James Whiteside to join ABT as soloist

[Dale]

As was mentioned on the 2012-13 season thread, James Whiteside has joined ABT.

JAMES WHITESIDE TO JOIN AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE AS SOLOIST

James Whiteside, formerly a principal dancer with Boston Ballet, will join American Ballet Theatre as a Soloist in September 2012. It was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

Born in Fairfield, Connecticut, Whiteside began his training at age nine at the D’Valda & Sirico Dance and Music Centre, where guest faculty included Franco De Vita and Raymond Lukens. He continued his training at the Virginia School of the Arts for one year under the direction of Petrus Bosman and David Keener. In 2002, Whiteside joined Boston Ballet II, where he continued to train under the tutelage of its director Raymond Lukens, now director of ABT’s National Training Curriculum. Whiteside joined the corps de ballet of Boston Ballet in 2003 and became a second soloist in 2006. He was promoted to first soloist in 2008 and to principal dancer with Boston Ballet in 2009.

Whiteside’s repertoire with Boston Ballet includes George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations (Principal), Coppélia (Frantz), Rubies (Principal), The Four Temperaments (Sanguinic), Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Serenade (Elegy Man), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander) and La Valse; Maina Gielgud’s Giselle (Albrecht); Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker (Cavalier, Snow King) and Swan Lake (Pas de Trois, Pas de Cinq); John Cranko’s Taming of the Shrew (Gremio) and Romeo and Juliet (Benvolio); Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty (Bluebird) and Raymonda Act III; Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies; Jiří Kylián’s Sarabande, Petite Mort, and Sechs Tänze; Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room and Mark Morris’ Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes. He created roles in Jorma Elo’s Brake the Eyes, Plan to B, Carmen (Don Jose), and In On Blue; Helen Pickett’s Eventide and Etesian; Mark Morris’ Up & Down and Heather Myers’ Gone Again.

[California]

I just noticed a change in the Don Q casting for Barcelona later this month: Whiteside will partner Boylston on 10/25 (replacing Stearns). Meanwhile, Stearns will partner Semionova on 10/26 (replacing Gomes). I don't see this ballet on his repertoire list at Boston Ballet, so perhaps this will be his debut in the lead role.

http://www.abt.org/calendar.aspx

[its the mom]

Whiteside has danced the role at Boston, although Boston does the Nureyev version. Also missing from his bio is "Romeo" in Cranko's Romeo & Juliet. We will miss him in Boston.