Peter Boal was raised in Bedford, New York. At the age of nine, he began studying ballet at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet. Boal became a member of New York City Ballet's corps de ballet in 1983 and became a principal dancer in 1989. In 2005, he retired from New York City Ballet after a 22-year career with the company. Boal currently works as the artistic director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, Washington.