4 Best Performing Arts Venues in Kendall Square/MIT, Boston

As the metro area's premier presenter of worldwide music and dance, Global Arts Live has a truly global roster featuring exciting contemporary artists in their Boston debuts (like The Bad Plus and Freshlyground), as well as world music icons, such as South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Ireland's Mary Black. Performances unfold at many venues, such as Brighton Music Hall, the Berklee Performance Center, The Sinclair, Somerville Theatre, and the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre.

This newly remodeled cinema's nine screens are devoted to first-run independent, avant-garde, and foreign films, and the concession stand offers hip goodies like coffee, empanadas, and homemade cookies. Their Kendall Bar now serves beer and wine. 1 Kendall Square stands where Hampshire Street meets Broadway, a 10-minute walk from the Kendall Square T station. Validated four-hour parking ($3) is available in an adjacent garage. If you're walking, be advised the area can get a bit desolate at night.

The MAC in East Cambridge supports diversity within the performing arts, engaging with the community through jazz, dance, and visiting programs. The two spacious galleries showcase international visual arts, and the theater itself is a showstopper with ornate Victorian details and theater lighting. Galleries are open Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm (Wednesday until 8pm), and free performances are held throughout the year, including outdoor summer programming at nearby Centanni Park.

Performances (and classes and workshops) by local and visiting choreographers take place at Odd Fellows Hall, an intimate space that draws a multicultural crowd within its seven studios. Styles range from classical ballet to contemporary and world dance, beginner street dance moves to advanced hip-hop. Occasionally, when weather permits, performers take to the streets for fun pop-up outdoor sets.