Whim W'Him Brings Shadows, Raincoats and Monsters to the Stage

To capture in a photograph - or even a series of photographs - the amount of focus and control put forth by a ballet dancer is nearly impossible. The raw emotion and energy that is felt by being in their presence is extremely difficult to convey through one single image.  I was lucky enough have the chance to attempt it with a behind-the-scenes glimpse of local dance group, Whim W'Him preparing for their upcoming production, "Shadows, Raincoats, and Monsters", which will show this weekend, Jan. 14 - 16.

Whim W'Him dancers Ty Cheng and Chalnessa Eames practice at PNB studios.

Whim W'Him director, Olivier Wevers has been a principal dancer at Pacific Northwest Ballet since 1997. Wevers' talent, focus and sense of humor all shine brightly as he works with the dancers.

Lucien Postlewaite - Whim W'Him dancer.

Ty Cheng - Whim W'Him dancer.

More after the jump. 

Chalnessa Eames - Whim W'Him dancer.

Preparing for "This is Not a Raincoat" - a piece by Wevers that deals with issues of vulnerability and protection.

A few days after photographing at the practice studio, I found myself roaming the halls and lost behind the stage at Intiman Theatre, much like the backstage scene in "This is Spinal Tap" - complete with confusing signs taped to doors.  Someone who knew a lot about stages was back there pulling ropes.

Costume designer for "Cylindrical Shadows", Christine Joly de Lotbinier, measures dancer Andrew Bartee for final costume fitting amidst piles of brightly colored fabric and racks of clothing.  

Ballet footwear is incredible. And colorful.

As of Tuesday, ticket sales indicated that nearly every one of these seats in Intiman Theatre will be full on opening night.

Olivier oversees a run-through of "Cylindrical Shadows" with guest choreographer, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

Annabelle and Olivier assist Chalnessa and Andrew during rehearsal.

Annabelle watches on as Lucien Postlewaite and Melody Herrera rehearse "Cylindrical Shadows", a piece choreographed by Ochoa herself. While I only had time to watch a few hours of rehearsal, I've never seen two dancers more connected than Melody and Lucien.  Their duet reveals every bit of intensity and emotion behind a piece like "Cylindrical Shadows".