FACULTY

Originally from Rochester, Michigan, Michael attended Western Michigan University graduating with a B.A. in dance and a B.S. in psychology. Here he performed works by choreographers including Aszure Barton, Kyle Abraham, and James Gregg. In 2017 he studied abroad at the University of Roehampton in London, England, and completed the BalletBoyz Dancer’s Course. In 2019, he joined GroundWorks DanceTheater as a company artist. He has also performed work by Iztok Kovač at Dock 11 while attending the b12 Berlin Workshop Festival.

Having trained with coaches from the Royal Ballet of London, Lines Ballet School, the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance and others over a 20 year career as performer, Joshua Crouch utilizes deep explorations of personal autonomy and emotional queueing to delve into dance as a language for social and personal change while maintaining a rigorous approach to mastery and discipline. With his unique, vibrant, nurturing, and playful approach to teaching, Joshua helps his students discover the power of dance to not only improve their artistic scope and physical health but also their emotional and mental wellbeing. Founder and Director of The Symposium on Graham Technique (2016-2019) and former principal of The School of Spectrum Dance Theater for several years, Joshua has also lectured for the Dance Educators Association of Washington on joy as a radical form of healing through movement and taught for Cornish College of the Arts as a substitute educator.

He is thrilled to join the teaching staff at Whim W’Him where the work of the company to create a community and culture of inclusive and diverse approaches to exploration, creation, and artistry are sure to excel as part of the leading mission of the school.

DaeZhane is a California native. In her adolescence, DaeZhane attended Creative Connections Arts Academy (CCAA), where she was able to study and compete at the Musical Theatre Competition of America (MTCA) for several years. Currently, DaeZhane is finishing her BFA in Dance at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA and works as a tour director for Fly Dance Competition. She has trained in various styles including but limited to Hip Hop, Breakdance, Hula, West-African and South African diasporas, Salsa, Pro Jazz/Jazz funk, and Tap. Before coming to Seattle, DaeZhane obtained an associates degree in Dance from Lane Community College and was able to work with choreographer  and artistic director of Project Bandaloop, Melecio Estrella. DaeZhane has performed at half time for the Portland Trailblazers at the Moda Center, the Mondavi Center, and has participated in various conventions and summer intensives like Adrenaline and Project Bandaloop’s Open level and Advanced level intensives, and University of Oregon’s Cheer workshop. DaeZhane has taken class from artists like D-Trix and Charolette Boye-Christensen. DaeZhane works heavily in collaboration with other artists and aspires to run her own institution one day for artist’s of all mediums to explore and flourish in their work.

Jacob is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, and began dancing at the age of 12. He trained at The ROCK Center for Dance until the age of 16 when he was invited to study dance at Houston Ballet Academy. After two years of training under the direction of Vicki Attard and Claudio Muñoz, they danced with BalletMet 2 for two seasons. Later, they moved to Boise and became a company member of both Ballet Idaho and LED. Jacob most recently worked and performed with NW Dance Project in Portland, Oregon. He has performed works by Alexander Ekman, Lauren Edson, FLOCK, Goyo Montero, Ihsan Rustem, Joseph Hernandez, and others.

Nell, an Idaho native, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Ballet at the University of Utah in 2018. She trained at Balance Dance Company and Ballet Idaho, both in Boise, and attended summer programs at Houston Ballet, Hubbard Street, Arts Umbrella, and Springboard Dans Montreal. Her professional career began in 2012, dancing for Ballet Idaho, Idaho Dance Theatre, and was a founding member of what would become LED. After receiving her BFA, she returned to Ballet Idaho for three more seasons under Garrett Anderson’s direction. There she performed works by Penny Saunders, Robyn Mineko Williams, Alejandro Cerrudo, Edward Liaang, Dani Rowe, and Lauren Edson. In the summer of 2019, she was selected to be part of Alejandro Cerrudo’s first residency for his project “It Starts Now” in New York.

Andrew, from Leesburg, VA, began his training in ballet and jazz at the Loudoun School of Ballet. He earned a BFA in Dance from Point Park University, under the direction and mentorship of Rubén Graciani. Andrew has performed works by Andrea Miller, Micaela Taylor, Zack Winokur and Julia Eichten, and many others. He has also worked with Patrick O’Brien Dance Project, Peter Stathus Dance, and Gallim Dance before, most recently, joining DanceWorks Chicago.

Kaori Nakamura is from Gumma, Japan. She trained at the Reiko Yamamoto Ballet Company and the School of American Ballet. In 1986, she won first prize at the 14th Prix de Lausanne competition in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1988, she won a bronze medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. Ms. Nakamura joined Royal Winnipeg in 1990, where she was made a principal dancer. She joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as a soloist in 1997 and was promoted to principal in 1998. Ms. Nakamura retired from Pacific Northwest Ballet in June 2014 and joined the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet School.

Ms. Nakamura performed the role of the Butterfly in the BBC’s 1999 film version of PNB’s production of Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, filmed at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London. She has performed as a guest artist at the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Melbourne Ballet Festival and with Dancers for Life in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Kyle Sangil, he/him, was born in the Philippines and moved to Beaumont, Texas when he was five. At thirteen years old he started with hip hop classes and slowly transitioned into ballet, jazz, musical theatre, and contemporary. He graduated from Point Park University in 2022 with a BFA in Ballet. Now in his second season with the company, he is so excited to share his background with the community. Get ready for a challenge and get even more ready to have fun and move.

Michael began his performance career at the age of six performing in musicals with Christian Arts and Theater (CAT) of Corona. His “classical” dance training began at Fullerton City College, where he was introduced to ballet and modern. Michael finished his associates coursework at Riverside City College, where he performed with touring performance groups, participated in “Trolley Dances”, as well as choreographed concert dance works in their annual student showcases. He moved to Seattle in 2017 to pursue at BFA in Dance at Cornish College of the Arts where he graduated from in December of 2022. Since moving to Seattle, he has performed at Broadway Performance Hall, the Moore, and NOD Theaters, with Men in Dance, Fisher’s Pavilion Seattle Center, and the Cornish Playhouse, to name a few. Michael has gotten the opportunity to work with Wade Madsen, Deb Wolf, Lucie Baker, Keyes Wiley, Anouk Van Djik, and Charlie Slender-White in the past few years. Some of his stage credits also include Link Larkin in Hairspray at the Redlands Bowl, CA, Flat Stanley in the Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley, and the Bullfrog in Honk! The Musical. When not on stage or in the studio, Michael teaches fitness at retirement communities. He believes that dance as a medium, serves as a great equalizer and is for any body and everybody.

Based in Seattle, Karl is a dance artist, educator, and choreographer. Originally from Cleveland, OH, he graduated from Butler University with a BFA cum laude in Dance Performance.

Following graduation, Karl danced with Luna Negra Dance Theater and was a founding member of Visceral Dance Chicago. He danced with Whim W’Him for seven seasons before becoming a full time member of the staff. His repertoire includes a range of existing works and new creations with choreographers from around the world.

As a répétiteur and choreographer, Karl has worked with a number of schools and companies. He has staged works at The Big Muddy Dance Company, Visceral Dance Chicago, and George Mason University and created original works for Whim W’Him, Dance In The Parks Chicago, Olympic Ballet Theatre, and others.

Karl is passionate about dance education. In Chicago, he had the privilege of serving as Associate Director for Visceral Studio Company. He has taught at studios, workshops, and intensives across the country, including Francisco Gella Dance Works, Carmel Dance Festival, Northern California Dance Conservatory, among others.

Currently, he serves as Company Manager and Director of Education for Whim W’Him Seattle Contemporary Dance. As Director of Education, Karl developed Whim W’Him’s summer and winter intensive programs and “Whim Ways,” a class that teaches the movement vocabulary of Artistic Director Olivier Wevers. He leads and manages programming for the Whim W’Him Contemporary Dance Center while providing support for the company’s administration.