Boston Opera House
Attending a show here is not unlike sitting inside a gigantic inverted wedding cake. Three years after a painstaking $30 million restoration, the Opera House shines once again as the city's most opulent venue. As for the performances—whether flashy Broadway tours, big-name rock acts like the White Stripes, or Boston Ballet's Nutcracker—all seem to gain a bit of extra polish from this gilded Beaux Arts masterpiece. The 1920s proscenium mural alone is worth the ticket price. 539 Washington St., Boston, MA broadwayacrossamerica.com.
Cathryn Moskow
If she's good enough for the aching legs and feet of the Boston Ballet, Moskow can surely handle the knot in your shoulders from hunching over a computer keyboard.
The Discovery Series
Nationally acclaimed, this collaboration of the Dance Umbrella and the Boston Ballet brought the provocative works of three New York choreographers—Susan Marshall, Kenneth Rinker, and Jim Self—to the Shubert Theatre.
Urbanity Dance
In seven years, founder and director (and former Boston Ballet teacher) Betsi Graves has grown Urbanity Dance into a thrilling, whimsical, acrobatic beast. Last year, the company collaborated twice with local chamber orchestra A Far Cry, leaping and weaving with the violinists in Jordan Hall. At the Institute of Contemporary Art in February, they performed "Bend," an orgy of strobe lights and corporeal geometry. Whether twisting into one another to form a human skirt or wrestling with their shadows, Urbanity's dancers fulfill their mission to "elevate physical intelligence." 1180 Washington St., Boston, MA 02118, urbanitydance.org.
That the Boston Ballet's hiring of artistic director Mikko Nissinen, once dubbed "The Flying Finn," will put an end to the company's soaring exits and financial woes.
Ballet Ball
Finally IRL after a multi-year hiatus, this year’s Ballet Ball was a party of epic, delicious, and delightfully over-the-top proportions. A new venue, the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport, accommodated more guests, not to mention space for thrilling feats by Boston Ballet’s dancers. If there was a better way to celebrate Mikko Nissinen’s 20 years of leadership than with everyone gathered together again, dancing into the wee hours, we can’t think of it. bostonballet.org.
Petrushka at ArtsEmerson
Master puppeteer Basil Twist's adaptation of Stravinsky's ballet about a tragic love triangle among a clown, a ballerina, and a Moor managed to convey humanity and grace in the movement of Japanese-style marionettes. One compact hour long, it begged for repeat viewings from both kids and adults. Unique productions like this during ArtsEmerson's inaugural season have proven that this organization should be central to Boston arts for years to come. 559 Washington St., Boston, MA 2139, artsemerson.org.
Karen Williamson's Class at the Institute for Contemporary Dance
Williamson has performed with the Chicago Opera Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, and the American Ballet Theater. Her teaching technique reflects her experience. First Baptist Church, Central Square, Cambridge, MA .
The Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet's <em>Sleeping Beauty</em>
A great pageant and a memorable production. Honorable mention to the Central Ballet of China, a humble troupe that knocked critics nationwide out of the water with its performances.
Dance Complex
Dance classes aren't just for kids in pink tights and ballet slippers. A top-notch studio offers a variety of options that can make anyone feel footloose. The Dance Complex does just that by hosting an astonishing array of classes, including the traditional (ballet, jazz, tap), cultural (Afro-Brazilian, flamenco, Kathak), and simply funky (hip-hop, street funk, capoeira). Four floors of studios house the artist-run organization, which boasts teaching talent from some 20 countries. There's a decidedly unpretentious and inclusive atmosphere in the affordable, drop-in classes—a relief when you're getting up the courage to try Irish dance. 536 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA dancecomplex.org.
The Joffrey Ballet at the Metropolitan Center
Innovative and energetic.
Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre
This 25-year-old company is the antithesis of stuffy, overpolished dance—and its venue, the minuscule Sanctuary Theatre inside the Old Cambridge Baptist Church, provides an almost religious experience. The seats are so close that you can see every slash of muscle, hear each clack of a pointe shoe, and practically feel the performers' exhalations. The intimacy lends Mateo's dynamic choreography a raw power that's compulsively watchable, whether you're a ballroom expert or have two left feet. 400 Harvard St., Cambridge, MA 2138, ballettheatre.org.
The Cambridge School of Ballet
Focus is on dancing as an art, but for the less coordinated kid, there are pre-ballet basic-rhythm classes. 15 Sellers St., Cambridge, MA .
José Mateo Ballet Theatre
Going to the ballet is usually either a grand night out or an intimate black-box affair, but with this Cambridge-based company, it can be both. Presented in the cozy Sanctuary Theatre, which is itself within the Old Cambridge Baptist Church, each performance feels like it’s been prepared just for you. And in some ways, it has: Often featuring original choreography, the beautiful works are usually staged exclusively here, and set to an eclectic musical repertoire that ranges from the comforting tones of Bach and Schubert to the bracing modernism of Olivier Messiaen and Philip Glass. 400 Harvard St., Cambridge, MA 02138, ballettheatre.org.
The Nutcracker, José Mateo Ballet Theatre
There’s no better way to embrace the holiday spirit than getting gussied up to see this company’s take on The Nutcracker, danced by professionals and a small army of children at the Strand in Dorchester 400 Harvard St., Cambridge, MA 02138, ballettheatre.org.