If you hadn’t met James Whiteside by now, it’s time you knew him. James is an artist, a ballet dancer, a gay man, a lover and a performer and you can admire him in exclusive photos from rehearsals. James Whiteside let photographer Dusty St. Amand explore his universe behind the scene, when he’s rehearsing.
He has a long-term relationship with Dan Donigan, a drag performer with whom James worked on a Marc Jacobs campaign.
James and Dan’s connection blossomed on the scene, and now they live together in an apartment in New York. They are both busy performing and they describe their relationship as being pragmatic.
Dan thinks that he became a drag performer because of James, who encouraged him to find his passions. Dan revealed that when he started the relationship with James he didn’t know how to be in their partnership, then James said: “Dan, you have no life. I’m happy to be a big part of your life, but you need more.”
“That was two years into the relationship. I didn’t know what to do. He said, ‘You need to have some passion, be inspired, do something.’ I got a job with Marc Jacobs and things started developing. I had a lot more fun with fashion, merchandising, and visuals. From there, drag came into my life — because of James,” Dan continued.
On the other hand, James knows exactly what he likes and how he wants his relationship to unfold. Romanticism is not his main quality, but that’s just how he is.
“I really enjoy love and relationships and sex, but I’m not really that romantic. I guess I’m very pragmatic. I think sometimes it’s not in a man’s nature to be romantic. And that’s just how it is. I feel like I’m one of those men.”
