Within the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly upright, his arms muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear as powerful gods, yet frequently offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for heroic roles and partnering. With delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial characters, particularly the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's next featured appearance is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental process while execution. Yet in lighter works, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Feelings
How does he feel after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations
Ball's tenacity originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to prove he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
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 reality 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 painting.
Intimate Performance and Personal Partnership
He additionally is interested in staging dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On social media, followers can see clips from his dance films and photos that showcase a athletic physique. Does he mind that the engagement can be a bit focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a child," he reflects. He probably has another ten years of dancing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
