He was born in Bedford, New York, in 1965 and began studies at the School of American Ballet (SAB) at age nine.
Boal assumed the directorship of Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2005 (from Kent Stowell and Francia Russell) following a successful career with the New York City Ballet (NYCB) which he joined in 1983 and where he was promoted to soloist in 1987, principal dancer in 1989, and from which he retired in 2005.
Boal joined the faculty of SAB in 1997, teaching technique, variations, men’s and women’s classes, and partnering.
Peter Boal gave his final performance at City Ballet on Sunday, June 5, 2005.
At City Ballet he has featured roles in over 40 ballets and had over 20 additional roles created on him by choreographers including Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, Christopher Wheeldon, Christopher d'Amboise, Ulysses Dove and Twyla Tharp.