Austin McCormick loves traditional dance forms: He trained at the HARID Conservatory and the Conservatory of Baroque Dance Theater before earning a BFA from The Juilliard School. But he’s also captivated by burlesque, circus arts, magic, and bacchanalian revelry. There’s no preexisting career lane for an artist as eclectic as that, so he created his own—Company XIV, an immersive, multi-genre, erotic cabaret show based in Brooklyn since 2006. Twenty years on, the company boasts a dedicated theater, Drama Desk and Bessie award nominations, and a reputation for exceptional artistry combined with entertaining spectacle. That success has also brought McCormick opportunities to choreograph for theater and opera, including Rusalka and Samson et Dalila at the Metropolitan Opera and La Traviata for Lyric Opera of Chicago. His latest project is Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo, a musical based on the true story of a 17th-century woman said to have poisoned her husband and provided the concoction for a few others. Written by and starring Grammy Award–winning singer Jennifer Nettles, and directed by Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman, Giulia starts performances June 28 at Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City.

I’m a fusion choreographer, and I started Company XIV to fuse all the things that I love. As a creator, I don’t think that you have to work from the outside in—if it occurs to you that there’s a relationship, then there is one.

For Company XIV, I am usually reimaginin­g a classical ballet, a myth, or a fairy tale. I choose the story and the theme, and then figure out what artistry best serves that world. There’s a burlesque element, there’s a nightlife element, there’s always this Baroque kind of grandeur involved. But I’m a dancer, so dance is always the glue of the show.

The company is known for a certain style, so I want to deliver on people’s expectations, but I’m constantly pushing myself. If artists­ have a unique combination of talents­, I love the challenge of incor­porating that into the show. The way we push each other outside of our comfort zones is what keeps me going.

Jennifer’s written a dynamic musical with a lot of different musical inspirations and styling. So as someone that does fusion work, I’m excited about what that means choreographically. A lot of the scenes are rooted in social dance—a festa where people are dancing, a commedia [dell’arte] troupe. And there are scenes where dance tells the story from an emotional point of view. So I get to draw on all of the different aspects of my background and my style.

With Giulia, there are no dedicated dancers; it’s all singers and actors who move. It’s so different than working with dancers, with different vocabulary. I’m excited about what that’s gonna turn into.

You say the word “dance” to actors and singers, and people freak out. The first thing I do is set the vibe that I’m looking for them to be themselves. I’m not looking for anything outside of who they are and what they’re bringing to the table. If they can be comfortable, then we can really build something.

I’ll start with a simple group phrase, so I can get a feeling for what people do. I build a vocabulary based on that, then put it into the space and make formations. I like to let the dance feel pleasurable and not overly rigid.

I’m looking at how people danced in the 17th century, and what the vocabulary is. It’s a great jumping-off point, and then it gets to become a fantasy version. Giulia was a real person, but what’s known about her life is minimal, so there’s artistic license in that way.

I’m not the kind of choreographer that makes movement first, and then we put the costumes on; I think about it as one integrated challenge. Studying with my Baroque dance teacher, we were really interested in how costumes informed the movement. Big dresses, panniers, shoes, wigs—the obstacle of the costume can lead to more interesting movement. There’s no substitute for working in at least the shapes and the lengths as early as possible.

Being a director, especially with my own company, I’m responsible for every­thing. When you work on a team, it’s a totally different mindset—I’m there for any contributions I can make. I understand how to contribute and also how to give space. And I think because I have Company XIV, this artistic outlet that feels so true to me, I’m not trying to make every situation into that.