The best dance shows in NYC this month

Many dance shows take themselves very seriously indeed, but not this one. In Caitlin Trainor's monthly dance-comedy show, which she and her company have been developing since 2019, a cast of five uses the language of movement to tell outrageous stories that may or may not be true—and the audience votes to decide whether it believes them. 

[Note: Queen of Hearts returns in February for an encore run, with Lindsay Rose in the title role.] Lewis Carroll's trippy Alice in Wonderland books have inspired many theatrical spectacles, but Company XIV's seductive Queen of Hearts is a singular sexcess: a transporting fusion of haute burlesque, circus, dance and song. Your fall down the glamorous rabbit hole begins upon entering the troupe's louche Bushwick lair, where scantily clad server-performers slink about in flattering red lighting. A cursory knowledge of the source material will help you make sense of the show’s three-act cavalcade of Alice-inspired routines, as our blue-haired heroine embarks on an NC-17 coming-of-age journey under the guidance of the White Rabbit. As usual, Company XIV impresario Austin McCormick has assembled an array of alluring and highly skilled artists, who look smashing in Zane Pihlstrom's lace-and-crystal-encrusted costumes. A contortionist emerges in an S/M-vinyl cocoon and transforms into a beauteous butterfly; mustachioed twins, as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, perform a cheeky spin on the Marx Brothers' mirror trick. As the title royal, voluptuous vocalist Storm Marrero rules over all in her stunning 11-o'clock number. With its soundtrack of pop songs, attractive ensemble cast and immersive aesthetics—plus chocolate and specialty cocktails—Queen of Hearts feels like Moulin Rouge! for actual bohemians. Hell, it even has a cancan. Like Alice, you may resist returning to reality when...

The venerable American Ballet Theatre celebrates its 85th birthday with six weeks of full-length ballets at the Met. The summer season begins and ends with the beloved Tchaikovsky bird calls of Swan Lake (June 10–14 and July 14–19) and also features the New York premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's The Winter's Tale (July 1–5), adapted from Shakespeare's bittersweet play and set to an original score by Joby Talbot. Also on the schedule are Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works (June 17–20)—a 2015 triptych inspired by the Virginia Woolf novels Mrs. Dalloway, Orlando and The Waves—and the time-honored classics Giselle (June 23–28) and Sylvia (July 8–12). The current roster of ABT principals comprises Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, Isabella Boylston, Skylar Brandt, Daniel Camargo, Misty Copeland, Herman Cornejo, Thomas Forster, Isaac Hernández, Catherine Hurlin, Chloe Misseldine, Gillian Murphy, Calvin Royal III, Hee Seo, Christine Shevchenko, Cory Stearns, Devon Teuscher, Cassandra Trenary, James Whiteside and Roman Zhurbin.

The popular troupe Pilobolus, which melds dance with physical theater and striking stage imagery, presents a pair of programs. Program A includes the NYC premiere of Lamentation Variations—a tribute to Martha Graham’s classic solo Lamentation—as well as Awaken Heart, Sweet Purgatory and the Orpheus and Eurydice–themed /span>Tales from the Underworld. Program B features the local debut of Flight, set to music by Paul Sullivan, alongside Particle Zoo, Bloodlines and Rushes. (The family matinee on July 5 is Program B but with Tales from the Underworld instead of Rushes.)

Battery Dance returns to its former home turf at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, which has been closed for rebuilding for the past couple years, to offer a first course for this year's 44th annual edition of the free outdoor Battery Dance Festival. The troupe's performance of Rutkay Özpinar's Frontiers is part of an hour-long program that also includes the venerable Limón Dance Company in José Limón's 1964 classic A Choreographic Offering, as well as tap dancing by John Manzari and a ceremonial introduction by the Native American dancer Marie Poncé.

After a special program to celebrate the reopening of Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, the free annual Battery Dance Festival moves to the North Esplanade of Rockefeller Park for a week of performances by a mix of local and international companies, performing outdoors near the sparkling water at sunset.  The lineup for the 44th edition features multiple U.S. or world premieres, and the participating artists include visitors from the Netherlands, India, Bangladesh, Spain, South Korea and Germany, Taiwan, Romania and Indonesia. The slate includes an August 15 program that celebrates five dance traditions of southwestern Indian state of Kerala: Kalaripayattu, Kutiyattam, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam and Theyyam. All six shows are general admission, and there's a rain date on Sunday, August 17.  Below is a full schedule of the artists and companies that will be performing. Visit the festival's website for additional details.  Pallavi Krishnan | Photograph: Courtesy of the artist Tuesday, August 12:John Manzari & Band, excerpts from RecenterPace University Dancing to Connect Battery Dance, Sense of BelongingFaizah Grootens, While You’re HereBulareyaung Dance Company, Colors  Wednesday, August 13:UNARTE, Verso Roto Theater Plauen - Zwickau Ballet Ensemble, EdenBulareyaung Dance Company, Colors Faizah Grootens, While You’re Here Platforma 13, Balkan Ballerinas   Platforma 13: Balkan Ballerinas | Photograph: Courtesy Marko Pejovic Thursday, August 14:Kar' mel Small, La Manta de...