Best of Boston

2018 Best Dance Troupe

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, 617-354-7467, ballettheatre.org