Like many young dancers, James Whiteside dreamed of making his mark as a principal dancer for a major company. Achieving it was an adventure (as we’ll all soon find out), and now James is a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (but you already knew that!). His new memoir explores his journey from dance camp kid to center stage performer.
Titled Center Center: A Funny, Sexy, Sad, Almost-Memoir of a Boy in Ballet, the memoir is sure to be full of the excitement and passion that James is known for by his many followers. “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 extremely fit men in tights!”
Told in a series of essays, James explores everything from his relationships with his childhood pets to times when he took dance less seriously than you would expect from an ABT principal. Set to be “absurd” and “hilarious,” Center Center is a behind-the-scenes, beyond the stage, look at James’ life and experiences.
Center Center: A Funny, Sexy, Sad, Almost-Memoir of a Boy in Ballet comes out Tuesday, August 17, 2021.