FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Dear Whimmers,

Welcome to Winter ’26. I am grateful to share this evening with you, and to celebrate the return of Emilie, Florian, and Alice, whose work continues to inspire me. As we stand at the dawn of a new year, it feels like a meaningful moment to reflect, to take stock of what matters, and to consider how we move forward together. In a world full of notifications, schedules, and competing demands, I don’t take lightly that you chose to be here tonight.

At this time each year, we are often presented with numbers. How many artists were supported. How many performances were offered. How many people were reached. While those measurements can be useful, they have never felt central to me. Numbers can impress, and they are often used as proof of success, yet without care, intention, and meaningful support behind them, they tell only a partial story.

What matters far more is the intention behind that support. The values that guide it. The depth of care that shapes the experience of the artists and the wider community we serve.

At Whim W’Him, we are deeply committed to supporting artists in a meaningful and comprehensive way. That includes tangible support such as fair salaries, benefits, fellowships, and access to wellness resources. It also includes mentorship, thoughtful feedback, and time. Time to develop, to take risks, and to grow alongside a carefully curated creative team. Just as importantly, it includes offering a professional platform of global caliber, shaped by a thoughtfully selected group of performers, designers, and collaborators, within a community that values rigor, imagination, and integrity.

This kind of support is increasingly rare, and that makes your presence here tonight especially meaningful. In choosing to spend your time and attention in this theater, you are already helping to carry this work forward.

This is why what we do here matters. Art is not created simply to entertain, but to stir feeling and bring people together in shared experience. These performances are ephemeral, living only in this moment between the artists onstage and the community gathered around them. That shared presence is a form of wealth measured not in numbers, one that resists ownership and cannot be produced or sold.

The Winter ’26 program brings together three distinct voices, each offering their own way of responding to the world through movement. These works invite reflection, listening, and curiosity. They ask us to stay present with complexity and to allow meaning to emerge through sensation and experience.

At the heart of Whim W’Him remains our guiding principle: nurturing art by nurturing artists. When artists feel supported with care, trust, and intention, the work deepens, and something honest and generous can take shape.

None of this exists without you. Your presence tonight, your belief in contemporary dance, and your support in whatever form feels possible help shape the world we are creating together. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to hear about our shows, receive exclusive invitations, and see behind-the-scenes content. Each choice to show up makes a difference.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for welcoming this new year with us, and for being part of a community that believes in the power of art, care, and shared humanity.

With gratitude,

Olivier Wevers
Founder and Artistic Director