In the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can appear like powerful deities, 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 fine traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was promoted each year, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty characters, particularly the emotional angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming starring role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process while performance. 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 Post-Performance Feelings
How does he feel following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for positive change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Influences
His determination originated in youthful setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to prove he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
The next endeavor is creating his own dance works. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the conventions is interesting, but just acting 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 substance, drawing inspiration from literature, compositions, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Private Dynamic
He additionally is interested in staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made pieces with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Image
On social media, fans can see clips from his dance films and images that highlight a sculpted form. Does he care that the response can be a bit 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 seen on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate thing to the dreams you made as a child," he muses. He probably has about ten years of performing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
