A daring, hilarious, and inspiring memoir-in-essays from the American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, drag queen, and 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 extremely fit men in tights!
In this absurd and absurdist collection of essays, Whiteside tells us the story of how he got to the top of his field-stopping along the way to muse about the tragically fated childhood pets who taught him how to feel, reminisce on summer dance camps at which he paid more attention to partying than to ballet, and imagine fantastical run-ins with Jesus on Grindr.
To subvert the strict classical rigor of ballet, Whiteside created two alter egos: 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 his triple life, both on- and offstage-a raunchy, curious, and unapologetic celebration of pushing boundaries and expressing yourself to the fullest, as well as the debut of a sparkling comedic voice that will resonate with anyone who has a mortifying Google search history or cringe-worthy teenage memories they'd rather forget. 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, and in 2018, he starred in Arthur Pita's dance/theater work The Tenant at The Joyce Theater in New York City. 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.
