A body in motion tends to stay in motion, so summer can present a challenge for dancers. For those who work at ballet companies, the period after July 4 usually means a layoff of at least a few weeks. But free time doesn’t necessarily mean sloth. (Though, like all of us, dancers crave rest.) Summer is festival season. With events like the Vail Dance Festival or the Fire Island Dance Festival, the summer months can offer opportunities to try on new roles or different styles, to choreograph or maybe to collaborate with dancers from other companies.

It can also be a time of anxiety, particularly for dancers at smaller companies or freelancers. With downtime comes a loss of income, which must be supplemented in other ways.

For a lucky few, summer is time — at least in part — for some much-needed rest from the demands of an art that takes its toll on the body. I spoke with dancers from different disciplines: ballet, modern, tap and Indian classical dance, about what they do in the summer months. Their accounts have been edited and condensed.

Sarah Hayes Harkins: A Ballerina Behind the Wheel

Sarah Hayes Harkins, 29, has been a dancer with Charlotte Ballet in North Carolina since 2008. Though the company has no official ranks, Ms. Harkins has performed most of the principal parts: Cinderella, Aurora in “Sleeping Beauty” and Sugarplum in “The Nutcracker.” The company has 20 dancers, for whom it guarantees at least 36 weeks of work. (This arrangement is not unusual, and 36 weeks is considered good in the field.) That leaves up to 16 unpaid weeks a year.