Wild Grace

"Refreshing." NEW STATESMAN "Compelling." HARPER'S BAZAAR "Passionate." SUNDAY TELEGRAPH The untold tale of the extraordinary women who drove the modern dance movement, boldly confronting cultural narratives about sex and power.

In Wild Grace, Sara Veale profiles nine of the pioneering North American dancers at the heart of this movement. She shows how Isadora Duncan and Loie Fuller fearlessly rejected nineteenth-century paternalism and how Katherine Dunham and Pearl Primus battled to recenter marginalised histories with Dunham leading America's first major Black dance troupe and Primus breaking down doors as the first Black student at New York's New Dance Group.

Each of these dancers redefined the meaning of grace in their art and their lifestyle, conveying vital truths about what it means to walk the world as a woman. Veale brings to life the stories and artistry of these remarkable individuals and reveals how, in their refusal to conform, we can find urgent lessons for today.

Sara Veale