Divadlo Ponec, Dance theatre in Žižkov, Prague, Czech Republic

Divadlo Ponec is a dance theatre in Žižkov, Prague, housed in a former factory hall from 1888 that was converted into a cinema in 1910 and later into a theatre. It has been run by the civic association Tanec Praha since 2001 and focuses on contemporary stage dance and physical theatre.

The building was erected in 1888 as a rolling and wire mill owned by the industrialist Rudolf Stabenow. In 1910 the entrepreneur František Ponec rented the hall, rebuilt it and opened the Royal Bioskop cinema there on 3 September 1910, the third permanent cinema in Žižkov. Projection continued until 1968, after which the building served as a film-company warehouse and fell into disrepair. A public competition in 1997 led to reconstruction, and in 2001 the civic association Tanec Praha opened Divadlo Ponec.

The theatre has hosted the Czech Dance Platform, a showcase of Czech dance production organised with Divadlo Alfred ve dvoře and Divadlo Archa. Since 2004 it has also held the Czech championship in yo-yoing, with only 2006 skipped. The Sazka Prize for dance, awarded to Petr Tyc, Kristýna Celbová and others, gives winners space at Ponec for a new production.

The venue is located at Husitská 24a in Prague 3 and can be reached easily by public transport. It is helpful to arrive a bit early, as the box office opens about an hour before each show for last-minute ticket purchases and seat reservations.

The theatre operates a Children's Studio and Movement Workshop for older adults, integrating dance education across different life stages. This approach brings contemporary dance to people of varying ages and creates learning opportunities that go beyond typical performance-focused venues.