Dancers from all kinds of backgrounds talk about their different paths to success as ballerinas, modern dancers, music video performers, and Broadway showstoppers.

"New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion Brooks knows she should be happy. Her college sweetheart is about to propose and sweep her off to the life everyone has always expected they'd have together: a quiet house in the suburbs, Marion staying home to raise their future children. But instead, Marion finds herself feeling trapped. So when she comes across an opportunity to audition for the famous Radio City Rockettes-the glamorous precision-dancing...

Includes 60 historical dance film clips from the first part of the 20th century in the United States, recording changing dance trends, expertise, and taste, and reflecting United States culture through the years. This dance retrospective spans the panorama from average Americans dancing in newsreels to top quality performers who have left a legacy of dance moves across the ballroom floor.

"It's 1935, and ever since the big crash and her father's subsequent suicide, Henrietta Von Harmon has been left with the job of caring for her antagonistic mother and seven younger siblings. In desperation, Henrietta finally agrees to take a job as a taxi dancer at a local dance hall. Just as she's beginning to enjoy herself, however, the floor matron suddenly turns up dead. When the aloof Inspector Howard appears on the scene to investigate, he...

"The book opens with a brief overview of anti-dance sentiment from around the fourth century to the present day. The waltz, perhaps the most beloved and most maligned social dance to come out of this period. It then explores the Charleston, the Tango, and Ragtime dances such as the Turkey Trot, Grizzly Bear, and Bunny Hug"--Provided by publisher.