On this episode of Front Row, Jennifer and I talk about her beginnings in dance and how it’s shaped her career as an actor. We also talk about the origin of our unlikely friendship, which has been such a joy to explore. Jen talks about managing expectations, outside criticism, and navigating celebrity. She is truly a joy to interview and an angel of a person. Enjoy this episode of Front Row, with my guest, Jennifer Garner. Jennifer Garner is an American actor, known for roles such as Sidney Bris...
Jun 07, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Markaholic and I have worked together on my own music under the name JbDubs for years, from I Hate My Job to Wallflower and Bodega Bouquet. In this episode we talk about his work with the legendary RuPaul as well as his work with other Drag Race superstars. We talk about how music producers use social media and how different equipment affects how music sounds. I find Mark’s work so fascinating and I think you will too, here in the Front Row. Markaholic aka Mark Byers is a Los Angeles-based songw...
Jun 01, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Not only is Isabella Boylston my best friend and frequent dance partner, she is an international ballet star. She was born Hildur Isabella Boylston, but now goes simply by Bella. She has been a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre since 2014 and has danced nearly all the leading roles in the company’s classical repertoire. Bella has been a guest star with the Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, The Mariinsky Ballet, and more. She has hundreds of thousands of followers on Instag...
May 24, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 19
I have been lucky enough to work with Emil on a number of occasions and he actually did my headshot for American Ballet Theatre. In this interview, he tells me about his side jobs to make money, how he used social media to create a buzzing portrait business, and which dead celebrity he’d like to photograph most. I’m such a fan of Emil’s work, and I hope you will be too, after listening to this episode of Front Row. Emil Cohen is a New York-based artist and photographer. His photographs have been...
May 17, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Robin Preiss Glasser is the national bestselling illustrator of many books for children, including the Fancy Nancy series, written by Jane O’Connor; Lambslide and Escape Goat, written by Ann Patchett; and Grand Jeté and Me by ballerina Allegra Kent. Robin is an alumna of the American Ballet Theatre School scholarship program under Patricia Wilde and later danced professionally with the Pennsylvania Ballet, now called Philadelphia Ballet. She lives in California with her husband. Book description...
May 11, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 17
This episode is fascinating. I talk to Sascha about his long career with ABT, his starring roles in Center Stage and Flesh and Bone, as well as his literary aspirations and fears. We try to figure out the definition of the word pedagogy and if “gogue” can be used as a verb as in “You’ve got to be goguing me!” I hope you enjoy this candid conversation with Sascha. This is Front Row. Sascha Radetsky has had the career of a creative vagabond. Not only was he a soloist with American Ballet Theatre a...
May 03, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Eric and I talk about beads, beads, and more beads. He tells me about atelier morale and what it takes to go from costume design sketch to screen and stage ready. This is honestly a world I don’t know much about and i loved learning the ins and out of this mysterious industry with one of the world’s best. Enjoy this episode of Front Row with my guest, Eric Winterling! Eric Winterling, founded his atelier over 30 years ago and it is one of New York City’s premier custom costume studios. Working t...
Apr 26, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Okay, here’s the sitch. This special episode of Front Row is split into two parts. In part one, I interview my codirector slash coproducer, Kylie Juggert, as well as Megan Eleanor Clark, the director of photography for the Fire Island portion of the film. In part two, you will hear an episode of Conversations on Dance, a podcast hosted by my friends Michael Sean Breeden and Rebecca King Ferraro, during which they grill me about the creation of “Daytripper”, plus other fascinating tidbits. Make s...
Apr 19, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this episode, I speak to my new boss! Susan Jaffe is the new Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre, the company I have been dancing with since 2012. We talk about her dreams for the company, its repertoire, as well as her rich history with ABT and ballet in general. It's a good one! Don't miss it. Susan Jaffe (born 1962) is an American ballet dancer and arts administrator. She is currently the artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre , where she had danced for 22 years and held...
Apr 12, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 13
I adore Arthur. In this episode, he and I talk about his current project, an expansion of the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations”, his work with ballet’s biggest stars, and the challenges of creating during times of social change. I appreciate his candor as we discuss difficult and necessary topics. Arthur is a fascinating creator and I can’t wait for you to hear his interview in this episode of Front Row. Arthur Pita is an award winning choreographer and director. He has created for The Royal Ballet,...
Mar 29, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Unsurprisingly, Ari is a fantastic interview. He tells me about his very first book, as well as hilarious listener hate mail, and whether he’ll ever do television journalism in this very fabulous episode of Front Row, with my friend Ari Shapiro. Thank you for listening! And enjoy! Ari Shapiro is known for many things. He is a longtime host of NPR’s “All Things Considered”, a Yale graduate, a guest performer with Pink Martini, the band that bridges the gaps between jazz, classical, and pop, and i...
Mar 22, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In this episode of Front Row, I chat with Dree about her work in film, including a new movie with Uma Thurman, whether or not she’d work on a Marvel film, and her time strutting down the runway. We chat about the funny way we met, on a scavenger hunt in Venice and we even talk about her time as a student at the School of American Ballet here in New York City. Dree Hemingway is an American model and actor. Her first lead in a feature length film in 2012’s “Starlet” landed her and the ensemble cas...
Mar 15, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 10
This episode is fantastic, if I do say so myself. Chris is open and honest and frankly, very easy to talk to. I’m a huge fan of his work and we chat about much of it in this episode. From his time as a dancer, then as a ballet choreographer, and now as a broadway director and choreographer. I ask him some pretty tough questions about his newest show, MJ the musical, so take a seat and hang out for a bit, in the front row. Christopher Wheeldon is a world-renowned choreographer of contemporary bal...
Mar 08, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Prepare to be charmed by Laura Kim. She and I talk about everything from her favorite Korean restaurant in New York City, to the working culture of fashion, and the steps needed to start your very own fashion house. If you’ve ever wondered what to wear…then I think you’re gonna like this interview with the talented and exceedingly fabulous Laura Kim. Laura Kim is a creative director of Oscar de la Renta alongside Fernando Garcia. The design directors first met at the premier fashion label in 200...
Mar 01, 2023•30 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Misty isn’t just a world renowned ballet dancer and entrepreneur, she is my colleague and my friend. I’ve had the great opportunity to work with her on the daily basis, so this interview feels more like a conversation between friends than a structured question and answer. I know you’re going to love hearing Misty talk about her life as a star ballerina, an author, and a businesswoman. She is an inspiration to me and countless others, who feel underrepresented or misunderstood in the world of cla...
Feb 22, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Laura Brown is the former editor in chief of InStyle magazine as well as the Features/Special Projects and executive director of Harper's Bazaar magazine. She has been responsible for award winning covers for both magazines as well as the popular InStyle podcast, “Ladies First with Laura Brown”. She has also appeared as a featured judge on Bravo’s hit series, “The Fashion Show”. I love Laura’s honesty in this interview. She’s really not sugar coating her thoughts and opinions on fashion. We talk...
Feb 15, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Rozzi’s vibe is infectious. With her new album, Berry (Deluxe), Rozzi knows who she is and what she wants from the music industry. In this interview, she tells me about her early days on tour with Adam Levine and Maroon 5, she sings some Aretha Franklin hits for me, and we talk about one of her most popular songs, “The Best Friend Song”, and how another artist maybe stole her thunder. I’m so lucky to call this amazing artist my friend. Please welcome Rozzi to the Front Row. Rozzi is an American ...
Feb 08, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 5
I love the energy that Anthony brings to this interview. We talk about his days as a backup singer for Michael Jackson, his critically acclaimed show with Justin Vivian Bond, and he even sings a bit of the Gershwin brothers’ “The Man I Love”. Not only am I a huge fan of Anthony, but he gives a great interview, here in the Front Row. Anthony Roth Costanzo is a grammy award winning countertenor who has led opera companies around the world. He has performed on Broadway, done backup for Michael Jack...
Feb 01, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this episode, Alicia tells me about her incredible professional trajectory; from being a young dance student, fighting an auto-immune disease, to attending Columbia University and ultimately going back to the world of dance to be a star in multiple dance companies, touring the world. And finally, what she had to go through to secure her position as Director of Dance at Juilliard. Alicia is someone who takes the bull by the horns and doesn’t let an opportunity go unexplored, all with heart and...
Jan 25, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this episode of Front Row, we find out from Jim Luigs what it means to stumble into a career in design and how that business is structured. We also learn about Jim’s work in theater with Disney and the late musical theatre star Barbara Cook. Jim Luigs is a creative force that brings humor, wisdom, and beauty to all he does…and wait till you hear his soothing and rich baritone! Host: James Whiteside @jamesbwhiteside Guest: Jim Luigs @jimluigsdesigns Produced by: RedCircle @getredcircle Edited ...
Jan 18, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 2
James Whiteside speaks to Isaac Mizrahi about his mother, growing up in a religious community, Anna Wintour, and being a workaholic. Isaac Mizrahi has worked extensively in the entertainment industry as an actor, host, writer, designer and producer for over 30 years. He is the subject and co-creator of Unzipped, a documentary following the making of his Fall 1994 collection which received an award at the Sundance Film Festival. He hosted his own television talk show The Isaac Mizrahi Show for se...
Jan 11, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Front Row is a frank discussion about the creative process and the business of creativity with some of the world’s brightest stars. What does it mean to be a creative? And how does a creative earn a living while staying true to their art? I have been exploring these questions my whole professional career. I’m the host of Front Row. My name is James Whiteside and I’m a principal dancer and choreographer with American Ballet Theatre in New York City, and the author of Center Center. Join me as I s...
Dec 16, 2022•38 sec
