In the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, ballet dancers can seem as powerful deities, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his popularity for heroic characters and partnering. With fine features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial dramatic roles, especially the psychological angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next featured appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental workflow during execution. Even in lighter works, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.
The Mental Game and Post-Performance Feelings
How does he feel following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations
Ball's determination originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
An upcoming endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions is compelling, 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 filled with substance, drawing ideas from books, music, and art.
Close-Up Dance and Private Dynamic
He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous show. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They are not usually matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a athletic form. Does he mind that the engagement 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 seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "eager for success." Did it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has about ten years of performing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
