia, ranging from opera houses to amphitheaters to circus tents to hay barns. The 3-time New York Dance and Performance Award winner has designed lighting and scenery for many dance companies, in the USA, Australia, Finland, Sweden, Cuba. He designed lighting and video for the 2015 Presidential Scholars Awards, at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Michael has also been Senior Scenic Designer on two Comedy Central Celebrity Roasts, as well as the 2015 Lincoln Awards at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall for Uplight, Inc, based in NYC. Some of his performance photography has been published in Liz Lerman’s book “Hiking the Horizontal”, as well on the websites and marketing materials for Bebe Miller Company and Rachel Tess Dance.

Becca Blackwell is a talented and versatile professional in the world of performing arts, making their mark as a dedicated Production Stage Manager for Whim W’him. With an extensive background in stage management, lighting design, and stagehand work, Becca has made a significant impact on the Seattle dance scene.

As a Production Stage Manager, Becca orchestrates the behind-the-scenes magic, ensuring smooth and flawless performances. Their organizational prowess, exceptional communication skills, and ability to handle high-pressure situations make them an invaluable asset to the Whim W’him team. Becca’s meticulous planning and coordination allow the creative vision to come to life on stage seamlessly. Additionally, Becca’s talents extend to lighting design, where their keen artistic vision and technical finesse have contributed to the creation of captivating visual experiences on stage.

With a diverse skill set, unwavering dedication, and a passion for the performing arts, Becca Blackwell continues to shine as a vital force in the industry. Their contributions, both as a stage manager and lighting designer, have left a lasting impression on audiences and fellow professionals, solidifying their position as a respected and sought-after talent in the Seattle dance community.