In the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally upright, his limbs muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can seem as powerful deities, yet frequently in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic characters and pas de deux work. Possessing fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was promoted each year, attaining the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's next starring appearance is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's art. He will guide the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental workflow while execution. Even in lighter ballets, the challenge is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he states.
The Psychological Game and Post-Performance Emotions
How does he feel following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Influences
His tenacity originated in youthful setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to prove he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
An upcoming endeavor is making his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions is interesting, but just pretending that they’re not a thing any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing inspiration from books, music, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Personal Partnership
He also favors staging dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
On Social Media and Bodily Perception
On Instagram, followers can see videos from his dance films and images that showcase a athletic physique. Does he care that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various levels.
Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a different thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He likely has another decade of dancing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
