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VIDEO: ABT Principal Dancer James Whiteside Unveils 'The Vault' Music Video in Time for Halloween

By: Oct. 27, 2017
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James Whiteside, ballet's boldest American principal dancer with a daring and unapologetic persona on and off stage, just released his latest music video, The Vault, in time for halloween - check it out below!

Released under the stage name of JBDubs - written by Whiteside, produced by Greg Mayo, and directed by Sam Reiss - The Vault stars the American Ballet Theatre principal dancer with an appearance by An American in Paris star Garen Scribner, formerly of the San Francisco Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater.

In a visual and audacious battle between good and evil, The Vault personifies the concepts of addiction amidst the sexy and destructive late night undercurrent of a socially charged big city. The tenth official video to be released by JBDubs, since the debut album Free to Love in 2011, The Vault depicts the battle between good and evil, and resolves with evil prevailing. Demonstrated through a hazy dance dream sequence, both men moving in space, Scribner is overcome and tethered to Whiteside on a cold and dirty floor. References of "pills, booze, smokes and weed" mimic feelings of closeness, sex, love, and lust, while "friends are all the love we need" showcases the powerful bond of friendship.

"I desperately wanted to make something that looked and sounded completely different from any music video I've made in the past," explains Whiteside. "This video has been a place to explore creative realms such as goth, psychedelic, b-horror movie, and camp-with this wild recipe, "The Vault" was born!"

Adorned in glitter, statement jewels, and faux-fur, Whiteside's character sets the tone for a visually striking, captivating and proactive story line with driving lyrics "and if our secrets grow too large, we ship them out to distant stars, for all our friends are safe within the vault." The track is currently available on Spotify at bit.ly/listentothevault, and all major online platforms; iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and Amazon.

Born in Fairfield, Connecticut, James Whiteside is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. He joined ABT in 2012 as a soloist and was promoted to a principal one season later. Prior to ABT, he danced with Boston Ballet from 2002-2009, moving from the studio company to principal over the 7-year tenure. Throughout his professional career, he has performed the works of Balanchine, Cranko, Kylian, Macmillan, Ratmansky, Tudor, and Tharp, originating roles in Ratmansky's latest ballet, Serenade After Plato's Symposium, and Chamber Symphony for American Ballet Theatre. Whiteside's dance training began at age nine studying jazz at the D'Valda & Sirico Dance Centre and, later, ballet training at the Virginia School of the Arts. James Whiteside is also known for his theatrical personas JbDubs, pop-dance artist, and Ühu Betch, part of the hilarious drag posse The Dairy Queens.



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