James B. Whiteside

James B. Whiteside, also known by the stage names JbDubs and Ühu Betch, (born 1984) is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, model, drag queen, and recording artist. He is a former principal dancer with Boston Ballet and is currently a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre.

James B. Whiteside
Whiteside in 2012.
Born1984
Fairfield, Connecticut, US
EducationVirginia School of the Arts
Occupationballet dancer, recording artist, model, drag queen, choreographer
Partner(s)Daniel Donigan
Current groupAmerican Ballet Theatre
Former groupsBoston Ballet

Early life and training

Whiteside was born in Fairfield, Connecticut. He grew up in Fairfield and in Bridgeport.[1] He began his dance training at the D’Valda & Sirico Dance and Music Centre when he was nine years old.[2] He began training in jazz, tap, and acrobatic dance and did not begin studying classical ballet until he was a teenager.[3] He later attended the Virginia School of the Arts and trained under the direction of Petrus Bosman and David Keener.[4]

Career

Ballet

In 2002 he joined Boston Ballet II, eventually joining the corps de ballet of Boston Ballet in 2003. He was promoted to soloist in 2006, first soloist in 2008, and principal dancer with Boston Ballet in 2009. Whiteside left Boston Ballet and joined American Ballet Theatre as a soloist in September 2012. He was promoted to principal dancer in October 2013.

He performed with the National Ballet of Canada as a guest artist and was featured in Justin Peck's short film Early Sunday Morning, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.[5] In 2018, he starred in Arthur Pita’s dance/theater work The Tenant at The Joyce Theater in New York City.

In 2019, his choreographed work New American Romance debuted in 2019.[6]

Whiteside hosts his own podcast series on Premier Dance Network called The Stage Rightside with James Whiteside.[7][8]

Modeling

Whiteside is represented by Wilhelmina Models and has modeled for Marc Jacobs, Capezio, Koio shoes, MAC, and Glossier.[9][10]

Music

Whiteside records electronic pop, rap, and dance hall music under the stage name JbDubs.[11][8][12] He writes and produces his own music and directs, choreographs, and produces his own music videos.[13][14] The music video for his single I Hate My Job has been featured on PerezHilton.com, HuffPost, After Elton, Instinct, Shangay Spain, Up2U Thailand, and MTV3. His music has also been featured on the Here TV network shows BOOMBOX and She's Living for This.[15]

Whiteside released his debut album Free To Love in 2011. His second album, titled Oink, was released in 2012. In 2013 he released an extended play titled Hey JB![15]

Drag

Whiteside performs as a drag queen in New York City's drag scene under the stage name Ühu Betch.[16][17] He is a member of a drag ensemble called Dairy Queens.[11][18] He has his own line of clothing at Drag Queen Merch.[19]

Selected repertoire

Source:[4]

Personal life

Whiteside lives in Manhattan with his partner Dan Donigan.[20] He and Donigan are in an open relationship.[13][21]

References
  1. Zhang, Phillip Y. (1 June 2016). "Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside". Creative New York. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  2. "James Whiteside talks about his steady rise at American Ballet Theatre". Time Out New York. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  3. "James Whiteside: From competition kid to ABT star". Dance Informa Magazine. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  4. "James Whiteside". Abt.org. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  5. "JAMES WHITESIDE - Q Models". Qmanagementinc.com. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  6. "At American Ballet Theater, New Romantics Can't Beat a Greek God". New York Times. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  7. "The Stage Rightside with James Whiteside on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  8. "Ballet Dancer, Drag Queen, Singer & Podcaster: Inside James Whiteside's Fearless, Authentic Life". Billboard.com. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  9. "Today, Whiteside Is Experimenting With Dance Theater". Dance Magazine. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  10. "Koio x James Whiteside". Koio.co. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  11. Schaefer, Brian (14 October 2016). "He's a Ballet Dancer. And a Singer. And a Drag Queen". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  12. "Dancer James B. Whiteside (AKA JbDubs) Is Physical Perfection - NewNowNext". Newnownext.com. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  13. "EXCLUSIVE: James B. Whiteside". Loverboy Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  14. "James Whiteside is Everything". Dance Spirit. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  15. "About". James Whiteside. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  16. "Meet The Queens". James Whiteside. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  17. Nast, Condé. "What It's Like to Start Wearing Makeup as a 12-Year-Old Boy". Allure.com. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  18. "Ballet Dancer James B. Whiteside Shows Off His Body". Out.com. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  19. "JAMES WHITESIDE – dragqueenmerch". Dragqueenmerch.com. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  20. "Out Love: Ballet dancer James Whiteside (aka JbDubs) & performer Dan Donigan (aka Milk)". Out.com. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  21. https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/james-whiteside-milk-ballet/#gs.ddjqyp
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