Dear friends,

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the world as we know it. It has halted the frantic rush of our daily lives, replacing it with an enforced seclusion, and a feeling of loss, fear, and uncertainty. While everyone is experiencing this transcendent upheaval in a unique way, we are all globally trying to navigate this newly acquired reality. Our hearts go to the victims and their families, and our gratitude goes to the essential workers and the health professionals still on the frontline fighting to keep us safe. Thank you!

Two weeks ago, after the first week of creation for our next program, our process was interrupted. For the health and safety of everyone, we decided to self-isolate and put our creative process on hold. We postponed our Spring Fling fundraiser, and are also making tentative alternative plans for our upcoming performances and events.

The creative process in the studio might be paused, but our creativity and passion for contemporary dance have not waned one bit. We must accept losing our physical human connection temporarily, but we cannot lose the profound nature of what makes us human. Hope is what unites us in our isolation right now. We won’t give up, and with your help and support, new dance creations and live performances will be back to inspire, heal, and bring our community together soon.

The Seattle artistic community needs your assistance right now. But with no live events to share, what is there to support? Just like planting a seed, it will take time and will require some faith. But we all know that with patience, we will be able to reap the rewards and witness something truly wonderful blossoming. Artists will forge ahead, respond to change and find a new path to cope with our social deprivation with love and care for humanity. 

”Nurturing art requires nurturing artists” are words that we have lived by at Whim W’Him for the last decade. No matter how hard or uncertain the situation might seem, we are committed to paying all staff and dancers as scheduled. Performers might appear dormant or only on your screens in two dimensions, but their hearts are beating fast. Choreographers are dreaming up the next manifestation of their visions, ready to share it with dancers and audiences, our greatest sources of strength and motivation. Filled with courage and resilience, we invite you to stand with us (though apart, for now) to create a magnificent garden and nurture the future of contemporary dance.

The loss of a single artist or even one organization would leave our community stripped. We are all in this together, yearning for our next gathering, and waiting impatiently to experience live performances in person again. Without investing in artists now, we are in danger of losing them in the future. Looking beyond our own circumstances, and while demanding to see ourselves as a part of something bigger, we can reflect on the fundamental shape of the society we wish to recreate for us and future generations.

We miss you and want you to know how grateful we are for your support. This bewildering human tragedy might have thrown us all off-balance, but it has also highlighted our sense of compassion and empathy. While physically disconnected from others, we are actually connecting and communing more than before, sharing our resources and learning from each other, values that have always been at the heart of Whim W’Him’s mission. Imagine how glorious our next assembly will be–full of humility and appreciation for having conquered our fears and anxiety together, all the while strengthening our community bonds, and ensuring a revitalized future for the arts and humanity.

Now more than ever,
Thank you.

Olivier Wevers
Whim W’Him Founder and Artistic Director