If you’ve ever felt that perhaps you’re not doing enough with your life, you might want to stop reading right about…now. Yes, we’ve all seen ‘You have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyonce’ somewhere on the net, but Queen B needs to check herself. When it comes to maxing out your Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in fact any day of the week, James B. Whiteside has her beat. Not only is he Principal Dancer for the American Ballet Theatre, drag queen (Ühu Betch) and pop performer (JBDUBS) but he’s also modelled for Marc Jacobs and presented for Logo TV! Plus, according to James, there is advertising executive, a physicist and a video game developer inside of him, just waiting for their chance to shine.

James took to the streets of New York before telling Loverboy that his childhood hero was Judy Garland, that there’s no secret to a ten-year relationship and how he’d love to dance a new, classical-story ballet with a queer protagonist….

James B. Whiteside

Was it always ballet you were interested in?
My first love is music, it’s the reason I dance. I started with jazz, tap and acrobatics. I fancied myself as a little 10-year-old Judy Garland. My love of ballet was acquired over years of arduous training and exposure. Now I couldn’t live without it.

If you hadn’t gone into dance, what would you be doing?
This is a loaded question. If I had never started dancing, I imagine I’d be a physicist or a prostitute.

Ballet is a complex balance of both masculinity and femininity. Is this balance difficult? 
Much of my work is spent portraying characters, most of whom are straight males. I find great joy in creating new personalities and exploring their motivations. I would never want to do every role as the same character, including myself. Some roles I play very feminine, some hyper masculine, it’s knowing how to switch that puts the “theatre” in ABT. It’s something I work on every day.

You’ve said in the past that you think you will always play the straight character with a female lead. Do you see that changing anytime soon? 
There are whispers of queer roles coming through, but often in contemporary or modern ballets. I’d love to dance a new full-length classical story ballet with a queer protagonist. Choreographers, I am addressing you. Make this happen. If you don’t, I will.

You’re a pop singer and drag queen too. Has anyone in the ballet world ever said, ‘Look if you really want to progress, you need to tone down the gay stuff.’
I’m sure people think it all the time. Let me be frank, I don’t want to be the CEO of Goldman Sachs. I’m an artist and therefore will do whatever I damn well please. I’m sure it has hindered my career at times, but at the same time, it sets me apart from others. Either way, I feel fulfilled and honest.

Your pop star alter ego, JBDubs, has grown a lot over the years. Can you tell us about how you think he has changed from when you started out?
He’s still the same as when I started. JB is the part of me that loves music, that is fascinated by rhythm and writing. I still write all the music myself and do all the music videos myself. If I ever got signed to a proper recording label, I’d have an extremely difficult time relinquishing control.

You have James B Whiteside, JBDubs and Ühu Betch covering ballet, drag and pop. You’ve said in the past you’d like 30 other alter egos. What would they do?
One would be an advertising executive, one would be a physicist, and one would be a video game developer.

At this very moment in time, who is your favourite alter ego?
JBDubs is my favourite alter ego. The sense of expression that I feel when I’m writing music or coming up with concepts for videos is incredibly freeing. I believe it to be my voice at its very loudest.

What has been Ühu Betch’s most iconic moment?
Ühu doesn’t really have many iconic moments, as she’s rather obscure. If I had to pick one, it would be my first drag performance. I did Christina Aguilera’s ‘Your Body’ as a priest handing out communion, with tearaway costume reveals, drop splits and enough psychotic energy to rival a hydrogen bomb. It was another moment where I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be, doing something no one else should be doing but me.

You and Dan (RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Milk) have been together nearly ten years. That’s a long time for a gay relationship. What’s your secret? Are you open? Or is it just as easy as it looks?
There is no secret. We respect and support each other. There is a wild love and a deep care that develops over time, something that transcends appearances and sex lives. We are in an open relationship. Enough said.

Russell Tovey said, ‘I was so envious of everyone who went to Theatre School. I wanted to go, but my dad flat-out refused. He thought I’d become some tap-dancing freak without qualifications. And he was right in a way. I’m glad I didn’t. I feel like I could have been really effeminate, if I hadn’t gone to the school I went to. ‘ What do you make of this statement?’
Well, that’s a statement I don’t relate to. Isn’t acting about being able to be everyone? I think, perhaps, that I’m an actor after all.

Lastly we are named after the iconic Mariah song. What is your favourite Mariah song?
‘The Art of Letting Go.’ It’s a fairly recent song and perhaps scandalous, as it’s not a hit song. I listen to it and imagine I’m alone on stage in enough sequins and feathers to make Liza jealous. I pretend there’s a tight spotlight on me, on an otherwise pitch black stage, and that I’m opening my big, horsey mouth as a loud, husky, voice emerges. Sounds like a good time, right?

Find out more about James at www.jameswhiteside.org or follow him on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
See more of Charles’ work at http://charlesludeke.com/

CREDITS

Photography – Charles Ludeke (@charlesludeke)
Talent – James Whiteside (@jamesbwhiteside)
Styling – James Veloria (@jamesveloria)
Grooming – Michael Moreno (@michaelmorenohair)

Photos 1-3
Top – Comme des Garçons
Shorts – Marques Almeida
Jacket – Issey Miyake
Shoes – 70s Vintage Platform
Necklace – Stylist’s own

Photos 4-5 & Thumbnail
Jumpsuit – Alexander McQueen
Bolero – Roberto Cavalli
Shoes – 70s Vintage Platform
Necklace – Stylist’s own

Photos 6-9
Shirt & Pants – Comme des Garçons
Cowboy Hat – Jean Paul Gaultier
Shoes – Vintage Cowboy Boots
Necklace – Stylist’s own

Photos 10-14
Suit – Alexander McQueen
Shirt – Dries van Noten
Shoes – Comme des Garçons