Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly upright, his arms defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can seem like mighty deities, yet frequently in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. With fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Top
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was promoted annually, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial dramatic roles, particularly the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's upcoming starring appearance is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a performer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, showing his mental process while execution. Even in more comedic ballets, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.
The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions
What about after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."
Formative Motivations and Artistic Inspirations
His tenacity originated in early experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to prove he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
An upcoming endeavor is making his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging 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 aims his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing inspiration from books, music, and art.
Close-Up Performance and Personal Partnership
He also is interested in staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past show. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually paired on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception
On social media, fans can see videos from his projects and images that showcase a sculpted form. Does he mind that the engagement can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different reality to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He probably has another decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
