Dance Preview: Olivier Wevers at Men in Dance

I spent my lunch hour (and then some) viewing a rehearsal of Whim W'him, the local dance company directed by Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer Olivier Wevers.

I didn't want to leave.

In addition to the remarkable project they are finishing, a riveting new piece choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa which premieres in January (more thoughts on that coming very soon), the group previewed an exciting excerpt of Wevers' own choreography, which will be performed at the Men in Dance festival this weekend.

Wevers explained the piece tells the story of a homosexual relationship between two men, who are forced to hide who they really are because of society's monstrous disapproval.

The two dancers performing it, including powerhouse PNB principal Lucien Postlewaite (pictured above), elicit complex subtexts made all the more powerful by recent events that have brought national media attention to a terrible trend in this country: intolerance and ignorance leading to needless death.

As usual, art picks right up and builds where anger has laid everything flat. Weaving expressions of romance and shame, Wever's work creates so much palpable empathy for these dramas that play out for real people every day...it hurt to watch.

No pain, no gain.

Take your teens to see this.

Photo by La Vie Photography

Men in Dance
Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway Ave.