[1] Nagrin studied with Martha Graham, Anna Sokolow, Hanya Holm, Bill Matons[2] and Helen Tamiris whom he later married.

In addition to working as a modern dancer, Nagrin also performed on Broadway in Plain and Fancy, Up in Central Park, and Annie Get Your Gun, among other musicals.

In the early 1970s Nagrin formed "The Workgroup", a performance company including dancers such as Sarah Stackhouse and with a focus on improvisation.

Nagrin's better known choreographic works include "The Peloponnesian War" (with music by Eric Salzman), "Strange Hero", "Man of Action", "Spanish Dance", and "Jazz, Three Ways".

He was the author of several books, including How to Dance Forever: Surviving Against the Odds (1988) and Choreography and the Specific Image (2001).