It was our first time going to a ballet - the Swan Lake at the Opera house was such a magical production. The costumes, the set, the dancers, the orchestra - just everything, was so impressive. The Opera house was a perfect setting as well. I'm now definitely a fan of the ballet now :) read more

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What a show!! You can always count on The Nutcracker to put you in the holiday spirit. The lobby alone will do that for ya. I mean look at this lobby! Christmas trees, chandeliers, nutcrackers, lights, balconies, ugh I just love the elegance and quintessential Christmas energy. Talk about TALENT. This show is no joke. This is ballet at its truest and finest form. These artists make ballet look easy (and it is far from it) so I applaud every single person in this show. Boston Ballet performers are absolutely phenomenal. What's so amazing, aside from the show, is watching people file in and noticing the crowd ranges anywhere from 7 year olds to 70 year olds. Anyone can come, watch, and enjoy. Truly a perfect outing for you and your whole family, with friends, or solo! Highly recommend catching The Nutcracker! read more

Boston Ballet - Lobby - Performing Arts Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Went to see the Nutcracker by the Boston Ballet and it was a great production. The Opera theater is beautiful with the orange gold molding/accent, and detailing. Would highly recommend and want to go again! read more

Boston Ballet - Orchestra seats - Performing Arts Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I am absolutely in love with the Boston Ballet!! The resident dancers are absolutely amazing. This is the most professional company and shows that I have ever seen, not to mention the amazing orchestra in the pit. WOW. Just WOW. Go see it for yourself!! I've recently seen The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, and The Sleeping Beauty...all have not disappointed for a second. The theater, Citizens Bank Opera House, is also amazing. The ornate chandeliers, columns, cielings.. it's just a beautiful experience all around. What are you waiting for... go!! read more

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Saw the nutcracker in December and just saw swan lake last night and I will definitely come back for another show. We got the "cheap seats" which was one away from the last row and still was able to see everything perfectly. The music and dancing was fantastic. It really was a treat to see. read more

I bought $1400 tickets from Boston Ballet to see them on Sunday for The Nutcracker. Now this is my fault. I couldnt use them, but they had plenty of time to sell them. They were kind enough to get me tix for the next Friday. However, they were $395 total..kind of crummy. I thought I would be due some sort of refund. Nope. They dont do refunds...The woman who processed should have told me they said. But nope...they didn't. If I had known this, I could have resold and not lost 1000 in value. But too bad I was told.....OK But who really lost here? I have an 8 year old daughter, so figure 10 years of watching the Nutcracker or $14,000 But thats not happening......ever and now you know.... read more

I've attended a few level 1 ballet classes here. The class is comprised mostly of experienced dancers, although there are some dancers new to ballet as well. Having taken ballet classes for a year in childhood, I was able to easily follow along the barre routines, which the instructors explained and demonstrated. However, once we moved to floor exercises, the combinations became longer and more complex, so it was harder for me to follow along. Regardless, the classes were a wonderful experience, especially with the live piano accompaniment. read more

I have seen a number of ballets at Boston Ballet and have enjoyed them, but a recent experience with their box office has really turned me off and provides a cautionary tale for others planning to go. For the fourth year running, my daughter bought me two ballet tickets for Christmas. Unfortunately, she got them for a date where I would be out-of-state, which she did not know. The standard cost to switch tickets is $15/ticket. I was hoping they might waive that given that these were gifted tickets from someone who didn't want to ruin the surprise ahead of time. But I was ultimately willing, grudgingly, to pay the $30. But the situation got worse. She had gotten the tickets months before at a 50% off promotion, and the box office was going to require me to pay the difference in cost, too, for current tickets (notwithstanding that the performance is almost five months away still). So, it was going to be $110 to switch the tickets! Never mind that I was willing to switch to any performance and not looking to improve the night. The most they were willing to do was wave the $15/ticket, still leaving me with an $80 price to switch. Which I did not do. So, I'll be passing the tickets onto someone else. And I will have second thoughts about returning to Boston Ballet. I don't enjoy dealing with organizations that don't treat their customers well. It is surprising behavior from a company that is not exactly packing people in every performance. Moreover, you would think they would want you to be so happy with them that you would consider becoming a subscriber. I won't be a tool and put a one-star rating. The performances and venue are quite good and worth probably 4.5 stars. But the box office's one star worth brings it down. Sad. read more

Good ballets, very confusing interactions with box office employees at times: threats, yelling, scolding for no clear reason. Name and shame time: Alex, Box Office Associate. Boston Ballet markets to students but then yell at you when they mess up and forget their own procedures. I emailed wanting to exchange a ticket - free and allowed and normal since I'm a subscriber. Alex left a long voicemail about needing student ID verification, didn't even answer my question about exchanging tickets. I called her back and asked a simple question "there's no expiration date on my student ID, do I have to send a photo of it again?" and the response was a sassy and needlessly combative "well, I can go ahead and refund the tickets if you don't send your ID." First of all, this is a lie since tickets are clearly non-refundable - so clearly just said to be combative. Next, no simple "it's policy, we require it", which would've sufficed. Then after that Alex yelled at me "I told you this was a requirement when I issued the tickets," but that was not the case. Whoever issued me the tickets told me "I'll mail them out later today," I guess it was her who picked up the phone that time, but then 1 week later she still hasn't mailed anything out since she needed my ID? Hmm. Clearly, she forgot to tell me, didn't even mention it, they are terrible with sticking to policy (they only asked me for ID once 2-3 years ago when I first subscribed for the student subscription), and the policy itself is flawed to the point of stupidity (Harvard and MIT ID's don't have expiration dates! And you keep them for life! So what's the point!). Later, I called to speak with a manager to make sure Alex didn't mess up my order, and the manager made a litany of excuses for Alex's behavior. "Oh, she usually says it to students that ID is needed." "Oh, no-one's ever had a problem with her before, just you. This is surprising." Maybe I expect too much, maybe I'm the problem here, maybe my Australian accent is offensive to them, or maybe it's their unacceptable behavior. Maybe they need to sell student tickets to fill up their theaters and artificially generate scarcity and drive ticket prices higher for folks who actually pay full price. Maybe they intentionally draw out the process of student subscription tickets to just take the money and run. Maybe this is their business model - utter disdain and lack of respect for students. Very disappointing, and no wonder they beg for donations constantly. read more

The employees have done a lot for this company, but what has the Bossdone? I absolutely love Boston Ballet, on many levels, and the building is haunting and beautiful and imposing, and probably one of my favourites to visit in town. Classes are priced decently and make me want to get five stars. Bae actually took the class while I observed, paid, etc, and she found that the teaching was a little bit geared towards regulars and that she didn't get any interaction or tips, but she still enjoyed the experience and I particularly enjoyed the building a lot. We thought it'd be funny because she'd be the only exotic dancer amongst all the professional classics, and wannabe professionals, but Barbie actually met another exotic dancer. I guess there are a lot of us around! read more

Boston Ballet - Billit to my ballet - Performing Arts Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Went to see the Boston ballet nutcracker for a matinee show. The performance was beautiful. It was a very enjoyable show.

I love barre classes and I figured where else to try a barre class than at the Boston ballet school. All of my classmates were new to the class/school and our instructor Mary Kate made us feel welcome and motivated. The class was challenging yet enjoyable. Unlike other barre studios, this school does not provide mats and weights, so I suggest brining a mat for floor work. I will definitely be coming back. read more

This is probably one of my worst experience with a school. My little girl came out in the middle of the class crying none stop because the teacher singled her out in front of all other kids. This really traumatized her and killed her dream of dancing ballet. If you are sending your kids to this school. Think twice. read more

For the love of God guys, plz por favor ya gotta check out BB 'My Obsession' cuz this 3 part show is kik ass electric. Yeah i know My Obsession is ballet but the rock sounds a la Mick jagger the Stones mesmerizes. And those sex drippn skin tight cling to the flesh bottoms and tops on the girls..., and yes I'm jealous of the bodies those guys hv, oweee mama oweee. Now I'm obsess compulsed...Jus go man. Jerry L. read more

Extreme lack of diversity (only two groups were present) in the children's cast, and the first act had an African American casted as a servant/slave! I found this offensive and would be embarrassed to have to explain this Nutcracker Demographic to my niece or nephew - reasons why in our modern culture there were no African American children represented and black males are servants... All-in-all, the performance was formulaic lacking passion and athleticism. The set design and costumes were as-expected: no surprises. The acoustics are not radio city music hall or Boston pops worthy but got the job done. read more

Came here for a ballet class with Arthur. I was pretty impressed by the intermediate level. The good: -class is 90 minutes and starts at 7p, giving one enough time to get home from work and relax before going to class. -nice, open space with a relatively diverse group of people taking the class (age, race, weight class, etc). -price point is good (20 for drop in or 10 classes for 160) -mind body app (yay!) the bad: - the usual ballet scene where the teacher clearly adores the one anorexic profession girl in the class and everyone feels like they are not worth of a correction of any kind. -floor was a little too fast. wish that there was more time to review the across the floor work. overall, A okay and will be back to try other instructors Tamara read more

Boston Ballet has come a long way in putting modern dance on stage. Last nights All Kylian was fantastic. Especially the first piece Wings of Wax was phenomenal. Misa Kuranaga's effortlessly appearing flow was riveting. ... and they are so under-appreciated that there are last minute tickets available. If you like modern dance, you won't be disappointed. read more

Huge fans of the Boston Ballet! So happy they are now performing at the Boston Opera House too, what a beautiful theater! This season we saw the Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty, and Parts in Suite. Such an amazing crew of dancers and orchestra, definitely a must for anyone visiting Boston or for Bostonians looking for a bit of culture. Can't wait for the next show! https://jqlouise.com/2018/05/21/5-things-to-do-in-boston-right-now/ read more

Boston Ballet - Performing Arts Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I decided to get a ticket for my husband as a surprise for a Christmas gift. I must say we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The showing was the Nutcracker and the dancers were extraordinary. The theater was beautiful, and believe me any seat in the house are good seats unlike other theaters we have been to. They have a couple of bars and snacks i.e. candy bars and twissler, but nothing of substance. So you may want to eat before or have dinner plans afterwards. The show was about two and a half hours with one intermission. There are public garage parking options and if you go online, you can prepay for parking at a substantial discount. read more

Boston Ballet is a lovely tradition for the whole family. Their yearly plays such as the Nutcracker really put us into the dazzling holiday spirit. Exquisite architecture and wonderful, talented dancers. Ones of the best in the world! read more

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Amazing ballet company, stunning dancers, Great productions. The Nutcracker is always a classic, but u owe it to yourself to see a modern production. read more

A bit of a walk from a T stop, but completely worth it when you enter the gorgeous building and find your way to one of the studios for an open adult ballet class. Real-life accompanist: priceless. It turns every practice and warmup into a performance. Personal corrections: invaluable. Instead of a teacher sitting at the front and making general critiques (if any). Price: $18 for 1.5 hours. That's incredible, when that's the same as (or less expensive than) a mediocre yoga class in town. Level: challenging! A wide range of levels can find value and learning in the classes, even the beginner ones. read more

I love going to the Boston Ballet. It's a Magical world where for a few hours you'll travel to new places and have a relaxed, beautiful state of mind for days. The Nutcracker Ballet is spectacular. The Ballet dancers are professionals, naturally, and they don't disappoint. The sets are so pretty and the music is absolutely beautiful and so authentic. read more

This is a review for the adult open classes at the Boston location. Fabulous. They provide an opportunity to take class from these professionals, and give a serious ballet class. I majored in dance in college and have been practicing ballet since the age of 4, but there are plently of students who have much less experience, and the classes seem to work well for them too. There is a wide range of classes offered, in both the beginning and intermediate levels, and they have advanced classes daily during the week in the mornings. The classes are reasonably priced (10 class card = $130 and there are better rates for students). This location is a gorgeous building with big open studios, and it's conveniently located to boot. I am so thrilled that these classes are offered so close to me!! Definitely recommend! read more

My sister had recently moved from CALI to chilly Boston for work, and we decided to invest in Christmas holiday tickets to enjoy their newly staged "Nutcracker" after having grown up on this at the Princeton Ballet Company staged at the McCarter Theatre Company as well as the San Francisco Ballet's versions. What a delight! Because we had not been seeing the previous version for 20+ years, we could watch it with fresh eyes and thoroughly enjoy it. read more

It's hard to review because these dancers are obviously super talented and very few people can do what they do. I came here to watch Romeo and Juliet, and while sure the dancers were great, i was not awed. The sets, and costumes were predictable. No one was really a stand-out. Sadly there were also quite a few dancers who fell during the performance. Great experience though and the opera house is beautiful! read more

Amazing job every year at The Nutcracker. Great venue too

You simply MUST see The Nutcracker this season!! It's such a great holiday tradition. As someone who danced ballet for many years, I still love to watch- and the tickets are very affordable for college students. Of course, I am a bit biased as I was really here to see my cousin perform as Fritz, but the company dancers were just spectacular. When very young children around me can sit through the show quietly in awe, you know that it's a good ballet. The set design was superb, the Opera House is really a wonderful location, and the live orchestra was excellent. This truly got me into the holiday spirit this year and I cannot wait to go to more ballets in the future. read more

We were truly captured the Boston Ballet's Nutcracker! The dancers were remarkable! We also got great prices on our seats about $35! We were right by the orchestra pit too! We cannot wait to come back to see another performance here. I do have to mention that in the ladies room there was a lady who worked for the Opera house that was yelling at ladies in line to move to the open bathroom stalls. Luckily she did not yell at me...I just thought it was a bit entertaining... read more

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So incredibly disappointed with the Boston Ballet. Purchased tickets to the Nutcracker for a family Christmas gift, to be turned away because I was wearing my newborn. Was told policy was on the back of my ticket, that I JUST picked up at Will-Call, or that it's on the website. When looking on the website the initial children's comment = "We warmly welcome children and families to all performances and are happy to make recommendations the most child-friendly productions." So please tell me why I should continue to DIG to find that children under 2 are unwelcome! You even talk about how strollers and car seats can be stored. My children had been anxiously awaiting this experience to be turned away AFTER we picked up the tickets, went through security, and were being shown to our seats to then learn we must leave. It was even discussed my newborn should have his own $200 ticket!!! NOT family friendly. Merry Christmas to us... bahumbug! read more

This is my favorite place for classes in Boston. Very good and very serious. Keep up the great work! The performances are pretty good. Sometimes I'm awed, and other times I'm not, but that's how you know you're a dance snob from NYC. Whitney Jensen, Jeffrey Cirio, and Keenan Kampa are amazing, as are the principals. Too bad Keenan is leaving soon. read more

Having recently moved to Boston I was happy to discover that Boston has a great ballet company with several productions each year. So far I've seen Genius at Play and Full on Forsythe and loved them both. I like how there is a nice mix of classic to modern pieces and choreographers. I personally stay away from The Nutcracker performances everywhere I go as the amount of children in the audience is too much for me to handle...I can see why many of the reviews are grumpy people after Nutcracker shows so I would suggest a night out at the ballet outside of the holiday season! read more

While the Boston Ballet deserves its own 5-star review, this is for the Adult Open Classes at the Boston Ballet School in the South End. Love the facilities and the professional environment. The pianists are some of the best in the business. The teachers give good corrections and make an effort to change up their barre to keep you feeling challenged as the weeks go on. Someone new might confuse professional with intimidating, but will soon realize that is not the case as the teachers have a great sense of humor. Some tips Class Level: if you haven't taken a class here before, try a class one level UNDER what you think you should be in. I've seen more than one adult get in over his/her head in Elementary thinking it is a class for people with limited training, when in fact there is very little explanation given for each exercise (sometimes it is just verbal instructions or a very quickly marked demonstration). Same goes for intermediate- it moves REALLY fast and assumes significant mastery. If you're not sure if you belong in Beginner or Elementary, try Christopher Hird's Beginner/Elementary Friday night class and then ask him for a recommendation on your class placement (he's super approachable and the Head of Adult Programming). If you think you belong in intermediate, try Gene Murray's amazing Tuesday/Thursday Elementary class first! Attire: a mix of leotards and tights with shorts, ballet skirts or yoga pants on top. Definitely wear ballet slippers. On arrival: the woman at the desk often assumes you know where you're going and which studio is which-- make sure you ask! Also the classes fill up quickly (though rarely overcrowded). Arrive at least 15 minutes early or else you will end up on a center barre (which to me, is a scary, scary thought). Other: bring water!! The water fountain isn't always working and in the spring/summer months these studios can get HOT. read more

as an ex-ballerina-but-still-a-ballet-snob, i hate to admit that the boston ballet lets me down a little. remember that girl from center stage whose motto is "oh, i thought there was enough music for a triple, so i did one"? that's how i feel about professional ballet. i'd much rather be in awe of a dancer's feats than bored by their technical perfection. isn't the true purpose of the performing arts to entertain anyway? i sat in the nosebleed student rush seats for sleeping beauty, and i don't remember much, but i sat in one of the first rows for the nutcracker and still vividly remember the disappointment. why the 90 degree arabesque? where are the mind-blowing leaps? why doesn't the sugar plum pas de deux match the intensity of the music? the thing that breaks my heart the most is that i'm confident that the dancers are capable of more, but that the choreography they're given just doesn't give them the chance to really showcase their talents. i hate to be the transplant who compares boston to new york, but even on the cheesy macaulay culkin new york city ballet nutcracker from the early 90s that they show on TV every christmas season you can tell that the boston ballet needs to do some serious catching up. even after all that venting i'll still support the ballet (and you should too!) - because my disappointment from a technically perfect albeit potentially amazing nutcracker pales in comparison to the news that they were kicked out of their old theater and replaced with the rockettes. really, boston? is this what we've come to? the rockettes?! read more

The Boston Ballet ball tonight was one of the best so far. So many beautiful people. Raised a lot of money for a great group of dancers.. bravo. read more

I used to go to every ballet on a student ticket, and continued to go for many years after high school and college. I've seen ballet from before and now, during the Nissinen years...while I think I preferred some of the dancers in the pre era (Simon Ball...what a great dancer), i don't think the past ballets highlighted the company dancers' strength. And that doesn't take away the talent and presence of the current company...Boston Ballet dancers have always been technically remarkable and well trained. Boston Ballet gave me exposure to world renowned ballets- my first viewing of all the classics were with Boston Ballet: Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Don Quixote, many Balanchine works (including Stars & Stripes, and Emeralds), and of course, the Nutcracker. Most recently, I got to see Boston's interpretation of a ballet I love and have seen by other companies, Coppelia. The ballet was well interpreted, with very difficult sequences of choreography that the dancers handled beautifully and with comedic lightness. Their pointe shoes hardly make any noise or squeaks at all, so impressive. Bravo! Boston Ballet's move from the Wang Center to the Opera House was needed, in a time where money for the arts is not plentiful, and where the audiences may not always be as engaged. The Opera House is a beautiful venue to showcase the Boston Ballet (though I dislike the huge size of the balcony, where a seat in the back can seem like a mile away and very disconnected by what is on stage. I think the company has done a good job of attracting the younger demographic, and in their balance of yearly programming between full length story ballets and more modern new works and repertory pieces. While I myself favor the classics in full length, I understand that companies need to have a mix of works, to keep its dancers, teachers and choreographers fresh...I do see a difference in the dance, especially with seeing another city's ballet company (Atlanta) bogged down with the need to constantly cater to the masses with boring and uninspired dancing. I've also had the pleasure of taking classes at the Boston Ballet school as well...for a little while, I went to drop-in ballet classes at the Newton campus. Great workout, and great teachers...highly recommended for those looking to improve their ballet skills. Support the arts! read more

Ok, so their building is beautiful and typically the accompanist's are really good. But it is completely hit or miss with the teachers here. I think this place is definitely better for people who take ballet because they like the idea of it and are looking for a light introduction or to just kill some time in the evenings. the classes are very generic and vanilla, which is what you need if you are a beginner. Eventually though you do crave a little bit more variety in the phrasing and the combinations. Don't expect to have a piece of a variation worked gracefully into the floor exercises, it simply wont happen. read more

Boston Ballet kicks ass, quite simply. Since Mikko Nissinen took over in 2002 (I think), this company is entering into a golden age, and I wish they had more funding and more control over their performance space to show off more. Regarding the previous poster looking for fireworks instead of technical perfection, I feel this is an issue of stylistic differences. French ballet, for example, would rather tech perfection than huge jumps, etc, and I doubt anyone could say that the Paris Opera Ballet sucks. And actually, I feel that Boston Ballet *still* manages to show off glowing virtuosity. Furthermore, I can't remember when they last did Sleeping Beauty, because I've gone religiously for the last three years and haven't seen it yet. Thanks to the 2-2 Club, I can afford to see every show (except for Nutcracker, which I see at Jose Mateo's) every year, and have done so for three years now. I can easily say that most dancers in the company are my favorites. This past season, I was floored by their abilities in Serenade/La Sylphide. My very favorite so far this year was "Next Generation", where they showcased four new choreographers (including resident Jorma Elo). I was greatly impressed that they went out of their way to have three female choreographers in a field where so few ballets are made by women. I left the theatre exhilerated and wishing I could afford another ticket to see it again. I have so many happy memories of shows seen in the past years, and I cannot wait for next season to start. Three cheers and five stars! read more

I have been going to see The Nutcracker (and other BB performances, but Nutcracker is my fave) for the past 11 years. While I thought the quality of the performance started to slip a bit in the past couple of years, they really took care this year to ensure that the performance was fantastic. It was one of the best, if not the best, Nutcracker performances I have seen them do. The costumes, the sets, the dancing, etc were all fabulous, and the little changes that they made throughout were really great. It reminded me of why we decided to make this part of our holiday tradition. It's awesome. read more

I can only comment on their production of the Nutcracker. Beautiful, diverse dancers and wonderful stage props/settings. Definitely worth the money to see a Christmas classic! I remember going to the Nutcracker as a kid in SF, and the experience at the Boston Ballet made it all seem just as magical as it once was. read more