Discover the finest ballet theatres in North America.
We take you on a trip through America’s most exquisite dance venues. Explore the top 20 ballet houses in the US and Canada; we’re considering a range of features that make the theatre stand out, such as the architectural splendor, aesthetic appeal, and, not least, the thoughtfulness behind its design. Also, the criteria relevant to our exploration comprise the venue’s capacity, spatial and aesthetic appeal, legacy, seating comfort, amenities, and the quality of performances hosted therein.
Citizens Bank Opera HouseThe Boston Opera House, also known as the Citizens Bank Opera House, is a performing arts and esports venue located at 539 Washington St. in Boston, Massachusetts. It was originally built as the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre, a movie palace in the Keith-Albee chain. Capacity: 2,670. |
Lyric Opera of ChicagoWell-known opera company putting on lavish performances in the massive Art Deco Civic Opera House. Capacity: 3,560. |
Kennedy Center Opera HouseThe Opera House is the second-largest theater in the Center, with 2,360 seats. It was designed for ballet, opera, and musical theater. |
Academy of MusicThe Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at 240 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Despite its name, the Academy has never contained a music school. Capacity: 2,500. |
Paramount TheatreThe Paramount Theatre is a 2,807-seat performing arts venue located at 9th Avenue and Pine Street in the downtown core of Seattle, Washington, United States. The theater originally opened on March 1, 1928, as the Seattle Theatre, with 3,000 seats. |
Orpheum TheaterThe Orpheum Theater is a theater in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. Also known as the RKO Orpheum, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh, built in 1918, and opened for vaudeville in 1921. Capacity: 1,500. |
Kings TheatreThe Kings Theatre, formerly Loew’s Kings Theatre, is a live performance venue in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. Opened by Loew’s Theatres as a movie palace in 1929 and closed in 1977, the theater sat empty for decades until a complete renovation was initiated in 2010. Capacity: 3,000. |
War Memorial Opera HouseThe War Memorial Opera House is an opera house in San Francisco, California, located on the western side of Van Ness Avenue across from the west side/rear facade of the San Francisco City Hall. It is part of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. Capacity: 3,126. |
Ziff Opera HousePart of the Adrienne Arsht Center, this building boasts four tiers, an orchestra level, and the second-largest stage in the United States. Capacity: 2,400. |
Four Seasons CentreThe Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is a 2,071-seat theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located at the southeast corner of University Avenue and Queen Street West, across from Osgoode Hall. The land on which it is located was a gift from the Government of Ontario. Capacity: 2,070. |
Eisenhower Theater At Kennedy CenterThe Eisenhower Theater, traditionally home to many of the Kennedy Center’s theater and dance performances. The theater contains an orchestra pit for 35 musicians that is convertible to a forestage or additional seating space. Capacity: 1,161. |
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier At Place Des ArtsSalle Wilfrid-Pelletier is a large multipurpose venue in Montreal, Quebec equipped with sophisticated technical equipment. It seats 2,982 people and is part of the Place des Arts cultural complex in Montréal’s Quartier des Spectacles entertainment district. It is the largest multipurpose stage in Canada. |
David H. Koch TheaterThe David H. Koch Theater is a theater for ballet, modern and other forms of dance, part of the Lincoln Center, at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Capacity: 2,586. |
Southern Alberta Jubilee AuditoriumThe Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium is a performing arts, culture and community facility located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The auditorium was built in 1955 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alberta. It is owned and operated by the Government of Alberta. Capacity: 2,523. |
Durham Performing Arts CenterThe Durham Performing Arts Center opened November 30, 2008 as the largest performing arts center in the Carolinas at a cost of $48 million. The DPAC hosts over 200 performances a year including touring Broadway productions, high-profile concert and comedy events, family shows and the American Dance Festival. Capacity: 2,712. |
Wagner Noël Performing Arts CenterThe Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center is a performing arts venue located between the cities of Midland, Texas and Odessa, Texas. WNPAC is owned by The University of Texas, and is built on a satellite campus of The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Capacity: 1,819. |
McCaw HallMarion Oliver McCaw Hall is a performing arts hall in Seattle, Washington. Located on the grounds of Seattle Center and owned by the city of Seattle, McCaw Hall’s two principal tenants are the Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Capacity: 2,963. |
Centennial Concert HallCentennial Concert Hall is a 2,305-seat performing arts centre located at 555 Main Street in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, as part of the Manitoba Centennial Centre. The concert hall opened on March 25, 1968. Capacity: 2,305. |