Dancers have a thing about heat. They start the day by warming up, and spend the rest of it trying to maintain a body temperature that keeps joints easy and muscles flexible. The minute they sit down, they cover themselves in layers of what is now called activewear, which used to be known as sweats. When they start to move, they begin to peel like an onion. It’s no surprise, then, that summer is a favorite season for dancers. As well as the heat, summer offers dancers a chance to take a break from usual routines, work with different people, and learn some new repertory. Summer is workshop and festival time, where intense study and rehearsal can make change happen fast. For those of us in the audience, summer is a chance for something different as well. Whether it’s a big touring show, like the upcoming performances of the Bolshoi or Cirque du Soleil, or a local festival program, like “Dance This” or “Against the Grain,” the studios are warming up, and the dancing is even hotter.—S.K.Silver Lining—When Pacific Northwest Ballet artistic director Kent Stowell turned to the music of Jerome Kern for the season closer a couple of years ago, he decided to make a work that reflected the composer’s vaudeville and musical-theater roots. The result was a ballet with tap dancers, cabaret singers, a magic act, and a five-foot snake. We hear the snake is gone from this revival, but the variety-show ambiance remains. Seattle Center, Opera House, 292-ARTS. $16.50-$100. Thu-Fri at 7:30, Sat-Sun at 2 and 7:30. 5/25-27, 6/1-4.Against the Grain/Men in Dance—Guys still take a lot of grief in our culture for dancing, so the organizers of this biannual festival decided to create a program where male dancers would be the standard, not the exception. This year’s version features two separate programs with the work of 21 choreographers from around Seattle and the US. Freehold Theater/East Hall, 152510th, second floor, 389-4945. $10-$12. Thu-Sat at 8, Sun at 7. 6/1-11.Bolshoi Ballet—Leonid Lavrovsky’s version of Romeo and Juliet for the Bolshoi Ballet was the West’s introduction to the new Soviet style in the 1950s. With that story of passion and death, they knocked the socks off ballet audiences then, and it is still a great vehicle for dramatic dancers today. Paramount Theater, 911 Pine, 292-ARTS. $26-$126. Wed-Fri at 7, Sat at 2 and 8, Sun at 2. 6/14-18.Dance This—Last summer one of the hottest programs was this youth dance showcase with groups from around the Northwest performing traditional and contemporary dance. The finale from last year’s show just about blew the roof off the theater—this summer’s incarnation promises to be even better. Moore Theater, 1932 Second, 292-ARTS. $7- $10. Sat 7/15 at 7.University of Washington Summer Arts Festival—Summer on the UW campus is usually pretty laid back, but that may change with the inaugural season of this multi-arts festival. The theme for the first year is Quartets, which translates into four dances for four dancers from the Chamber Dance Company: Jose Limon’s “Scherzo,” Mark Dendy’s “Beat,” Doug Varone’s “Possession Quartet,” and Moses Pendleton’s “Bonsai” (originally for Pilobolus). UW campus, Meany Studio Theater, 543-4880. $12/$8 students and seniors. Tue at 11:30 and 8, Wed at 2 and 8, Thu at 11:30 and 8, Fri at 11:30 and 2, Sat at 11 and 3:30. 7/18 -22.Fosse—By late July it might actually be warm enough in Seattle for Bob Fosse’s style to make sense. With their pelvises thrust forward and heads tipped knowingly, Fosse’s dancers radiate a sexual heat that makes even a simple hello an invitation to something more. This compilation show was staged with help from Bellevue native and Fosse prot駩 Ann Reinking. Paramount Theater, 911 Pine, 292-ARTS. $23-$52. 7/25-8/6.Strictly Seattle—While other dance workshops bring teachers and performers into town, the Velocity studio wants us to recognize what we already have at home. Performances at the end of the session include works by Deborah Wolf, Wade Madsen, Bryan Dawbin, Paul Mosley, KT Niehoff, and Karn Junkinsmith. Broadway Performance Hall, Broadway and Pine, 325-8773 ext. 2. $12-$14. Fri 7/28-Sat 7/29 at 8.Seattle Festival of Alternative Dance and Improvisation—Every summer SFADI mixes local new dance practitioners with some of the edgiest of national and international artists. This year the import talent includes Ishmael Houston-Jones, Shelley Senter, Nancy Stark Smith, and Christina Svane. Faculty performances: Freehold Theater/East Hall, 1525 10th, second floor, 782-5707. $12. Fri 8/11-Sat 8/12. Student performance: Chamber Theater, 915 E Pine, fourth floor, 782-5707. $ 12. Mon 8/14 at 7.