Book Club: Nonstop Bodies

How dance shaped New York City (and how New York shaped Canadian dance)

Join us in discussing Rennie McDougall’s book ‘Nonstop Bodies: How Dance Shaped New York’ to reflect on various points in recent dance history as well as how these New York influences informed dance happening in Canada.

IN PERSON (at Critical Distance Centre for Curators at 401 Richmond St W Suite 122)

ONLINE (from where ever you are!)

Wednesdays (Jan 6 – April 7)

12pm-1pm EST

BYO lunch or PWYC soup!

Sign up for one, a few or all events!

Wed Jan 6 2027 – Chapter 1: Mothers of the New Century (Isadora Duncan)

Wed Jan 13 2027 – Chapter 2: For No Good Reason (dance marathons)

Wed Jan 20 2027 – Chapter 3: The Sorbonne of Jazz Dance (Lindy Hop)

Wed Jan 27 2027 – Chapter 4: A Modernistic Idiom (Martha Graham)

Wed Feb 3 2027 – Chapter 5: Militant Unison (The Rockettes)

Wed Feb 10 2027 – Chapter 6: A Competition Before the Gods (George Balanchine)

Wed Feb 17 2027 – Chapter 7: Polyrhythms (Mambo)

Wed Feb 24 2027 – Chapter 8: My City is a Lone Man (Jerome Robbins)

Wed March 3 2027 – Chapter 9: A Revolution of Image (Alvin Ailey)

Wed March 10 2027 – Chapter 10: Off-Centre (Yvonne Rainer)

Wed March 17 2027 – Chapter 11: Pulsing Sweating Human Mass (Disco)

Wed March 24 2027 – Chapter 12: Break Beats, Sure Shots, Get Down Parts (Breaking)

Wed March 31 2027 – Chapter 13: Memory as a Form of Care (Vogue & AIDS)

Wed April 7 2027 – Chapter 14: At the Limits of Performance (Performance Art)

*We are working with Critical Distance Centre for Curators to have copies of Nonstop Bodies available for purchase in the gallery as well as online.

If purchasing this book feels prohibitive for your participation, please get in touch with us!