Nonstop Bodies: How Dance Shaped New York City

by Rennie McDougall

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK! Mr. McDougall has written the most exemplary and indelible book on Modern Dance History I have ever!! read. I applaud him on his brilliantly historical and very current perspective! He starts at the very beginning of Modern Dance with the teachings of Francois Delsarte and Emile Jacques Delcroze, then on to Denishawn and its disciples Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, and thank you for mentioning Louis Horst. I always believed that he was the guiding light behind Graham, as Gwen Verdon was to Bob Fosse. Nonstop Bodies covers it all so clearly that one can actually see the lineage as Mr. McDougall takes the reader through the timelines. I loved every word that he wrote and I'm so happy to gain new information that I was not aware of. We have so many heroes in the modern dance world and this book brought them all to life for me. I was so thrilled to see my friend Gregory Huffman and one of my Graham teachers, Tim Wengerd mentioned....sadly, but nevertheless seeing both their names in print made me so happy. This book is a must read for any dance aficionado or anyone who simply loves history. It is so current that the sad state of the Kennedy Center in today's news is mentioned. One more thought....we go from the very beginnings of Modern Dance all the way to the world on voguing and hip hop and RuPaul!

I recommend it with the absolutely highest recommendation I can possibly give.
Thank you to Rennie McDougall and Abrams Books publishing.