We Strive to Inspire

Together, we build a vibrant, caring and creative community that enriches lives and shapes the future.

  • 75,000 BalletMet audience members are inspired by world-class art and artists
  • 30,000 students become better learners through BalletMet movement and wellness programs
  • $245,000 in scholarships enable BalletMet Dance Academy students to follow their passion
  • 19,000 participants experience free “Soar on Saturdays” dance classes and access live community performances
Tickets

Interested in attending more than one performance?

Create your own BalletMet experience with our subscription packages, the most flexible and affordable way to see the ballet.

Special Offers & Discounts

Group Sales

If you’d like to purchase 10 or More Tickets, contact the BalletMet Box Office at 614-229-4848 or [email protected].

Senior Dress Rehearsals

Seniors ages 55+ can purchase tickets to special senior dress rehearsal performances.

College Student & Teacher Discounts

New for 2023/2024, we’ve opened the rush tickets to teachers as well as college students. Rush tickets are available for $15 at the theatre starting two hours prior to showtime with a valid college or teaching ID. Dependent on availability.

Academy Student Discount

Academy students are eligible for discounted tickets.  For more details, please contact the BalletMet Box Office at 614-229-4848 or [email protected].

Columbus Metropolitan Library Culture Pass

A limited number of Culture Passes are available at all CML library branches and are good for all BalletMet performances. Passes are good for two free tickets to the performance of your choice and may be redeemed only at the theatre box office two hours prior to the show time on the day you are attending. Simply bring your pass to the box office and we will exchange it for a ticket!

Pay What You Want

Ticket prices shouldn’t stand in the way of great art. BalletMet is excited to introduce “Pay What You Want” performances.

How do you decide what to pay? In order to cover the cost of the theatre restoration fee and the city ticket fee, you can pay as little as $5.00. If you give more, the money will go to support BalletMet operations including production costs, education and scholarships. Plus, you’ll be supporting the Pay What You Want program for others. Available performances:
On Stage: Thu October 19 at 7:30pm
Nutcracker:
Thu, December 7 at 7:30pm
Wed, December 13 at 7:30pm
Tue, December 19 at 7:30pm
Wed, December 20 at 7:30pm
Alice: Sun, February 11 at 6:30pm
Asian Voices: Thu, March 21 at 7:30pm
Romeo & Juliet: Sat, April 27 at 2:00pm
Seats are available on a first come, first served basis. Tickets must be purchased at the theatre box office on the day you are attending – the box office opens 2 hours prior to show time.

Dance Student and Studio Discounts

BalletMet recognizes the value of attending professional ballet performances as part of a young dancer’s training. We have notified the following local dance studios and local schools that their students and families qualify for up to 4 discounted tickets for each performance in the 2023/24 season.

HOW TO REDEEM:
Contact your school’s administrative staff to get details about how to redeem tickets.

If there are any questions, contact BalletMet’s box office at [email protected].

Qualified Studios and Schools:


Artisan Dance Studio
Capital University
Columbus DanceArts Academy
Columbus Dance Centre
Columbus Dance Theatre
Dance E.L.I.T.E. Performance Academy
Dance Rhythms Studio
Denison University
Drake Dance Academy
Dublin Dance Centre
For the Love of Dance School
Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School
Hixon Dance
Infusion Dance
Inspiration to Movement
Jazz Dance & More
Judy Dollenmayer Studio of Dance
K Studio
Leap of Faith Dance Company
Lineage Dance Co.
Marjorie Jones School of Dance
The ML Dance Academy
New Albany Ballet Company
NorthPointe Dance Academy
Ohio State University
Otterbein University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Passe Dance Center
Pinnell Dance Center
Powell Dance Academy
Revolution Dance
A Sequin & Stars Studio of Dance
Seven Dance Academy
Straub Dance Center
Studio C School of Dance
The Movement Center School of Dance
Whetstone High School
Wiseman Dance Studio
Xclaim Dance Company

 

Touring

BalletMet has performed in 28 states, including international appearances in Egypt, Canada, Spain, Poland and, most recently, Russia.

BalletMet offers an exhilarating collection of productions for touring including Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella, as well as mixed-rep works such as James Kudelka’s There, below and Stanton Welch’s Play.

Get Touring Information

First Time to the Ballet? Here is all you need to know...

Where do I buy tickets?

Single tickets can be purchased online HERE, by calling the BalletMet Box Office at 614-229-4848, or the CAPA Ticket Center 614-469-0939.

Season Subscriptions, Subscriber Services, Academy students/families can call the BalletMet Box Office at 614.-229-4848. Rush tickets for college students with a valid student ID can be purchased for $15 at the theater beginning two hours prior to show time. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets through the BalletMet Box Office.

When purchasing tickets online, you will get two emails from [email protected]. A confirmation email will arrive first, then your actual tickets will follow in a separate email approximately 15 minutes later.  If your tickets do not arrive in your main inbox, please check your spam folder.

How do I avoid ticket scammers?

The only official ticket sources to BalletMet events are the BalletMet Box Office, balletmet.org website and the CAPA Ticket Center. BalletMet is not responsible for tickets purchased from unauthorized sources, which does include ticket brokers and third-party resellers. Tickets purchased at unauthorized sources are often greatly inflated in price; they may be lost, counterfeit or invalid.

It is legal to resale event tickets in Columbus. You will find BalletMet event tickets on sale with ticket brokers, but these are not the primary sales point. Please keep in mind that if tickets are purchased from a ticket broker:

  • We are not responsible for tickets purchased through unauthorized third parties.
  • We cannot guarantee your tickets are valid, and you may not be guaranteed admittance into the theater.
  • We cannot replace lost or stolen tickets.
  • We cannot issue a refund if an event is cancelled.
  • We cannot contact you with information about the event, cancellations or time changes.

Here are some tips to unintentionally avoid buying tickets from scalpers:

  • Only purchase tickets from the BalletMet Box Office or the CAPA Ticket Center.
  • If you see tickets that are more than $100 (before fees), you are probably buying from a third-party ticket broker and there is no guarantee these tickets are genuine.
Can I refund my tickets?

If you cannot attend a performance, please inform the box office in advance of the missed show. Tickets are nonrefundable but there are options:

  • Credit the ticket amount to your account and apply it to a future performance
  • Donate the price of your unused ticket back as a tax-deductible gift to BalletMet

Contact the box office at [email protected] or call us at 614-229-4848 for assistance.

If a show is cancelled for any reason, refunds will be processed automatically.

Where Do You Perform?

BalletMet performs at the Ohio TheatreThe Davidson Theatre (located inside the Vern Riffe Center) and sometimes at our own black box theatre located on our campus.

Where can I park?

Click here to view parking information for each of our performance locations.

What Do I Wear?

This is our most-asked question, and the answer is: You probably won’t feel out of place no matter what you wear. If you want to wear jeans, go for it—we promise you won’t be alone. If you want to dress up, feel free. Many others do, too. We don’t see as much formal-wear in the theater as we once did, though it wouldn’t be unusual to see a tux or a gown at a performance. Basically, anything goes.

How Do I Choose My First Ballet?

Our ballets are classified in two main categories:

  • Full-length: One ballet with intermissions, similar to a book with chapters
  • Mixed-rep: Several unrelated shorter ballets with intermissions, similar to a collection of short stories

Each ballet will qualify as one of the following as well:

  • Classical
    • To be classified as a Classical ballet there are five specific rules or ingredients that must be included. It must tell a story, have costumes and scenery and it must have music. The music is used as an element of storytelling in classical ballet. It also requires a “folk” or “character” dance and the female dancers must wear pointe shoes and tutus. To frame the dancing onstage, there is a Corps de Ballet. This is simply a group of dancers that serve as the background to soloists and principal dancers.
  • Contemporary
    • There are no “rules” in contemporary ballet. Costumes will vary, as will footwear.
Is There a Story?

It varies. Some ballets follow a plot and others are just about patterns or movement. Ultimately, ballet is meant to be for you to experience. What you take from it, how you interpret it—there is no right or wrong way.

Do the Dancers Talk?

No, dancers express the story or meaning through the movement. In some story ballets, dancers will use pantomime (exaggerated movements) to help you understand what’s happening. If you see a ballet with pantomime, head to the lobby, where we’ll have more information and guidance. If you ever struggle to follow along, feel free to chat with a BalletMet staff member in the lobby who will happily answer any questions you have.

How Do I Find Out More About the Show I’m Seeing?

Visit that show’s page on our website. We always have some fun things you might like to know beforehand. We often share fun factscharacter bios, behind-the-scenes videosSpotify playlists and photos. We continually add more info and media as we get closer to our performances.

What Does a Company Dancer Actually Mean?

It means they are a professional, full-time dancer in our company, or group, of dancers, much like an NBA player to an NBA team. Our dancers all proudly live and work here in Columbus but hail from all over the world!

When Do the Dancers Rehearse?

Because this is their full-time job, they come to work five days a week—just like any other job. Typically, they have class for two hours each morning to warm up, and then they go into rehearsals for three hours, with one hour for lunch, followed by another three hours of rehearsal.

Where Can I Get a Drink?

We have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks in concessions at every performance, and yes, you may take them to your seats. Insider tip: You can pre-order your intermission drink before the show and then you won’t have to wait in line!

When Do I Clap?

If you are wowed by something you just saw, please do applaud. At BalletMet, we love to hear clapping. It’s uplifting to those performing, as they can often feel your excitement and energy on stage. So applaud whenever you see fit! Note: Not every ballet company feels this way, so keep that in mind if you happen to be at another company’s performance.

Images by Jennifer Zmuda