“James Whiteside is an electrifying performer, an incredible athlete, and an artist, through and through. To know James is to love him; with Center Center, you are about to fall in love.”
—Jennifer Garner
“A frank examination and celebration of queerness.”
—Good Morning America
A daring, joyous, and inspiring memoir-in-essays from the American Ballet Theatre principal dancer-slash-drag queen-slash-pop star who's redefining what it means to be a man in ballet
There's a mark on every stage around the world that signifies the center of its depth and width, called "center center." James Whiteside has dreamed of standing on that very mark as a principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre ever since he was a twelve-year-old blown away by watching the company's spring gala. The GLAMOUR. The VIRTUOSITY. The RIPPED MEN IN TIGHTS!
In this absurd and absurdist collection of essays, Whiteside tells us the story of how he got to be a primo ballerino—stopping along the way to muse about the tragically fated childhood pets who taught him how to feel, reminisce on ill-advised partying at summer dance camps, and imagine fantastical run-ins with Jesus on Grindr. Also in these pages are tales of the two alter egos he created to subvert the strict classical rigor of ballet: JbDubs, an out-and-proud pop musician, and Ühu Betch, an over-the-top drag queen named after Yoohoo chocolate milk.
Center Center is an exuberant behind-the-scenes tour of Whiteside’s triple life, both on- and offstage—a raunchy, curious, and unapologetic celebration of queerness, self-expression, friendship, sex, creativity, and pushing boundaries that will entertain you, shock you*, inspire you, embolden you . . . and maybe even make you cry.
*THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR CHILDREN.
About the Author
James Whiteside (alter egos JbDubs and Uhu Betch) is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, a pop star, and a member of the NYC-based drag posse the Dairy Queens, which also includes RuPaul's Drag Race alum Milk. He has choreographed for music videos, commercials, film, and ballet. Whiteside also hosts his own popular podcast, The Stage Rightside with James Whiteside. His song and music video "I Hate My Job" has been featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post, MTV, Billboard, and more.
Industry Reviews
"James Whiteside is an electrifying performer, an incredible athlete, and an artist, through and through. To know James is to love him; with Center Center, you are about to fall in love. Hilarious, vulnerable, raucous, kind-James is all of that and a bag of chips, and it shows-in his photography, as his alter egos UEhu Betch and JbDubs, as a ballerino at the top of his profession, and in this all-out-on-the-table memoir."
-Jennifer Garner
"A thoughtful collection of essays that gives readers insight into what it means to be the kind of creative who can't be pigeonholed into one genre and is determined to constantly question the status quo . . . It's a refreshing break from the dusty past of ballet divahood, one that caters to a new, more open-minded generation of ballet fans. . . . We finish "Center, Center" with a better understanding of the dynamic nature of this specific creative person - and, perhaps, with a refreshing outlook on our own complex individuality."
-The Washington Post
"James Whiteside leaps through his life in this collection of essays about what he has twirled through on his own life stage. The book is a frank examination and celebration of queerness."
-Good Morning America
"A delight. And one chapter, simply titled 'Nancy,' is an absolute gem: an essay about his 'brilliant, complicated, unicorn of a mother' . . . [that is] an affectionate and honest portrait of a unique, flawed and remarkable woman's adventurous life and too-early death."
-Seattle Times
"Drifting between fantasy and real life, James's story reads like a beautifully twisted ballet with an exquisitely raw, hilarious, and fresh perspective. Center Center shows there's a place in the world for anyone who's ever felt lost, misunderstood, or outrageously passionate."
-Misty Copeland, American Ballet Theatre principal dancer and New York Times bestselling author of Life in Motion
"Charming, funny, and insightful . . . This isn't your average memoir, instead it's a frank, fascinating look at the singular life of a creative powerhouse who paved his own road and proceeded to dance his way along it to stardom."
-Town and Country
