Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre

The Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre stands at 5 Yechieli Street in Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, and is the country's best-known home for contemporary dance. The complex occupies a group of restored late 19th-century buildings, originally a school for boys and girls, arranged around a leafy courtyard and a pair of auditoria. It is home to the Batsheva Dance Company and the Inbal Dance Theater, and it hosts Israeli and international companies, festivals and workshops throughout the year. The courtyard is open to anyone and works as a calm stop within Neve Tzedek, with a cafe, shaded seating, citrus trees and old stone walls that photograph well in the afternoon light. Visitors can browse posters and programme boards, watch rehearsal-day activity, or attend an evening performance. Performances are normally in the evening, and tickets start from about 80 ILS, rising to around 200 ILS for major productions. Most shows are movement-based and need no Hebrew, so they suit international visitors. Allow one hour to enjoy the courtyard and cafe, or two to three hours when combined with a show. Seating is raked in the main hall, giving good sightlines from most rows. The best way to fit the centre into an itinerary is to explore Neve Tzedek by day, take an early dinner on Shabazi Street, then attend a performance. Crowds are small outside performance times, and the courtyard is quietest on weekday mornings. On show nights the courtyard fills about 30 minutes before curtain. The centre is a five-minute walk from Shabazi Street and about 15 minutes from Rothschild Boulevard. Programme and ticket information is published on the centre's website, and booking ahead is advisable for Batsheva productions, which sell out.