"Democracy Moving is eye-opening, not only for scholars and arts administrators, but also for teachers of dance history. Ironically, a book about dances made at the height of post-racial optimism has perhaps even more to teach us now, in the backlash against it."
--Dance Chronicle— Rachel Carrico, Dance Chronicle
Honorable Mention: American Theatre and Drama Society (ATDS) 2023 John W. Frick Book Award
— ATDS John W. Frick Book Award
“Nereson is forthright in articulating how whiteness informs even the lens through which this text was written. Drawing extensively on dance historiography, this book is likely to be particularly valuable for those with a strong foundation in the history of dance or the US racial past. Highly recommended.”
—CHOICE
— CHOICE
“Nereson’s navigation of the relationship between the kinesthetic ordering of movement and the narrative ordering of the past in Jones’s work is compelling. The focus into his Abraham Lincoln works from 2006–2013 allows her to deeply analyze the artistry using sophisticated critical theory at the site of race, gender, and sexuality while indicating the importance of and implications for Jones’s other works.” – Nadine George-Graves, Northwestern University
— Nadine George-Graves
“An outstanding scholarly work, Nereson’s book synthesizes perspectives from Critical Race Studies, Dance, and Performance Studies to show how dance-making can put forward an argument about the historical past. Through vivid and compelling analyses of specific pieces, Nereson makes a very important contribution to our understanding of late twentieth and twenty-first century performance, African American identity, and the complex relationships between past and present.” – Susan Leigh Foster, University of California, Los Angeles
— Susan Leigh Foster
"Nereson beautifully discusses the work of Bill T. Jones through the classical lenses of dance and performance studies. . . Overall, Democracy Moving represents a valuable discussion of an important Black artist and his work, ensuring for him a warranted place in the (astoundingly white) canon of dance, theatre, and performance studies."
—New England Theatre Journal
— Jazelynn Goudy, New England Theatre Journal