If you’re new to grant writing, it might seem that getting a grant is like trying to join a secret club. “It’s hard to get your first grant,” admits Charles Slender-White, artistic director of FACT/SF, a contemporary dance company that also funds the work of other dance artists.

Every dance is site-specific in some sense, but, in a warming world changed by war, political upheaval and a pandemic, some choreographers forgo traditional venues entirely. Whether their work is about climate change, social dynamics, systemic oppression or community vibrance, they’re all drawn to the friction between moving and staying in one place.

Summer is heating up, with major premieres, triumphant returns and exciting mixed-company lineups happening from coast-to-coast and across the pond. Here’s what caught our eye.