Centre News

James Whiteside, former D'Valda & Sirico dancer promoted to Soloist by Boston Ballet!

James began his training at age nine at the D’Valda & Sirico Dance and Music Centre, under the direction of Angela D’Valda and Steve Sirico. At age 12, he originated the role of Edwin Booth in Kirk Peterson’s American Nutcracker with Hartford Ballet. After performing nationally and internationally with the D’Valda & Sirico Youth Dance Company, James received a full scholarship to the Virginia School of the Arts which he attended for one year before joining Boston Ballet. He participated in Boston Ballet School’s Summer Dance Program in 2002, and received an invitation to join Boston Ballet II for the 2002-2003 season. In 2003, James became the youngest dancer to be promoted to the corps de ballet and to Second Soloist in 2006. In the summer of 2007, Whiteside traveled to Germany and Poland performing with former colleague Mateo Klemmayer’s company “M and Company”. There he performed Viktor Plotnikov’s Tension and Beauty and What Would You Make of It?. Whiteside’s repertory includes the world premieres of Jorma Elo’s Plan to B, Carmen, and Brake the Eyes, Helen Picket’s Etesian, Val Caniparoli’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, Lucinda Child’s Ten Part Suite, and Mark Morris’ Up and Down. He has also been seen in Balanchine’s Ballo Della Regina, The Four Temperaments (2nd Theme, Sanguinic Man), Serenade (Elegy Man), La Valse, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander), Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker (Cavalier, Snow King), and Swan Lake (Pas De Cinq), Pepita’s The Sleeping Beauty (Puss ‘n Boots), and Raymonda Act III, Jirí Kylián’s Serabande, Cranko’s The Taming of the Shrew (Gremio), James Kudelka’s Cinderella (Officer), and Val Caniparoli’s Lambarena. James recently appeared in the Disney movie, The Game Plan.