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At his rehearsal studio in Bellevue, wearing pink and red socks emblazoned with “Whim W’him,” choreographer Olivier Wevers is clearly in his element. “Push the arms, but don’t swing them,” he gently directs his dancers, modeling the subtle difference. “Focus on the wrists.” This month, the former Pacific Northwest Ballet principal presents the first performance by Whim W’him (the dance troupe he founded in 2009) in its new incarnation as a full-time dance company.

Whereas previously, Wevers had hired dancers on a project-by-project basis, he now has funding for long-term contracts with a set group of seven dancers. “I can feel the difference,” Wevers says. In addition to helping him deepen his professional relationship with the dancers, he says this new structure allows him to cut them a regular paycheck. “Which means they can have a life as a dancer,” he says. The company’s first official show, Threefold, features three new works, including one by Wevers, tentatively titled “We Are Not the Same.”

In it, he explores his peeve with the phrase “same love,” which he views as a simplification that doesn’t lead to genuine acceptance of gay relationships. Consisting of two couples—one male/female, one male/male—the dance compares and contrasts intimacy by way of movement that is similar but different at its essence.

1/16–1/18. Times and prices vary. Cornish Playhouse, 201 Mercer St.; 206.726.5113; whimwhim.org