James Whiteside Will Host Fire Island Dance Festival This Weekend

Author, podcast host and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer James Whiteside will host this year's Fire Island Dance Festival, set for this weekend, July 15-17, 2022, in Fire Island Pines, NY. A limited number of tickets remain available at dradance.org or in person Saturday and Sunday from 10 am-1 pm in the Fire Island Pines harbor. Fire Island Dance Festival is produced by and benefits Dancers Responding to AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Whiteside has been a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre since 2013. His choreographic skills have been enlisted by the likes of lauded recording artists Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift. Outside of dance, Whiteside authored the recently published memoir of essays Center Center, an unapologetic celebration of queerness, self-expression, friendship and creativity. The multi-hyphenate extraordinaire is making his return to the Fire Island Dance Festival stage after last performing at the festival in 2017 and choreographing a piece in 2019.

The Charles & Lucille King Family Foundation has pledged $750,000 in support of Fire Island Dance Festival and Dancers Responding to AIDS. The donation comes in memory of Diana King and includes the sponsorship of a new piece at this year's festival, to be created and performed by Caleb Teicher and Abdiel.

Friday night's Leadership Event at Whyte Hall will kick off the ecstatic weekend for Leadership Supporters. Cocktails and a performance by New York City's own Parsons Dance will be included in the exclusive celebration. The renowned contemporary dance company will share a striking presentation of David Parsons' The Road.

Individual tickets for the 5 pm performances are $175. For tickets to the Saturday sunset performance and a Sunday daytrip package, visit dradance.org. The Sunday VIP Experience includes a champagne luncheon and ticket to the Sunday 5 pm show (without transportation). The Sunday VIP Experience is $225.

The Charles & Lucille King Family Foundation has pledged $750,000 in memory of Diana King to Dancers Responding to AIDS. This generous support represents a five-year commitment to DRA. Diana King oversaw hundreds of scholarships to students with a focus in film, television and related media/communications studies. The foundation has distributed assets from Diana King's estate to worthy educational and cultural programs across the country. DRA is deeply grateful for The Charles & Lucille King Family Foundation's support in memory and celebration of Diana King's love for the performing arts.

Since its premiere in 1995, Fire Island Dance Festival (#fidance) has raised more than $6.9 million to help provide lifesaving medication, nutritious meals, counseling and emergency financial assistance to those in need in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.

In addition to support from the Charles & Lucille King Family Foundation in memory of Diana King, the return of Fire Island Dance Festival is made possible, in part, by the generosity of the SHS Foundation and Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Corporate sponsors of Fire Island Dance Festival include The New York Times and United Airlines.

Dancers Responding to AIDS relies on the extraordinary compassion and efforts of the performing arts community to fund a safety net of social services for those in need. As a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, DRA supports the essential programs of the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund), including the HIV/AIDS Initiative and The Dancers' Resource, as well as more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide.

For more information, please visit Dancers Responding to AIDS at dradance.org, at facebook.com/DRAdance, at instagram.com/DRAdance, at twitter.com/DRAdance and at youtube.com/DRAdance.