Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly upright, his arms muscular beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can appear as powerful gods, yet frequently in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his demand for heroic characters and pas de deux work. With delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the company and was promoted each year, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty characters, particularly the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His upcoming featured role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will guide the audience through a role, showing his cognitive workflow during performance. Even in lighter works, the challenge is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he states.
The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings
What about after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very 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 catalyst for positive change."
Formative Motivations and Artistic Influences
Ball's determination originated in youthful setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
An upcoming challenge is making his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the rules 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 ideas from literature, music, and art.
Intimate Dance and Personal Partnership
He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They aren’t typically matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his dance films and images that showcase 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 protective about it," he explains. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a different reality to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He probably has about decade of dancing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
